SLIS 5420
Module 2
January 25-31

Corduroy

By Don Freeman

Freeman, Don. Corduroy. Viking Press, 1968. ISBN: 00670241334

Synopsis:
Corduroy is a bear for sale in a department store. Corduroy is sad because he is missing a button from his overalls. Corduroy crawls down from the display that night and goes about the department store trying to find his button. The night guard finds him and puts him back in his rightful place. Then a little girl named Lisa comes the very first thing that day and takes him home. She sews a button on his overalls, and they become friends.

My View of the World
Corduroy is very endearing as he searches for his button so that someone will want to take him home. The pictures are eye-catching and will capture students’ attention. Corduroy’s story will be something to which students can relate because everyone wants a friend growing up. Almost all children growing up have a teddy bear, and that is just one more reason that students are able to relate to Corduroy.

Book Reviews
Poor Corduroy, he has been sitting on the store shelf for a long time. A young girl named Lisa falls in love with Corduroy despite his missing button and shopworn look. It is a heartwarming story of the small stuffed bear's desire for a home and friends and his obtaining perfect fulfillment in the devotion of Lisa. Caldecott award winning illustrator Freeman created a book that has lasted for generations.
Children's Literature from BarnesandNoble.com

“Have you ever dreamed of being locked in a department store at night? The endearing story of Corduroy paints a picture of the adventures that might unfold (for a teddy bear at least) in such a situation. When all the shoppers have gone home for the night, Corduroy climbs down from the shelf to look for his missing button. It's a brave new world! He accidentally gets on an elevator that he thinks must be a mountain and sees the furniture section that he thinks must be a palace. He tries to pull a button off the mattress, but he ends up falling off the bed and knocking over a lamp. The night watchman hears the crash, finds Corduroy, and puts him back on the shelf downstairs. The next morning, he finds that it's his lucky day! A little girl buys him with money she saved in her piggy bank and takes him home to her room. Corduroy decides that this must be home and that Lisa must be his friend. “ Amazon.com Review


In My World
I would use Corduroy to help students develop a sense of story. You could have a stuffed teddy bear be Corduroy and have students write adventures of Corduroy. This could be used in helping students to write and inspire them to derive their own stories.