Corduroy By: Don Freeman

Blog Post Two
Book: Corduroy By Don Freeman

Publisher: Penguin Books
ISBN: 0 14 050.173 8

I am very excited about this week’s blog! My journey started as I looked up picture books that I could use for this blog and looking at the website for NYPL picture book choices everyone should read.  I came across a beloved childhood favorite of mine, Corduroy by Don Freeman.  I truly love this book and will read it to my children.

            The story is about Corduroy, a little bear who wears green corduroy overalls and lives in a large department store with other toys.  He is a cute bear however; a button is missing on one side of his overalls.  A little girl and her mother were shopping in the department store, the girl wanted the bear but, her mother refuses purchase Corduroy because he looked old and was missing a button.  That night, Corduroy goes to look for his button, he ends up in the bedding department and tries to take the buttons on the bed.  With all the commotion Corduroy knocks over a lamp, the night guard comes and places Corduroy back with the other toys.  The little girl comes back and purchases Corduroy takes him home where she sews a new button on his clothes.  He finally has a new friend and has a loving home. 

        This is a wonderful and cute story about an adventurous bear who all along wanted a warm home and a friend.  The story shows that everything that isn’t brand new or perfect shouldn’t be overlooked, it could be the best thing you ever purchase.  The little girl wanted a bear of her very own to love, she didn’t care that he wasn’t as nice or flashy like the other toys.   
        This story demonstrates how to care for another despite what someone looks like.  It shows how a person can look past the exterior to see who the person really is.  Many people are quick to judge a person or object from the outside and never give it a second look after judgment has been made.  The little girl was determined to buy Corduroy with her own money, fix him and make him brand new. The best message a child can learn from this story is not to make assumptions or judge too quickly, some children do it all too often to others.  This is a valuable lesson that should be taught early in life, which could debunk similar stereotyping or judging traits.

 The little girl depicted true love and determination to buy Corduroy; it was love at first sight.  Love and caring are the main points in this story; the little girl takes Corduroy home fixes his clothes and gives him a bed to sleep in.  She truly wants to take care of him and treat him as her equal. 

I love Corduroy’s personality.  He is a sweet, lovable bear who is a bit naive, adventurous, and wants to be ‘perfect’ toy by trying to find his missing button.  I think that he has the best intentions and tries to find a button from the bedding department but fails.  It reminds me of a child who may think that they’re doing a good job but they don’t fully complete the task.  It’s what makes this story special, his naivety.   

Lastly, the pictures within this book are very well done.  They each depict the story line perfectly and clearly.  There is no mistaking or misunderstanding any picture.  The pictures give life to the book and with some books, the pictures may be to busy or a bit confusing or there's not enough to fully put the story together.  Corduroy is a simple book about a little bear's journey to a loving home.  

Overall this book presents a lot of values that are important for children to learn, understand and practice.  This story is a great tool to show children.  

Inch By Inch By Leo Lionni

Blog One Book: Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books

ISBN: 978-0-688-13283-5

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni is a wonderfully clever children’s book that I read and enjoyed when I was younger.  The characters in the book are simple, cunning and can be used as a great tool especially if the children are learning about birds, related animals or habitats.

 Inch by Inch tells the tale of a little Inchworm who meets a Robin one morning.  The Robin tells the Inchworm that he is going to eat him, but the Inchworm comes up with a bright idea and tells the Robin that he’ll measure his tail if he doesn’t eat him.  The Robin allows him to do so and is very enthused to learn that his tail is five inches long.  He forgets about eating the Inchworm and decides to take him (Inchworm) to meet his (Robin) friends and let them all be measured.  The Inchworm measures a flamingo’s neck, a toucan’s beak, and a heron’s legs.  The story continues this way until the Inchworm meets a Nightingale.  Like the Robin, the Nightingale demands the Inchworm to measure him but he wants his song to be measured.  Despite Inchworms protests that he is unable to measure the song the Nightingale threatens to eat him.  So the Inchworm does as told and starts to measure the song, he keeps measuring and measuring until he ‘inches out of sight’.

This book is great to read to a class and an interesting way to include the class and get their reaction and responses.  Also some of the birds are recognizable like a flamingo, asking questions at the end such as, ‘what birds were mentioned in the story?’ is a great way to enforce reading comprehension and learn new vocabulary words.  Another technique would be to do different kinds of voices for each of the birds that talk and even give the Inchworm a bit of an accent. 

The character I enjoyed the most was the protagonist, the Inchworm.  Lionni created a simple yet complex character in him.  It’s funny to see how the Inchworm gets out of a scary situation using quick thinking.  I also found it ironic that a little Inchworm measures many birds and manages not to get eaten and outsmarted all of them.

Another aspect I loved was the artistic look of the book.  The characters and environment were kept simple and almost looked as if a child drew them or the author was inspired by a child’s artwork.  It made the book that much more intimate and not so polished or professionally drawn.  You see that animal mentioned has a different pattern for their feathers.  I loved how certain pages the grass was drawn to look like very high with a tiny Inchworm crawling on the dirt.  It reminded me of ‘Where’s Waldo’ for a moment because the Inchworm blended in so well with the grass.  It gives the reader and listener a sense of scale and how truly tiny this Inchworm really is.  

This is a great book and I would use it in my classroom.  There are many features you highlight and focus on to effectively teach and stimulate your children into learning something new.