Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908. At an early age, he received a trumpet as a gift from his father. He practiced obsessively and eventually joined a California dance band. After graduating from high school, he ventured to New York City to study art under the tutelage of Joan Sloan and Harry Wickey at the Art Students' League. He managed to support himself throughout his schooling by playing his trumpet evenings, in nightclubs and at weddings.
Gradually, he eased into making a living sketching impressions of Broadway shows for The New York Times and The Herald Tribune. This shift was helped along, in no small part, by a rather heartbreaking incident: he lost his trumpet. One evening, he was so engrossed in sketching people on the subway, he simply forgot it was sitting on the seat beside him. This new career turned out to be a near-perfect fit for Don, though, as he had always loved the theater.
He was introduced to the world of children’s literature when William Saroyan asked him to illustrate several books. Soon after, he began to write and illustrate his own books, a career he settled into comfortably and happily. Through his writing, he was able to create his own theater: "I love the flow of turning the pages, the suspense of what's next. Ideas just come at me and after me. It's all so natural. I work all the time, long into the night, and it's such a pleasure. I don't know when the time ends. I've never been happier in my life!"
Don died in 1978, after a long and successful career. He created many beloved characters in his lifetime, perhaps the most beloved among them a stuffed, overall-wearing bear named Corduroy.
Don Freeman was the author and illustrator of many popular books for children, including Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and the Caldecott Honor Book Fly High, Fly Low.
Corduroy
by Don Freeman
Hardcover
$17.80
- ISBN-13: 9780812487930
- Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
- Publication date: 09/01/1990
- Series: Corduroy Series
- Pages: 30
- Product dimensions: 8.90(w) x 6.70(h) x 0.40(d)
- Age Range: 3 - 5 Years
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Celebrate 50 years of the beloved teddy bear.
2018 marks Corduroy’s 50th anniversary, and Don Freeman’s classic character is even more popular today than he was when he first came on the scene. Now his original story is available in an unabridged, sturdy board book format, perfect for even the youngest readers.
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From the Publisher
Corduroy has donated more than three million dollars to a charity helping children with severe illnesses, disabilities, or traumas.Corduroy hosted Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign, which raised more than $1.5 million for early education programs. Two million children and adults read the book on the same day.
Corduroy was one of the first books inducted into the Indies Choice Book Awards Picture Book Hall of Fame.
The New York Public Library named Corduroy one of the 100 Great Children's Books from the Last 100 Years.
The National Education Association named Corduroy one of the Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children.
School Library Journal named Corduroy one of the Top 100 Picture Books for the 21st Century.
Corduroy’s creator, Don Freeman, received the Kerlan Award in recognition of his singular attainments in the creation of children's literature.
Close to 20 million copies of the Corduroy books have sold in the United States and around the world.
Children's Literature - Joanna Wiley
A small teddy bear named Corduroy sits on the shelf of a department store and longs for someone to buy him. One afternoon, a little girl spots him and instantly decides he is the bear she has always wanted. Despite her excitement, the girl's mother refuses to buy Corduroy, pointing out that the missing button on his overalls makes him look old. Upon hearing this, Corduroy decides to search the store in hopes of finding the button. That night, he encounters many new sights, including the store's escalator and furniture department. After Corduroy's failed attempt to remove a sewn-on button atop a mattress, the store's security guard finds him and places him back on his original shelf. The next day, Corduroy awakes to find himself greeted by the smiling face of the girl from the previous day. She buys Corduroy and takes him home where she then replaces his lost button. As Corduroy looks at his new surroundings, he rejoices in the realization that he now has a home and a loving friend to take care of him. Freeman's use of a character like Corduroy who appears to be flawed because of a useless overall strap conveys a valid moral lesson that even though something is not perfect, it is no less special. Freeman's illustrations also help add to the story's sense of adventure as the little teddy bear explores the sights and sounds of the world around him. By utilizing a sense of childlike innocence and curiosity, Freeman creates a character with the kind of charm and sincerity that children and adults alike will find hard to resist. Published in many forms over the years, this version is a large format board book. Reviewer: Joanna Wiley