Corduroys Books

If you're ready to make each word and sentence shine in your picture book this is an invaluable resource.

Eve Heidi Bine-Stock's HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK (VOLUMES I, II and III)is a constant companion and rich resource in the planning and revision of picture books. The deconstruction of picture books, and the detailed classification of crucial characteristics - using classic picture books to illustrate each detailed point - make these books invaluable. Although I particularly use Volume I and II in the planning stage of a new manuscript, all three volumes are again by my side during each revision, and each step of each revision. There is no question in my mind that these books are the biggest resource in pushing my writing to the next level. The volumes are not read-once-and-put-aside books; they are books you will want on your writing desk for constant reference.

I was having trouble with rhythm and beats in my picture book writing. This book really helped me learn the beat structure in picture book writing and how they create rhythm. My picture book writing seemed flat and lifeless and now, thanks to this book, it has the rhythm it was lacking. I would also suggest Volumes I and III for other parts of picture book writing. Definitely a must have for those writing picture books and those needing to learn the structure, rhythm and specific language used in those types of books.

The book takes popular children's book and breaks apart the beginning, middle and ending so that you get a very clear picture of how your story should progess. An excellent resource.

I have at least a dozen books on writing for children and I especially like this one. Not only does it focus exclusively on picture books, which few others do, it provides solid, concrete information that you can apply directly to your own writing. Too many other books offer vague tips that may be helpful in polishing an existing manuscript, but don't help with building your story from the ground up. I've been trying (sporadically) to sell picture book manuscripts for several years now, and I believe that what I've learned from this book will help get me closer to my goal of being a published author. Volumes II and III are on their way to me now and I can't wait to see what they have to offer!

No story. Just counting. Very few words. I was hoping it was more like the original book with an actual story.

My toddler has been reading this book for 2 years and now we need a new copy for his little sister (the first being quite worn out by now). He loves to count the objects on each page, especially the 4 trucks. The bear and other characters are charmingly illustrated and fun for young children.

Cute little book of just 12 pages, with colorful illustrations by Lisa McCue. Board book pages are always great for the not-yet-reading set to the beginner-reader, who will do unspeakable things to books - and board books can handle it!

Corduroy counts his way through his day, from 1 bear to 10 bubbles. Little kids will quickly learn to count along, because the text is simple and the story is laid out in illustrations they can relate to easily. The text mentions 6 cupcakes, and there they are - to be counted! And, of course, one of the bonuses of Corduroy is that there are other books he stars in, and your kids will want those, too. Hooked on reading before they know what's happening!

This book is a fun way to teach young children how to count. The pictures are very cute and colorful to hold ones interest. And the large print is a lot easier to read. The board cover is a very good idea also since children are often messy.

The colors and pictures of Corduroy are beautiful in this book. My daughter loves it! Other than Dr. Seuss books, this is one that she really loves and always wants to read.

This book is a really good one to use for teaching sculpture. The mouse in the story creates a tiny sculpture and is rewarded for it. I usually read this book to my students and discuss sculptures and its characteristics. Then we create a sculpture out of wires and various items. (can also use pipe cleaners) Cute story!

This book is a visual and literary play on the ever-inspiring animal name of dormouse. These are a kind of rodent that in some ways resemble a squirrel. Every humor writer who has ever seen that name has wanted to have fun with it. The wonderful Don Freeman (of Corduroy fame) takes that artistic license one step further by building a Horatio Alger story around his door mouse and doing his own renditions of paintings and sculptures in this beautiful volume. Puns and fun abound, so keep an eye out for them!

Norman is clearly a door mouse, he even has a door mouse's uniform (just like those you see on Park Avenue in New York). His door is around the back of the Majestic Museum of Art. It is well hidden, and he brings in small creatures that way for tours of the art works in the museum's basement. In addition to his docent duties, he has established a studio in the helmet of some old armor, using the visor as a skylight. From there, he paints and sculpts. Life does present challenges though, because the sharp-eyed upstairs guard is always setting traps with cheese. Norman is able to disable them, and brings the spare parts to his home.

