One of my all-time favorite books as a child was A Pocket for Corduroy. Why this book stood out among the other Corduroy adventures with Lisa, I’m not sure; perhaps it’s because their reuniting comforted me as a child, making me feel as if I, too, if ever lost, would be reunited with my mother. Or maybe it symbolized my own relationship with my sisters, whom I felt responsible for, as Lisa feels responsible for Corduroy. At any rate, it’s a fantastic book to read with children.

On a trip to the Laundromat with her mother, Lisa brings Corduroy along. She tells him to sit in the chair—to not move; of course, Corduroy, ever curious, does not listen. When he hears Lisa’s mother telling her to take everything out of her pockets before her clothes go into the wash (yes, Lisa helps with the washing, another great point of the book!), Corduroy gets upset that he doesn’t have a pocket—so he decides to look around for a pocket for himself.

As he’s looking, he crawls into a wet laundry bag, and proceeds to have some fun and not-so-fun adventures while Lisa frantically looks for him. When she can’t find him, she begs her mother to take them back to the Laundromat the next day to continue looking, and her mother agrees. When she finds him, she discovers why he wandered off and says that she will gladly make him his own pocket. She sews one onto his overalls, and places his name inside, too.

Many themes are included in the book, including personal responsibility, the kindness of strangers, optimism, and perseverance. Though all of these intangible ideas can be hard to convey to children, the book makes them very accessible and enjoyable to read. The world is also presented in a whimsical bear’s-eye view, mirroring the same point of view very young children might have in response to things like pockets, washing machines, and soap flakes.

The illustrations in Don Freeman’s book are the same ones you’ll encounter in his previous work, Corduroy, only with a slightly aged Lisa. Since the first book, we learn that Lisa takes her beloved bear everywhere, something that’s sure to resonate with other children who tote a favorite toy or two during every trip. The multicultural elements of the story also make it very enjoyable; while Lisa and her mother are African American, they visit Pandro’s Laundromat, which is full of people of various backgrounds, wardrobes, and careers.