Bennett Katie Bennett Dr.

Jessica McCort YA Lit Picture Book Analysis 9 January 2013 Corduroy Don Freeman Pick up the book, attending to the size, format (horizontal or vertical), materials used in construction (papers, graphics) Corduroy is a fairly large picture book (approximately 10.5 in x 9.5 in) presented in a vertical format. It is made out of paper and has a hard cover. The graphics are primarily sketches and watercolors produced by author and illustrator Don Freeman.

What media is used in the illustrations? What fonts are selected? Where is the text located on the page? Borders, etc. The media used in the illustrations includes pencil, pen, and various watercolor paints. The font is a fairly simple serif font. However, it is slightly more stylized and bolder than standards like Times New Roman. The text is always located at the bottom of the page and there are not any borders. Look at the cover, title, and illustrations. What expectations are set up for you as you approach the picture book? What is suggested by the cover, title, and illustrations? The cover is very brightly colored, indicating that there will be some kind of vivid excitement within the pages of the book. Likewise, the picture of the bear on the front cover signifies that he will be central to the story. The title Corduroy suggests that this type of fabric may be important to the plot beyond simply being the name of the bear. The illustrations are very warm and almost comforting, which creates an inviting mood before the textual plot even commences. As the book is approached, it is expected that the story will potentially be emotionally moving.

Bennett Skim through the book, reading quickly to see where the story goes. What is the overall structure of the book? Home-away-home? Repetitive structures or language? Cumulative? The Hero Cycle? Circular, chronological or other? The main story progression is simply chronological and occurs in a linear progression, always from the left page to the right page. The structure of the book also includes a modified version of the home-away-home paradigm. Corduroy starts off at home on his shelf in the

department store, goes on an adventure to find his missing button, and ends up back on his shelf. However, this is not the end of his tale, as Lisa purchases Corduroy. He ultimately ends up in a new home, though a home nonetheless. Aside from the repetition of the toy shelf and the phrase Ive always wanted the story is not particularly repetitive in structure or language. What were your initial reactions to the text and illustrations? Good or bad? Why? I had a good initial reaction to the text and illustrations. The illustrations are very detailed and interesting. There is also a variation of color, as Freeman incorporates both lightness and darkness into the drawings. The illustrations reflect the warm mood of the overall text. I also just really like the story in general. I think that the tale is, to put it simply, very cute. The teddy bears adventure is heartwarming and the ideas of friendship and unconditional love resonate on a deep personal level. I also appreciate the undertones of the importance of hard work in achieving desires, as well as the emphasis on appreciating each others flaws. What is the overall structure of the text? As mentioned before, the primary structure is a rather simple linear and chronological development that includes an adventurous home-away-home progression. Corduroy starts at his home on the toy shelf and hears Lisas mother point out that he is missing a button. He then goes on to search for this button in the department store after dark. He returns to his original home and is placed back on his shelf before the store opens for the morning. The idea of home is then extended beyond the shelf to Lisas room.

Bennett How does the opening of the story compare with the closing of the story? The closing of the story very much provides the character of Corduroy with fulfillment.

At the beginning of his tale, the text indicates Corduroys monotonous day-to-day life as he waits for somebody to come along and take him home. At the end of the story, Corduroy has received his wish and now lives with Lisa in her bedroom. Likewise, there is development with Corduroys button. At the opening, Lisas mother points out that Corduroy is missing a button from his overalls. By the end of his tale, Lisa has sewn on a new button to make Corduroy more comfortable and to keep his shoulder strap fastened. The third progression from the opening of the story to the ending is the Lisa plot. At the beginning, Lisa asks her mother for Corduroy and does not get him, but at the end she purchases the bear on her own. The closing of the story, then, seems to neatly complete several storylines mentioned at the beginning. How do the illustrations relate to the text? The illustrations are a far more detailed version of the text. Primarily, the drawings present a representation of the words and also introduce elements not necessarily evident from simply reading the story without visual aid. Wherein the written verse is fairly simplistic and not extremely descriptive, the larger scenes, such as the second floor of the department store and Lisas room, expand upon the slightly limited text. Words propel the reader forward and images slow us down. How did the tension between reading and viewing affect your experience? The reading experience occurred at a relatively slow pace because of the detail inherent to the pictures. The text perpetuates the story in a simple manner and reading the verse did not take long despite some pages presenting several lengthy sentences. It took more time to examine the pictures and relate them to the text than to actually read the story itself. Because there is often a