The story develops when one day Norman notices that there is a sculpture competition going on. Using mouse trap parts, he makes his own sculpture and names it punnily trapeese (trap and cheese being the sources) because it appears to be a mouse doing acrobatics holding onto a high wire.

Norman drags his sculpture into the room where the competition is being held, without being seen. Then the fun begins!

The story ends with one final pun. "Good Knight."

The plot is a very rewarding one, creating the sort of inspiration that books about "little engines that could" do. I have always been impressed with friends who could make a lot out of a little. It's a gift I do not have. This book is a worthy example of that principle. You can extend the lesson by discussing with your child how she or he might create something wonderful out of something else, including "junk."

Art lovers will find the illustrations to be a great treat. Mr. Freeman has created wonderful reproductions of works by many major artists, which he sneaks into scenes of Norman in the museum. I was particularly impressed by one Miro, where even the signature is faithfully reproduced in pastels.

You can also use this story to suggest going to an art museum. You can even go around the base of the building to see if you can find any door mice, or holes where they might be hiding. This can help you find arts wherever you go!

However you decide to use this book, I encourage you to renew your artistic license so you can explore the world of created beauty with your children and grandchildren in museums!

As a children's librarian, I highly recommend this classic tale of kindness by Don Freeman. I purchased this book to send to a very kind and polite student at Brown University! Our world needs to be reminded that random acts of kindness and politeness, like holding a door make life more enjoyable for all. Hooray for all of the door holders throughout the world!

A story of art appreciation and how it's possible for even a little mouse to be an artist. Norman has an important job as the doorman to the Majestic Art Museum where he lets mice in and tours them around the basement of the Art museum where there are many treasures. He acts as security guard, curator and tour guide for his portion of the museum and he takes great care and pride in each artifact. The only thing that causes a stir in the basement is when the sharp-eyed guard from the main museum comes down to set traps for the mice. Norman is clever and he has figured a way to take the cheese from the traps and set them off without hurting a whisker. His home is in the knight's helmet where he has a very comfortable setup and he spends his free time creating artwork. One day he decides to make a sculpture from the old traps and picture hanging wire. When he has finished his creation he is delighted and proud. Early the next morning he see a sign announcing a sculpture contest. Norman is very excited. He runs back in and titles his sculpture "Trapeese". Then he painstakingly carries it up the steps, through the main floor of the museum and puts his sculpture with the others. Norman was proud of his efforts. Once he got back home he sewed some buttons on his jacket and went about the business of being a doorman. Upstairs in the main hall everyone is talking about his sculpture and who had entered it. The judges questioned the guards about who had brought in the sculpture but none of them knew. When the sharp-eyed guard looked closer he figured that one of his mousetraps had been used for the sculpture. Downstairs he went into the basement, where he found Norman's home. Norman was waiting at the door cold and hungry for a party of country mice who were due to arrive at any time. The guard spots Norman who dashes off but is enticed out by a piece of cheese. The guard catches and questions Norman about using his mousetraps for artistic purposes, Norman's response is that "It's just a hobby, just my hobby!". Norman was sure he was being taken to jail. He was very surprised to hear the crowds shouting "Hooray for Trapeese!" The guard too was amazed and rushed to the judges' platform so that Norman could receive his award. When asked what he wanted, Norman indicated seeing the upstairs part of the museum without getting caught would be a good reward. So he was taken on a grand tour of the entire art museum. When Norman returned to the basement, he found the country mice waiting for him and he shared the large piece of cheddar cheese that the kind-hearted guard had given to him. The story ends with Norman warm and snug in his helmet. I just loved this book!

Norman the door-mouse welcomes discriminating rodents to view the paintings and sculptures stored in the basement of the Majestic museum. In his spare time, Norman has his own studio in a knight's helmet, which is also a good hiding place from the security guard! He cleverly uses an old mousetrap to create his own wire sculpture of a mouse swinging on a mousetrap, and enters it into a museum competition. There's a lot of visual humor, and Freeman makes the whole tuxedo-ed affair look fun and interesting, and there's a suspenseful subplot involving the guard trying to find Norman. (No animals were injured in the writing of the book.) There's a nice warm simplicity to Freeman's soft but colorful pastel illustrations; they're drawn with such ease that both they and the story may stimulate your own creative energy. Another excellent book from Freeman!

