Corduroy

Corduroy is a 1968 children's book written and illustrated by Don Freeman, and published by the Viking Press. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal. The book is about the titular character, an anthropomorphic teddy bear, in a department store. History Don Freeman explained that he had an idea of writing a story taking place in a department store, in which a character wanders around after the doors close. He wanted the storyline to portray a difference between the luxury of such department store and the simple life most people live, at the same time highlighting basic values. The bear's name was derived from another children's book by Freeman, Corduroy, the Inferior Decorator, which tells about a boy driving his parents crazy by painting on their apartment's walls. The book was never published, but Freeman reused the boy's name when writing Corduroy. Secondly, it has been reported that the name Corduroy had been a nickname for his son, Roy. The book was rejected when first sent to Freeman's publisher, Viking Press. The writer then sent it to a number of other publishers, who also provided him with negative feedback. Freeman presented the book once again to Viking Press and was finally given a chance. Don Freeman wrote a sequel, A Pocket for Corduroy, in 1978 but died before it was published. In 2006, children's book author B. G. Hennessy published Corduroy Lost and Found as a sequel to Don Freeman's earlier works. A special 40th anniversary edition of Corduroy was released in 2008. Actress Viola Davis wrote a sequel, Corduroy Takes a Bow, which was published by Penguin Random House on September 4, 2018.