Corduroy & Company

Corduroy

by Don Freeman, Leonard M. Marcus (Introduction)

Generations have grown up with Don Freeman's picture books, and many of today's parents are reading aloud the same favorite books that they loved as children. In this welcome collection, 11 of Freeman's most appealing tales, including Corduroy , Dandelion , Norman the Doorman , Mop Top , and his Caldecott Honor Book Fly High, Fly Low are collected in one edition. One story, Gayelord the Goat , has never before been published and is seen here for the first time. An introduction by renowned critic Leonard Marcus outlines Freeman's career and contribution, and an afterword tells the story of the artist's incredible life, from trumpet player to theater illustrator to children's book legend. Corduroy & Company is not only a wonderful book to share with children, but also a fascinating look at the career of a man who was one of the most influential writers and artists of his time. Don Freeman (1908-1978) was born in San Diego, California, and moved to New York City to study art, making his living as a jazz trumpeter. With the loss of his trumpet on a subway train, Freeman turned his talents to art full-time. In 1951, after the birth of his son, Roy, Freeman created his first picture book, Chuggy and the Blue Caboose , which is included in this collection.

Genres: Childrens, Classics, Picture Books, Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2001

About the author

Don Freeman was a painter, printmaker, cartoonist, children's book author, and illustrator. He was born in San Diego, California, attended high school in Missouri, and later moved to New York City where he studied etching with John Sloan.
Frequent subjects included Broadway theatre, politics, and the circus. He was also a jazz musician, and the brother of circus entrepreneur Randy Freeman.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The boy gave this one 5 stars. I'd put it at 3 stars but only if you read one story a night. So I'm splitting the difference and giving it 4 stars.

Corduroy the Bear is the best story, sweet in its own way, but the internal rhyming and the off-rhymes and the weird rhythms of the sentences drove me nuts. What's at first clever becomes increasingly tedious as you read story after story with those same linguistic tricks that don't quite work.

This is a collection of stories by Freeman, and Corduroy appears in only one of them. (I think he has other Corduroy books with similar artwork.) Some of the stories are uncomfortably dated and gendered, and some are adorable. It's a mixed bag. There are notes about the author provided, which might be of interest to parents.

As a read-aloud, I hated this because of the weird rhythm of the sentences, and as a read-alone it's a tricky selection because there are so many obscure and "big" words that would send a child to the dictionary every five minutes. My suggestion would be to go for the regular Corduroy series, rather than this "treasury."

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of Don Freeman's work. I had no idea how many more stories he had written besides Corduroy. I enjoy his artistic style and his story telling style as well.

[Abigail Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are some of my favorite childhood stories. Corduroy is a classic, Tilly the Witch is silly, but Mop Top is one of my favorites!

[Margaret Chind]

...and lastly Gayelord the Goat, has never before been published and is seen here for the first time.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notes:
This compilation format is terrible -- dozens of illustrations are left out and the ones included are as small as your palm.
Includes a hideous halloween story Tilly Witch.
Gayelord would have been cute but the layout they chose was incoherent.
We've read Corduroy, Fly High Fly Low, and Pet of the Met which are way better in their original format.
Stories worth finding as picture books -- Mop Top, Dandelion, and Norman the Doorman. The kids also liked Flash the Dash but not as much.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of eleven stories by Don Freeman with Corduroy on the cover and as the first story. Too wordy for young pre-schoolers and perhaps too dated for savvy older ones, but a great collection of Freeman's best picture books.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked Don Freeman's Corduroy, then you might like reading some of his other titles. A collection like this gives the reader a chance to discover other amusing stories written and illustrated by the same man. We especially liked Mop Top.

[Brandi Streeval · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this to my daughter

[Brittany Basalla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corduroy is a childhood favorite of mine.

[McKenzie Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is honestly the best book I have ever read! It really makes you feel the emotions that the little bear feels!