This book was the hit of the baby shower this book was given at. ALL of the young mothers had forgotten about this book that they had loved themselves as children - so when the gift box with this book was opened...there was so many ooooo's and ahhhhhhhh's that went up from the room for this modern classic. The book was passed around and everyone had to look at it for just it's nostalgia alone. So many gals left the baby shower saying they were stopping on their way home to pick the book up to share with their own babies. Did I mention the honored mommy-to-be LOVED her gift? Can't go wrong with this book for young ones, no matter their age :)

Teddy bears and kids go together like peanut butter and jelly. This classic children's story sticks well together,and the kids are sure to be stuck too.
This little bear is a bit shy. He is almost childlike going through the various motions of his adventure. Being of a child's view point is a huge plus with young children. He is faced with obstacles a toddler may have to deal with.

I can't begin to count the number of times we have read this book since finally purchasing it for Christmas. My son loved Corduroy and loves this one just as much. It's a book that I enjoy as well, so I don't mind reading it over and over.

Lisa's bear Corduroy gets lost in the laundromat. Lisa looks for him but the manager must close up for the night. Then Corduroy goes on his adventures. It's a very good picture book for children 3-6.

In this installment of Corduroy's adventures with Lisa, we see that some time has passed since she first brought him home from the department store. She's taller, wearing her hair a little straighter, and her mom looks like she had a makeover, too. Corduroy, however, is wearing the same green overalls he did in the first book and has managed to keep both buttons on this time. Early on in the book, however, Corduroy decides he needs a pocket, and in the search for one gets separated from Lisa and her mom while they are in the laundromat. They leave without him, setting him up for a meeting with a friendly stranger who washes his overalls for him, as well as encounters with such laundromat staples as powder detergent and pushcarts.

As in the first book, Lisa comes back for him the next day, and once again her needle and thread come to the rescue.

This book and "Corduroy" are the only two Corduroy books my daughter and I have read. I wonder if there are others, and what kind of sartorial splendor Corduroy will be arrayed in next if the trend continued!

As owner of a children's bookstore, mother of 5, and LONG time fan of Don Freeman's books, I have often wished he had written more than 2 books about Corduroy!

Many favorite characters from children's literature have suffered at the hands of commercial endeavors and adaptations (think Curious George, Winnie the Pooh and even Corduroy), but this book is the exception.

The collaborators have made a thoughtful contribution to Don Freeman's legacy in EVERY way. The story line is completely true to the originals -- and the illustrations completely capture the feel of the original books.

What a fun project this must have been... and what a great accomplishment!! I own the book and will be buying up more before it goes out of print, which I suspect it will unless more Corduroy fans find out about it quickly.

I bought this book for my daughter not long after she received "Corduroy" and "A Pocket for "Corduroy" for Christmas. She loved the first 2 books and is just as pleased with this one. The Corduroy books are frequent bedtime stories in this house!

I was a Corduroy fan as a child. It is exciting to see my child reading the same books that I had back 30 years ago. She loves these books. This is an exact reprint of one I had as a child. We highly recommend it as we do all in this series. My 28 month old is obsessed with Corduroy and his friend Lisa. A great gift for a child ages 2-6.

This is the second book I bought for my daughter as she sees Corduroy on tivo and she asked me for the books. It's a nice story about a night time escape of Cordoroy in order to find a gift for Lisa's birthday.
It's perfect before going to sleep as it's short but has a good plot. It's one of the books I read and reread to my daughter as she always asks me. She likes very much the idea of the bear going alone and then the happy end. The illustration are also nice.

This was the perfect book for my nephew - he loves Corduroy and Biscuit. We all went to Cancun and this was a great way for him (3 years old) to remember our trip.

