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. Soon after, he began to write and illustrate his own books, a career he settled into comfortably and happily. He was introduced to the world of children’s literature when William Saroyan asked him to illustrate several books.

This new career turned out to be a near-perfect fit for Don, though, as he had always loved the theater. One evening, he was so engrossed in sketching people on the subway, he simply forgot it was sitting on the seat beside him. This shift was helped along, in no small part, by a rather heartbreaking incident: he lost his trumpet. Gradually, he eased into making a living sketching impressions of Broadway shows for The New York Times and The Herald Tribune. He managed to support himself throughout his schooling by playing his trumpet evenings, in nightclubs and at weddings. After graduating from high school, he ventured to New York City to study art under the tutelage of Joan Sloan and Harry Wickey at the Art Students' League. He practiced obsessively and eventually joined a California dance band. At an early age, he received a trumpet as a gift from his father. (Ages 3 to 8) About the Author:ĭon Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908. Youngsters will never get tired of this toy-comes-alive tale with a happy ending, so you may also want to seek out Dan Freeman's next creation, A Pocket for Corduroy. Corduroy decides that this must be home and that Lisa must be his friend. The next morning, he finds that it's his lucky day! A little girl buys him with money she saved in her piggy bank and takes him home to her room. The night watchman hears the crash, finds Corduroy, and puts him back on the shelf downstairs. He tries to pull a button off the mattress, but he ends up falling off the bed and knocking over a lamp. It's a brave new world! He accidentally gets on an elevator that he thinks must be a mountain and sees the furniture section that he thinks must be a palace.

When all the shoppers have gone home for the night, Corduroy climbs down from the shelf to look for his missing button. Have you ever dreamed of being locked in a department store at night? The endearing story of Corduroy paints a picture of the adventures that might unfold (for a teddy bear at least) in such a situation.

Corduroy giant board book