Module Two - Corduroy

This week's module was all about classic children's books.  One of the books I chose for this module was Corduroy, by Don Freeman.  I chose this book because while I have seen it in children's book collections, libraries, and bookstores forever, I couldn't remember if I had ever actually read the book.

Photo from Penguin Books, http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780670241330,00.html?Corduroy_Don_Freeman#

Corduroy is the story of a teddy bear who has been on the shelf at a department store for a long time.  One day, a little girl spots him and asks her mother if they can take him home.  Her mother points out that he is missing a button, and explains that she has already spent too much money that day.  That night, Corduroy decides to go looking for his missing button, and explores the department store.  He experiences new things, like a bed- after each new experience he says that he guesses he always wanted to see or have whatever he experiences.  After making some commotion, the security guard finds Corduroy and returns him to his shelf.  The next day, the little girl returns to the store and takes Corduroy home.  Once they arrive in the little girl's room, Corduroy says "This must be home... I know I've always wanted a home!" (pg. 30).

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The story line draws you in to Corduroy's world, and the author gives thought and action to what is normally an inanimate object, which grabs the attention of small children.  The illustrations are bright and colorful, and Corduroy's facial expressions really help to convey the emotions he feels as he moves through life.  For me, the book also highlights one of the differences that often exists between adults and young children.  Adults often focus on appearance and sometimes use differences in appearance to justify their behavior toward people or objects.  Young children learn this from their parents and others around them, it is not an innate behavior - as the author shows us through the character of Lisa - even though her mother disapproved of Corduroy because he looked old and worn, she went to the trouble of counting her money just so she could bring him home and love him.  This theme might not be realized by young readers, but it is a pointed reminder to parents!

Young Nguyen of Children's Literature wrote the following:
"Corduroy, a stuffed bear who may remind readers of themselves, lives in a toy department of a store. He waits patiently for a child to buy him and take him home. Determined to find his lost button, Corduroy feels that he must improve the way he looks to be accepted, not realizing that Lisa accepts him just as he is. He thinks that to be accepted, he must be perfect. Don Freeman, the author and illustrator, uses watercolors and pen and ink to bring to life this wonderful story. He causes the reader to believe that Corduroy comes to life both at night and in the presence of Lisa, who adores him. The clothing styles in the illustrations date the book. Yet, Freeman’s fine use of watercolors illustrates a flashlight’s ability to illuminate a dark room. Virtues such as responsibility, perseverance, friendship, compassion as well as the need to belong are presented in the story. Freeman proves to be talented both as an author and an illustrator in this timeless classic."

One fun activity that teachers or librarians could incorporate Corduroy into is a themed story time.  At a public library, a story could consist of children in their pajamas, with their favorite teddy bear or comfort object coming to the library in the evening to hear the story of Corduroy before bed.

Librarians could also collaborate with disaster relief groups such as Teddy Bear Brigade (http://teddybearbrigade.com/disaster-relief/) which provide teddy bears to the child victims of natural disasters and house fires by donating copies of Corduroy to be given in conjunction with the teddy bears.

References:
Freeman, D.  (1968).  Corduroy.  New York: Viking.

Nguyen, Y.  (n.d.).  Corduroy.  Accessed January 28, 2013 via Children's Literature Comprehensive Database.  http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:5268/member/csearch.htm 

Module One - Love You Forever

As an introduction to children's literature, we were to pick two children's books that adults like that are not necessarily "good" books.  One of the books I chose to read was Love You Forever, written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw.

Photo from Firefly Books, http://www.fireflybooks.com/bookdetail&ean=9780920668368

This book tells the story of a mother who rocks her child as he sleeps, singing the same lullaby each night.  A the child grows, she struggles with the mess and noise that accompany her growing boy, but even when she is frustrated with him, she continues to rock him and sing to him as he sleeps, even sneaking over to his house when he is grown to continue this tradition.  Finally the woman grows too old to visit her son, and her son must instead rock and sing to her, modifying the words of the lullaby to fit his role in the family.

I had many feelings as I read through this book.  At first I found it endearing, because what mother can't relate to feeling absolute love and frustration at the same time?  I'm not even a mother yet, but I have seen this situation played out by my family and friends many times.  As the story progressed, I found it a little disturbing that a woman would sneak into her grown son's house in the middle of the night, seemingly uninvited.  I'm sure the author means this to be comforting to children - that even though they will grow up and someday move out, their mothers will still love them and care for them just as much.  The end of the book is very sweet and did make me feel more connected to the story than I would have if it had simply ended with the woman visiting her son in the night.  I can see why this book is appealing to adults, but I would not call it a "good" book, simply because it does not feel realistic to me - a good story should always be believable, and I did not find this story to fulfill that requirement.

In the November/December 2006 issue of Instructor, teachers chose their top fifty children's books ever, and Love You Forever was given the number five spot.  The editor of Instructor said: "I can't help myself, I cry every time I read it" (Hannah Trierweiler, 2006).  This succinct review echoes many others found on bookseller's websites across the web, and underlines for me why adults are still drawn to this book despite it not being a technically "good" book.

Librarians could use this book for several activities - perhaps you could spark a discussion with mothers and children about their bedtime routines, asking them to describe or draw a picture representing their routine similar to those found in the book.  Librarians could also draw attention to the illustrations throughout a storytime by asking children how many cats they can find in the book, or what color flowers they see.

References:
Munsch, R. & McGraw S. (Ill.)  (1986).  Love you forever.  Buffalo, N.Y.: Firefly Books (U.S.) Inc.

Teachers pick the top 50 kids books ever.  (2006, November/December).  Instructor, 116(4), 25-27.  Retrieved January 20, 2013 from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:9443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=23272239&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Introduction

Welcome to my blog, I am the Gnome Librarian - aka Katie.  I am starting this blog as a place to post my book reviews for a grad school class I am taking - Literature for Youth.  I will be reviewing children's and young adult literature for this course.  After the end of this course I hope to use the blog to review books for all ages, as well as a place to write about issues surrounding books, information, libraries and more.