As with all of the Corduroy Lift the Flap books (Easter, Christmas, Beach, Halloween, Firehouse, Zoo, Birthday--no longer in print, and Library), this one rates 5 stars......and we own them all! These rate as our absolute favorites in our book collection. The text is not lengthy and the flaps keep my two 1/2 year olds hands busy enough for me to read the text before he is on to the next page. For this reason, they were the only books we read for a long time. The illustrations are fantastic! The story takes you on the course of Corduroy's day-- packing for the beech, finding a spot in the sand, taking a swim, flying a kite, getting ice cream and going on rides on the boardwalk, and looking for treasures in the sand. Enjoy!

We bought this book just before we went on a beach vacation for our 18 month old. He loves Corduroy. This book has great pictures and the flaps make it very interesting. I looked really hard for a good beach book for my son. This one is the best!

This is a really good series of children's book that feature the lift-the-flap. There's lots of things on every page, as well as a good story to read. I think that is a good blend of activity and story telling. This was my son's favorite bedtime book for months.

This book is great! I checked this book out of the libary and my little girl, who is now 1, loved it so much that we had to buy it. She's been into lift-the-flap books for months now and these books in particular, are wonderfully drawn, with lots of bright colors and the characters are all very cute!

In this book while Corduroy is searching for his library books to return to the library, your child will be able to help him find his books. This lift flaps are fun and not so big that they will tear easily. I have loved Corduroy since I was a kid and now I am enjoying his educational adventure to the library with my 6 year old.

The book is a great collection of wonderful childhood stories. It is a great addition to my neice's little library.

This wonderful treasury book contains ten of the beloved stories of the talented and original writer/artist, Don Freeman including his best loved character, the irrepressible teddy bear, Corduroy, complete with their full color illustrations. It also contains a never before published story called Gayelord, about a very colorful goat.
There is an interesting introduction and nice photographs of Don Freeman. Chuggy and the Blue Caboose is a great story about a little snow-plower caboose and his engine friend, Lucy, that save the day. In Pet of the Met we meet Maestro Petrini, a dashing and clever mouse who works as a page-turner for the prompter at the Metropolitan Opera House. The story of Beady Bear is next, followed by everyone's favorite red-headed boy, Mop Top. Fly High Fly Low, a Caldecott Honor Book from 1957 tells the story of two pigeons, Sid and Midge, and their adventures in San Francisco, featuring many of that city's beautiful landmarks. Who can resist the adorable Norman the Doorman, the charming mouse doorman of the majestic Museum of Art who becomes an artist in his own right. Enjoy Dandelion as he gets fancied up for a party and don't forget Tilly Witch, the Queen of Halloween, (sadly, now out of print) but still to be found riding her surf board with a whisk broom for a skeg in this great collection. Flash the Dash, the story of a dachshund who delivers telegrams, rounds out the treasury.
At the back of the book is a biographical article with more photographs of Don Freeman and samples of his drawings for other genres.
I love this book because it collects so many beloved stories in one place. It makes these gems available, preserving them for future generations and is an affordable package that makes it easy for parents to provide these classics for their children. Hopefully, it will encourage folks to seek out the individual story books, too, so they can enjoy the full size illustrations. Don Freeman's characters are so filled with fun and are so lively and expressive, they are not to be missed.

My 14 month old baby boy has loved this book for months without losing interest! It is one of the few books that he will sit and listen to for more than 3 pages! I highly recommend it and the other Corduroy lift the flap books. There are several flaps per page and it is also great language stimulation.

Written by B.G. Hennessy and illustrated by Lisa McCue, Corduroy Goes To The Fire Station is a lift-the-flap interactive picture book which is based on the loveable bear character created by Don Freeman. Featuring an exciting tour of the resources used by emergency workers to protect and save lives, Corduroy Goes To The Fire Station is confidently recommended as informative and fun reading for curious young people.

i think i liked this book more than my son.
this book takes you through the day as corduroy's friends set up his surprise party and all the fun they have at it.

My daughter just loves this book. Her Daddy has to read it to her every night before bed. She loves lift-the-flap books in general, but this one really seems to catch and keep her attention. I will be buying all of the books in this series for her birthday in a couple weeks!