Monday, May 9, 2011

Another childhood favorite: Corduroy by Don Freeman


"Corduroy is a bear who once lived in the toy department of a big store"

One of my earliest memories of reading in Kindergarten involved a sweet little bear in green overalls, missing a button and wanting nothing more than to have a friend and a home of his own. I remember being mesmerized by Corduroy's brave adventure through the department store--up the escalator, into the room of furniture where he tries to use a mattress button to replace the one missing from his shoulder strap. I still feel lonely for him when the little girl who points him out to her mother doesn't get to take him home, as well as when the security guard finds Corduroy hiding under a comforter and returns him to his shelf in the middle of the night. It makes me smile to see Corduroy taken home, cared for, and in the arms of a new friend.

Corduroy is a heartwarming, sweet story about a toy in search of someone to love him. Children can relate because they have a simple, innate need to love and be loved, and adults (at least I'll speak for myself) remember what it means to love that one, special toy so fully.

If you have never read it, or never read it to your children, grandchildren, godchildren, nieces/nephews, little cousins, neighbor kids, classroom, it is a classic must-read :)

Rating:
5Q: Easy to read story that isn't too long for a classroom or bedtime story; manages to bring a toy to life, maintaining an imaginative quality while still being easy for kids to relate to.
4P: I was crazy about this book as a child, and I think a read aloud today would still catch kids' interest in a flash.

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