by B G Hennessy (Author) Jody Wheeler (Illustrator)
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With Madeline and Little House spin-offs on her resume, plus Rosemary Wells’s Yoko and Friends series, the technically versatile Wheeler replaces Lisa McCue to illustrate this latest Corduroy episode in a credible imitation of Don Freeman’s style. Similarly, the tale reads like ersatz Freeman. Corduroy sneaks out of the apartment one night in search of a birthday present for Lisa (who hasn’t aged a day since her first appearance in 1968), and winds up out on the street, where Mr. Gonzalez the news vendor keeps him safe until Lisa comes along putting up “Lost Bear” posters. “The only thing I wanted for my birthday was to have my best friend home with me!” she exclaims, before a closing double portrait with cake, balloons and a big lollipop. The actual author and illustrator get no cover billing, but that shouldn’t bother readers willing to settle for respectable replacements. (Picture book. 5-7)
Copyright 2006 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.
Gradually, he eased into making a living sketching impressions of Broadway shows for The New York Times and The Herald Tribune. This shift was helped along, in no small part, by a rather heartbreaking incident; he lost his trumpet. One evening, he was so engrossed in sketching people on the subway, he simply forgot it was sitting on the seat beside him. This new career turned out to be a near-perfect fit for Don, though, as he had always loved the theater.
He was introduced to the world of Childrens' 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!"
Don died in 1978, after a long and successful career. He created many beloved characters in his lifetime, perhaps the most beloved among them a stuffed, overall-wearing bear, named Corduroy.
Don Freeman was the author and illustrator of many popularbooks for children, including Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and theCaldecott Honor Book Fly High, Fly Low. For more information about Don Freeman, please visit:
www.donfreeman.info
B.G. Hennessy is the author of Road Builders and The First Night (both Viking and Puffin). She lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona.