A Childhood Favorite: Corduroy by Don Freeman

Reading List
Written By Rebecca Grabill
Corduroy by Don Freeman

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Corduroy by Don Freeman. Puffin Books, 1968.

A classic and one of my childhood favorites. I didn’t notice Lisa was African American until I read it again as an adult, but now I see the parallel between her race and her acceptance of Corduroy just the way he is -- especially given the time in which it was published.

The writing itself is simple, fluid, clear without a lot of splash. Perfect continuity with the illustrations and storyline. I remember being touched by Lisa’s unconditional acceptance of her bear -- that she loves him even with the missing button, but selflessly fixes it for his own comfort. One of those books that shaped my own life narrative.

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Rebecca Grabill

Rebecca has been writing since childhood, her first book about a kitten published between homemade cardboard covers in second grade. Although she studied religion and philosophy in university, she continued writing, earning an MFA from Hamline University and publishing multiple picture books (no longer with homemade covers) and a collection of poetry with a variety of New York and independent publishers. She has also published a wide array of fiction, essays, and poetry in magazines and journals and photographs for Getty Images. She balances writing with homeschooling the younger of her six children, launching her young adults, church activities, and overseeing a small flock of chickens in rural West Michigan.

www.rebeccagrabill.com
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