Prizes and samples provided by Dover Publications, Inc. The Children’s Book Review | November 1, 2015 Enter to win The Bear Necessities prize pack from Dover Publications: a copy of Beady Bear by Don Freeman, The Berenstain Bears’ Story Time Treasury, The Berenstain Bears’ First Time DO-IT! Book, and The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature! Two (2) winners […]
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By: Liz,
on 4/2/2014
Blog: Liz's Book Snuggery (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: 3-5, Way Back Wednesday, A Pocket for Corduroy, Don Freeman, Add a tag
By: Jason Boog,
on 9/10/2012
Blog: Galley Cat (Mediabistro) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Louis Sachar, Robert Munsch, Matt Groening, Marcus Pfister, Readers, Eric Carle, Jon Scieszka, Judith Viorst, Gary Paulsen, Arnold Lobel, Don Freeman, Esphyr Slobodkina, Gertrude Chandler Warner, Alvin Schwartz, Jean Marzollo, Deborah Howe, Add a tag
By: Julie Fortenberry,
on 12/5/2011
Blog: Children's Illustration (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Don Freeman, Add a tag
"This holiday season, aficionados of children’s book illustration can bid on pieces of art from the Children’s Book Council’s historic collection" --CBC
The proceeds for this item benefit Every Ch
By: Thao,
on 1/20/2010
Blog: B is for Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Old School, Don Freeman, Little People: Ages 4 to 8, Corduroy, Add a tag
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By: Jama Rattigan,
on 8/11/2008
Blog: jama rattigan's alphabet soup (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: corduroy, teddy bear picnic, don freeman, Add a tag
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By: Bianca Schulze,
on 11/1/2015
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Giveaways, Giveaway, featured, Dover Publications, Don Freeman, Bear Books, Berenstain Bears Books, Add a tag
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Liz,
on 4/2/2014
Blog: Liz's Book Snuggery (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: 3-5, Way Back Wednesday, A Pocket for Corduroy, Don Freeman, Add a tag
A Pocket for Corduroy
By Don Freeman
My grown kiddies first came upon the picture books of Don Freeman via the titles, Beady Bear, Dandelion and then, Corduroy. The books and characters he imagined and drew, created many hours of bedtime and leisure reading for them. I guess Don Freeman is one reason that I am partial to bruins of all types, but especially in literature whether they are called Paddington, Pooh Berenstain or Baloo, and any number of others I could name. There is something about a bear that is comforting and relatable to a child. Perhaps, that’s why they keep popping up in kid lit as opposed to an aardvark. Why even a bear named Smokey was chosen by the Ad Council as a way to educate children in 1947 as a way to inform them about the dangers of forest fires. The famous quote ran “Remember…. only you can prevent forest fires.” It’s since been updated to say; “Only you can prevent wildfires.” And the Ad Council maintains that 95% and 77% of children know that quote. Amazing!
But, back to this bear! If you and your young reader have not read the original, do go back and read Corduroy. He is the bear in search of a home and the loving arms that embrace him in his quest, comes in the form of a young girl named Lisa.
In A Pocket for Corduroy, Lisa and her mom are in a Laundromat doing wash with the green overall suited and honey colored bear in tow. Lisa’s mom wisely advises Lisa to empty her pockets pre wash. “You don’t want your precious things to get all wet and soapy.” Corduroy, in glancing down at his overalls notices he is pocket less, and so begins one bear in search of a pouch. Mistaking a HUGE laundry bag for a cave, Corduroy ventures in, and of course is mistakenly bundled into the WASHER with the heaps of other clothing by a fellow launderer. A small bear is very easy to miss! When Lisa discovers the absence of the furry one, the Laundromat is near closing and unhappily they depart to renew the search the next day.
Luck is on the side of Corduroy when he is uncovered by the artist/launderer post wash and the least he feels he can do is dry the young bear’s sopping wet overalls. As they spin in the dryer, the artist is suddenly taken with an idea for a PAINTING as he views the clothes whirl in the dryer. Flashes of color inspire the beret headed man and he can’t WAIT to start the creative process. Hey, inspiration is all around us, even in Laundromats, and sometimes what we simply need is a Muse or facilitator. Enter Corduroy!
Unexpected surprises are always afoot for Corduroy as he innocently tips over a box of Swan Flakes soap chips, believing it to be real SNOW! And he is rewarded with an unexpected slippery and soapy flake filled slide down a tabletop into a cart.
With the Laundromat now closed, young readers will be wondering and ASKING, “Does Corduroy get home?” “Will he get his pocket?” Why not read and find out is always my answer to that question!
Don Freeman, who passed away in 1978, had that rare gift and touch for taking an ordinary event in a day and making it something SPECIAL in a picture book, just because a very loveable bear named Corduroy experienced it. Corduroy’s wide-eyed openness, willingness to try new adventures and meet new people, mirrors the child in all of us. And I can’t help but think that a great deal of that spirit infused into his characters came from Don himself. His books are a living legacy in the picture book pantheon!
And Corduroy and A Pocket for Corduroy are picture books that are classic and comforting, just like their hero!! Well done, Don, and thank you from generations of young readers, including two particular young ladies that I know!