Bennett lot to look at on each page and the illustrations require quite a bit of attention, the tension between the drawings and the verse lengthened the experience of reading the book. What kind of gaps does the author/illustrator leave for the reader to fill in? Are details purposefully left out to create tension? Don Freeman is fairly comprehensive with the details that he provides and there isnt much left out of Corduroy. Of course, there are certain mysteries like the question of where

Corduroy lost his button, but they dont exactly create much tension. The location of Corduroys original button eventually becomes inconsequential, as he receives a replacement when Lisa takes him home. How does the story flow from page to page? Are there borders that separate things or does it cross over in language and image from page to page? The flow of the story from page to page is slightly inconsistent. Primarily, most of the pages exist in their own space and do not span across the gutter. However, there are exceptions to this, such as the scene in the second floor of the department store (14-15). In general, the images take up most of the page and proceed in chronological order from left to right. Also, each image generally has incomplete, abstract edges. There are not borders, but the illustrations have their own space with blank white areas remaining on the outskirts of the page. Additionally, the presentation of the text is also inconsistent. On most pages, the sentence begins and ends on the same page. However, some pages allow a single sentence to span across the gutter. There are not any circumstances in which the reader must flip the page to continue reading a sentence. Whose background is privileged in reading this text? A specific ethnic background is not privileged in this text. While Lisa and her mother are African American, there isnt a detailed emphasis on that culture. However, there is a slight privilege to readers hailing from a middle class background. Lisas purchasing of Corduroy herself instead of receiving him from her mother indicates a working class attitude toward

Bennett luxuries rather than being handed something, one must obtain the desired object himself. The emphasis of Lisa purchasing Corduroy with her savings doesnt exactly privilege a certain racial background, but seems to resonate with a working/middle class sensibility. Is there a relationship between form and content? Does the design of the book add to the content being presented? How? There is not a particularly unique relationship between the form and the content. Rather,

it is a fairly standard linear and chronological plot development. The design of the book does not add to the content being presented in a significant way. What themes were constructed as you read? Several themes were constructed over the course of the plot: Desire- Corduroy desires to find a home and a family, as well as his lost button. Lisa desires to purchase Corduroy. Friendship- The initial textual introduction of Corduroy conveys his wish for someone to take him home. In the conclusion of the story, Corduroy and Lisa express their friendship with the line Ive always wanted a friend. (32) Unconditional Love- Even though Corduroy is imperfect in the eyes of Lisas mother, Lisa still purchases Corduroy and takes him home with her. This is emphasized with her statement I like you the way you are (31). Courage- Corduroy goes on his adventure through the dark department store in order to find his lost button, exhibiting bravery along the way. Perseverance- Corduroy does not abandon his hope that somebody will come along to take him home. Likewise, when Lisa is denied Corduroy by her mother, she persists in her desire to obtain him and purchases the bear with her savings. Why do you think children have found this book compelling? What is it about this particular book, set of characters, plot, etc. that makes it so engaging? There are several reasons that this book is compelling. The illustrations are handled very well and the text is not so simplistic that it becomes boring or mundane. It is easy to understand and captures the attention of the child with its focus on toys. One of the primary reasons this tale has been so popular, however, is its examination of themes central to childhood and the process

Bennett

of growing up. For example, the little bear introduces the universal desire of friendship. Children engaging with this book are likely to be in the developmental stage where they are beginning to recognize an inherent craving for human companionship beyond core family members. Likewise, the theme of unconditional love is an important concept to teach children at a young age. This provides them the knowledge that they will be cared for, just like Corduroy, despite imperfections. Corduroy is also compelling because of its emphasis on hard work and not being handed things without earning them. Beyond the plot and thematic instances, this book has resonated with generations of children and continues to do so today because of its characters. Readers may easily identify with both Corduroy and Lisa. The two possess a certain charm and likability that engages audiences. There is something particularly endearing about the little teddy bear whose overalls are falling off. His want of adventure and someones love are particularly admirable traits, likely drawing children to him. In addition, the idea of a toy coming to life in the middle of the night and being able to talk is a trope that deeply engages a childs imagination. Similarly, Lisa is appealing because children can see themselves in her. It is probable that readers have also been denied a toy or some other treat by a parent. However, in Lisas perseverance and eventual obtaining of Corduroy, the reader can learn a valuable lesson about acquiring possessions. It is likely that Corduroy has been so memorable and beloved for more than forty years because the story is particularly identifiable, engaging, and (in my own personal opinion) heartwarming.