When I was growing up, my favorite book was Coruroy by Dan Freeman. In this story, a teddy bear named Corduroy is not the most popular toy on the shelf at a department store. When one child begs her mother to buy him, she says no because of his missing button on his overalls. After the disappointed Corduroy watches the sad little girl leave and the department store closes, Coruroy sets out on an adventure to find himself a new button for his overalls. His quest unfortunately ended in failure. The next day, the little girl returns to the store and decides to buy Corduroy just as he is, and once she brings him home, she sews a new button onto him.
As a child, I had a huge imagination. I could be completely content playing on my own as I could imagine anything. Because of my love for imagination, I fell in love with the book Corduroy because of the way he came to life, just as how I imagined all of my own toys to do. Secondly, I loved, and still love, adventure. When Corduroy embarked on his quest to find a new button, he had to overcome the obstacles of an unfamilar territory, a moving escalator, and a scary security man. All of this brought suspense to the story, atleast as much suspense as a young child enjoyed!
Today as I think back on the story Corduroy, I also see the hidden meaning or moral of the story which is that of acceptance. The little girl liked and accepted Corduroy just how he came. Eventhough the girl's mother did not want to buy the teddy bear for her, she came back the next day with her own money to purchase Corduroy. This idea of acceptance teaches a vaulable lesson that people of all ages can benefit from.
The book Corduroy is one that I never forgot to read as a child and will continue to be a book that I will never forget for the rest of my life, and one that I hope to read to my future children and grandchildren.