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By: Jason Boog,
on 9/10/2012
Blog: Galley Cat (Mediabistro) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Louis Sachar, Robert Munsch, Matt Groening, Marcus Pfister, Readers, Eric Carle, Jon Scieszka, Judith Viorst, Gary Paulsen, Arnold Lobel, Don Freeman, Esphyr Slobodkina, Gertrude Chandler Warner, Alvin Schwartz, Jean Marzollo, Deborah Howe, Add a tag
What books do you remember most fondly from childhood?
Over at the nostalgia section of Reddit, readers have been sharing the books that make them feel most nostalgic.
To help our readers rediscover these childhood classics, we’ve linked to free samples of the 15 Most Nostalgic Books below–ranked in order by the books’ popularity among Reddit readers.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
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By: Julie Fortenberry,
on 12/5/2011
Blog: Children's Illustration (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Don Freeman, Add a tag
closes: | Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:04:00 PM EST |
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0 Comments on Read More by Don Freeman, 1955 as of 1/1/1900
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By: Thao,
on 1/20/2010
Blog: B is for Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Old School, Don Freeman, Little People: Ages 4 to 8, Corduroy, Add a tag
My sister and I received identical teddy bears when we were young. I figure it was my Mom’s way of preventing sibling rivalry – no bear was bigger, better or stronger than the other. My bear was named after a boy I had a crush on, Christopher – sigh. My sister named hers after RuPaul. [...]
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By: Jama Rattigan,
on 8/11/2008
Blog: jama rattigan's alphabet soup (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: corduroy, teddy bear picnic, don freeman, Add a tag
Today we are celebrating a double birthday here at alphabet soup!
You may already know that Corduroy, the bear in search of a button and a friend, is 40 years old this year. But did you know that Corduroy's creator, Don Freeman, was born exactly one hundred years ago today? That's right: August 11, 1908.
Corduroy is certainly one of the most beloved bears in children's literature, along with Paddington and Pooh. Even though there are only two picture books about him, he has managed to stand out among the plethora of other bear books published through the years.
His enduring charm for young readers exemplifies what Don Freeman defined as the essence of a good children's story: simplicity without simple mindedness. This is a story about belonging, being loved for who you are, and friendship. What could be more important than that? And it's told without a hint of didacticism, condescension, or sentimentality.
"Corduroy is a bear who once lived in the toy department of a big store. Day after day he waited with all the other animals and dolls for somebody to come along and take him home."
This past spring, Viking released a special 40th Anniversary Edition of this classic with extra-large trim size, embossed cover, and 8 pages of never-before-seen bonus material. It's a beauty of a book, and a must-have for any diehard Corduroy fan.Since Corduroy was first published when I was in high school (1968), I didn't meet him until I began writing children's stories and collecting bears in the 80's. And I didn't know much about Don Freeman until this year. What a fascinating life!
Originally from San Diego, Freeman moved to NYC in 1928 to study art at the Students Art League with John Sloan. He was fascinated by the theatre, and filled many sketchbooks with what he observed backstage on Broadway and all over the city. He supported himself by playing cornet in jazz and dance bands.
One night, while riding on the subway, he became so preoccupied with his sketching that he forgot his cornet on the train. After that, he decided to focus solely on his art. He was supposedly a gregarious sort, with lots of friends, including Louis Armstrong and William Saroyan.
He came to children's books quite casually, co-authoring stories with his wife, Lydia. One of these early books was called Corduroy the Inferior Decorator (as yet, still unpublished), featuring a boy who drove his parents crazy by painting on the walls of their apartment. The name, "Corduroy," was Don's pet name for his son, Roy, who always wore corduroy overalls.
Years after Corduroy was published, Don wrote Linda Zuckerman, his editor when the book was released, explaining how he got the idea:
Of course I can't remember exactly how it started, but I do recall wanting to do a story about a department store in which a character wanders around at night after the doors close. Then I also wanted to show the vast difference between the luxury of a department store and the simple life most people live. The idea of simple basic values was another theme that was running around in the back of my head . . .
Viking first rejected Corduroy, so Freeman submitted it to other publishers. They rejected it as well, but he believed in the story so strongly that he decided to resubmit it to Viking, who finally decided to take a chance on it. 
"Hello," he said. "How did you get upstairs?"
The 40th Anniversary Edition contains correspondence between Freeman and his acquiring editor, Annis Duff, an early draft of the manuscript with Duff's editorial notes, newspaper clippings on Freeman's death, and several sketches alongside final illos. Great stuff for those who love process, history, and anecdotes.
I could not find any evidence of whether Freeman modeled Corduroy after a real teddy bear. But I do know that Freeman's rendering manages to touch that hopeful, accepting, innocent child's heart in all of us. Such a small bear in a huge department store! Nobody wanted him because he wasn't perfect. How good we feel when Lisa finally takes him home.
Sadly, Freeman died of a heart attack just before the sequel, A Pocket for Corduroy, was published in 1978. I wonder if he had any idea how many millions of children would continue to take his loveable bear home after that.
"You must be a friend," said Corduroy. "I've always wanted a friend."
"Me too!" said Lisa, and gave him a big hug."
Happy Birthday, Don and Corduroy!!
Don Freeman's Official Website is here.
For a reading of the story, click here.
**All interior spreads posted by permission, copyright © 2008, The Viking Press, All rights reserved.
Photo of Don Freeman used in accordance with Creative Commons 3.0 Unported License.