A Corduroy Obsession
Growing up, I was infatuated with corduroy in every sense. I had red corduroy pants that I insisted on wearing everyday, and blue corduroy overalls as back up when my mom said no to the pants. For some reason, I just couldn’t get enough. So, it comes as no surprise that my favorite childhood book was Corduroy, written and illustrated by Don Freeman. This story follows bear named Corduroy who lives in a department store and has struggled to find a home due to a noticeable flaw, his missing button. Corduroy proceeds on a long journey to find his missing button, but comes up short in the end. However, this doesn’t matter. He prevails and finds a little girl who wants him just the way he is, and finally gets to go home with her.
I was first introduced to this book around age four or five and remember being instantly hooked. The main appeal to me was the underlying story of a rescue taking place. Corduroy was this little tattered bear who was rescued and given a home by a little girl. As a kid, I had always wanted to be able to adopt a puppy from the humane society. I begged and pleaded with my parents, but I was never allowed to. Although purchasing a bear from a department store is much different than adopting a dog from the humane society, the story spoke to me. Because Corduroy was given such realistic characteristics and emotions throughout the story, he became a real animal to me. He was more than a toy bear. A line from the book that always stuck out to me was towards the end of the story. Corduroy is brought into Lisa’s room and says “This must be a home. I know I’ve always wanted a home!” (Freeman). This line has always made me happy and served as a resolution to Corduroy’s long journey to find a home.
Looking back on Corduroy now, I would still consider it to be one of my favorite books. I find it to be an exciting book to read aloud to children and still love the overall message of the story. In my opinion, this book should fall under the category of quality literature. It demonstrates how to better accept yourself and others, while still maintaining an entertaining and adventurous tone. Moreover, the little girl, is black, which helps to better represent minorities in children’s literature. This type of representation is rare and is to be celebrated. With these heavily weighted qualities in mind, I believe this book is one that many students can identify with. I look forward to reading this book to my class one day, and having it available in my classroom library.
Freeman, D. (1968). "Corduroy". New York: Viking Press.
Heather Sarahan. (Blog Post 1.1 ”Favorite Childhood Book” 4 February 2017)
