New year is the time to start something new. For 2019, Adorageek will start celebrating with you the classic illustrated children books that many of us have known and loved all these years! Those illustrated children books are often our first teachings of the real world, but such in a fun and loving way that they stayed in our hearts even until today, and are still relevant to be shared with our children, nieces or nephews, or even our grandchildren!

So without further ado, let us start! Our Book of January is Corduroy!

Corduroy is a 1968 children’s book written and illustrated by Don Freeman, and published by Viking Press. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its “Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children.” It was one of the “Top 100 Picture Books” of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal. 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Corduroy, and close to 20 million copies of the book have been sold in the United States and around the world.

The book tells the story of a teddy bear named Corduroy, displayed on a toy shelf in a department store. One day, a young girl named Lisa arrives at the store with her mother and spots the bear. She is eager to buy him, but her mother refuses to spend more money and notices a button is missing from his overalls. After they leave, Corduroy decides to find the missing button himself and goes on a trip around the department store after it closes in the evening.

Corduroy’s storyline was meant to portray a difference between the luxury of such department store and the simple life most people live, at the same time highlighting basic values. Corduroy raises questions about broad and important issues that we encounter on a day to day basis: materialism, friendship, and belonging. It brings up numerous questions and can create discussion that children can easily relate to since they encounter the need to acquire material things, friends, and a sense of belonging from a very young age. From reading the story and asking philosophical questions, Corduroy can teach children valuable life lessons while providing entertainment.