Don Freeman (1908–1978) 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. During his career as an artist, sketching impressions of Broadway shows for the
New York Times and
The Herald Tribune, 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!" He created many beloved characters in his lifetime, perhaps the most beloved among them a stuffed, overall-wearing bear named Corduroy.
Praise and awards for CorduroyOne of School Library Journal’s "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time (2012) One of the National Education Association’s "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children.""A winning, completely childlike picture book in which a stuffed bear waiting hopefully in a toy department finds a home with a little black girl. Endearing, brightly colored pictures."
-- Booklist
