A toy bear's big anniversary

ShareThis

When Don Freeman moved from California to New York City in the late 1920s, he hoped to make a living as a jazz trumpeter.But he also was a talented artist, and found himself spending much of his time in New York doing art. Torn between music and art, Freeman found the choice made for him one evening when he was so engrossed in sketching his fellow subway passengers that he nearly forgot to get off at his stop.At the last minute, Freeman jumped off the train and found that he had left his trumpet on the train seat. So Freeman decided to dive full force into art, eventually becoming a well-known graphic artist who covered the New York theater scene.But Freeman's claim to lasting fame was cemented in another arena -- the world of children's books. From his first picture book, "Pet of the Met," which was published in 1935, Freeman developed a reputation as an author and artist who created stories that children loved.This year marks the 40th anniversary of "Corduroy," Freeman's most popular and enduring children's book. It's also the centennial of Freeman's birth. Aimed at readers ages 4-7, "Corduroy" stars a toy bear whose corduroy trousers are missing one of two buttons, making him less attractive to most potential buyers in the department store where he lives.One little girl named Lisa, however, loves Corduroy despite his missing button. She wants to take him home, but her mother doesn't have the money. Lisa goes sadly away and Corduroy decides to go hunting for his missing button once the department store closes for the night.Corduroy has several adventures before he is discovered by the night watchman and put back on the toy shelf. He's there when Lisa arrives the next day, buys him with her savings and takes him home. Lisa sews on a new button for Corduroy and the book's final illustration shows girl and bear in a happy hug -- the perfect ending to a classic that has enchanted several generations of young readers and their parents."'Corduroy' taps into a persistent childhood fantasy," says Anita Silvey, children's-book expert and author of "100 Best Books for Children." "Children know that when they leave the room, their toys have all kinds of adventures; this fantasy underlies 'Toy Story,' 'The Lonely Doll' and 'Corduroy.'"The charm of the story has been extended in Don Freeman's drawings. It is a book with great heart, and is remembered by children for its subtle message that the inside rather than the outside really matters."To celebrate the 40th anniversary of "Corduroy," Viking has released a new edition of the book ($19.99) that concludes with a section of background materials. These include a miniature version of Freeman's first draft of the book, complete with editing suggestions made by Annis Duff, his Viking editor.Other special attractions in this new version include copies of some of Freeman's original sketches that didn't make it into the final book, as well as copies of letters he wrote to Duff as the book was taking shape.While young readers will have no interest in such back matter, adults -- especially those who loved "Corduroy" as children -- may well find it fascinating to see how the book took shape through the editing process."Corduroy" struck such a chord among readers that Freeman decided to write a sequel, "A Pocket for Corduroy." He was working on the book when he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1978 at the age of 69. The book was published later that year.One especially interesting facet of "Corduroy" is the fact that Freeman decided to portray Lisa as a black girl. "Corduroy" was published just six years after "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats broke the color barrier in children's picture books by focusing his book on an African-American boy, and children's books featuring minority children still were relatively rare.While "Corduroy" is regarded as a classic today, Freeman had a difficult time finding a publisher for it, according to an essay titled "The Story Behind Corduroy," which is posted on a Web site on Freeman maintained by his son, Roy Freeman, at http://donfreeman.info.According to the essay, Freeman first sent the manuscript to Viking, which rejected it, as did a number of other publishers. Freeman refused to give up, however, and eventually persuaded Viking to publish the book.In a lecture he gave on children's books (also found on the Web site), Freeman expressed his joy at writing for children: "I believe children deserve the best we as writers can offer them and ourselves."(Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at Kam.macpherson(at)gmail.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)