corduroy

Title: Corduroy
author:Don Freeman
 
about the author: 
Born in San Diego, California, Freeman moved to New York City in the 1940's to study art while making a living as a jazz trumpeter. He died in 1978, leaving his beloved audience with a treasury of classic children's stories. Corduroy is a story that all children can relate to.http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/corduroy 


grades: pre k- 1

summary:
The book tells the story of a teddy bear named Corduroy, displayed on a toy shelf in a department store. One day, a girl named Lisa arrives in the store with her mother and spots the bear. She is willing to buy him, however, her mother declines to spend more money and notes that a button is missing from his overalls.
After they leave, Corduroy decides to find the missing button by himself and embarks on a trip around the department store after it closes in the evening. He goes upstairs and finds furniture he had never seen before, including beds and mattresses. Thinking that one of the mattress buttons is the one he is missing, he pulls it hard and eventually falls down from the bed, making noise. The store guard arrives, finds the bear and puts him back in place.
The next day, Lisa comes back with the money she had found in her piggy bank and buys Corduroy. At home, she sews a button on his shoulder strap and the book ends with them saying that they had always wanted a friend and hugging each other.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corduroy_%28book%29 

my reaction: As a small child I absolutely adored this book. It is a book that will stand the test of time. My preschoolers really enjoy this book as well. They will sit and listen to the feel good story and brightly colored illustrations. 
 
lesson ideas:

Give each student two pieces of construction paper, and have them cut one of them into the shape of a large pocket. Show them how to apply glue to the edges (all but one) to attach the pocket to the other piece of paper. Encourage them to decorate their pockets after they dry. Then give them old magazines and help them to cut out pictures of objects that they like or that relate to them. Show them how to place the pictures into their pockets. Then have them take turns explaining which pictures they chose to put in their pockets and why.