Pocket for Corduroy
Pockets! Corduroy doesn't have any pockets! The furry bear's search for a pocket of his own takes him on an adventure filled with the sights, sounds, smells and hazards of the Laundromat. As a result, Lisa and her beloved bear become separated as Corduroy ends up locked inside the Laundromat all night. And what do bears do all night in places like this? They ski in the soap flakes and nap in the baskets, of course!
Fortunately, Lisa returns early the next morning to reclaim her tired little friend. Soon, Lisa is sewing Corduroy a pocket of his very own and again all is well in the life of Corduroy.
"This merry tale gets added interest from...the setting, a multi-ethnic urban neighborhood, of cuddly Corduroy and his pal Lisa, a black child, and her attractive mother." — Publishers Weekly.
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.