Welcome to Summer Storytime in Promise Heights!
Please join our community friends reading their favorite stories that we’ll release every Friday through September 2022. (Click here to see the video. And do click the YouTube "subscribe" button so you won’t miss each week’s video!)
The stories we share are appropriate for kids ages 0-6, yet all ages can enjoy them! (Scroll down to see the text from today's story.)
After each story, we share ways to talk about the book to enrich your child’s experience with simple DIY craft projects that you can do together.
ABOUT “A POCKET FOR CORDUROY”: This reading of “A Pocket for Corduroy” by Don Freeman is presented by Officer Lee, a retired school police officer who adores reading (especially to kids.)
When he’s not exploring books, Officer Lee remains active by serving the community with a sneaker drive and tennis program. Officer Lee always answers the call to help and mentor our youth—and yes, he clearly enjoys this book.
Click here to see the video. We hope you’ll enjoy seeing and discussing this video with your child, as well as making the craft project.
Find more ideas to enrich your child’s reading experience: https://www.teachervision.com/reading-instruction/a-pocket-for-corduroy-by-don-freeman
If you want to read along with Officer Lee, here's the story:
This is Officer Lee Today I'll be reading my favorite story: A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman.
Late one summer afternoon, Lisa and her mother took their laundry to the laundromat.
As always on such trips, Lisa carried along her toy bear, Corduroy.
The laundromat was a very busy place at this hour.
“Now Corduroy, you sit right here and wait for me!” Lisa said. “I'm going to help you with our wash.”
Corduroy waited patiently. Then he suddenly perked up his ears.
Lisa's mother was saying, “Be sure to take everything out of your pockets, Lisa dear…” “
You don't want your precious things to get all wet and sloppy.”
“Pockets?” said Corduroy to himself, “I don't have a pocket “
He slid off the chair “I must go find something to make a pocket out of,” he said and began to look around.
First, he came to a pile of fancy towels and washcloths.
But nothing was the right size or color.
Then he saw a huge stack of colorful clothes in a laundry bag. “There ought to be something in there to make a pocket out of,” he said.
Without hesitating, he climbed inside the bag which was filled with pieces of wet laundry. The dampness didn't bother Corduroy in the least. “This must be a cave,” he said, sighing happily.
“I've always wanted to live in a dark, cool cave!”
When the time came for Lisa to fetch her bear, he was gone. “Oh mommy!” she exclaimed, “Corduroy isn't here where I left him!”
“I'm sorry honey,” said her mother, “but the laundromat will be closing soon, and we must be getting home.”
Lisa was reluctant to leave without Corduroy, but her mother insisted.
“You can come back tomorrow,” she said. “I'm sure he will still be here”
As they left, a young man wearing an artist’s beret was taking wet laundry out of a bag.
The very bag Corduroy had discovered.
Before he knew it, Corduroy was being tossed together with all the sheets, shirts, shorts, and slacks.
But just as the artist was shutting the door, Corduroy tumbled out onto the floor
“How in the thunders did that bear ever get mixed up with all of my things?” the artist wondered.
Poor Corduroy was damp all over “The least I can do for him is give his overalls a good dry” said the man.
He unbuttoned Corduroy’s shoulder straps and put his overalls into dryer.
Corduroy grew dizzy as he watched the clothes spinning around, but the artist became inspired.
“This would make a wonderful painting!” he said as he took a sketchpad out of his pocket and began drawing the swirling colors. “I can hardly wait to get back to my studio!”
Finally, the dryer stopped whirling. The man gathered up the clothes. Then he helped Corduroy put on his warm, dry overalls.
All at once the manager of the laundromat called, “Closing time, everybody out!”
Corduroy was gently placed on top of a washing machine “I wonder who the bear belongs to?” said the artist as he was leaving.
“It seems to me he should have his name someplace. He's too fine of a fella to be lost.”
As soon as the lights were turned off, Corduroy began to search again.
He was surprised to see something white, glowing in the dark.
“Maybe it's the snow?” he said excitingly. “I've always wanted to play in the snow!”
He accidentally tipped over the open lid box, and suddenly he covered with soft, slippery soap flakes.
Gradually Corduroy began to slip and slide. “Oh, what fun,” he said with a smile.
“I've always wanted to ski down a steep mountainside!”
He landed paws-first in an empty laundry basket. “This must be a cage” he said, peeking through the bars.
“I've never wanted to live inside of a cage like a bear in the zoo!”
But by now, Corduroy felt drowsy, and soon he nodded off to sleep.
Next morning, when the manager came to open the door of the laundromat, there was Lisa waiting.
“I left something here yesterday,” she explained. “Excuse me, may I look around?”
“Certainly!” said the manager. “My customers are always leaving things,” he said.
Lisa was searching under the chairs and in back of the washing machine when she heard the manager call her.
“Is this what you're looking for, Señorita?”
“Yes! Yes, he is my best friend!” shouted Lisa as she came running.
She reached in and picked Corduroy out of the basket. “So, this is where you have been, you little Rascal,” she said. “It's time I take you home!”
Lisa thanked the manager and ran out of the door and down the street, holding Corduroy tightly in her arms.
“I thought I told you to wait for me,” she said, “why did you wander away?”
“I went looking for a pocket,” Corduroy said.
“Oh Corduroy, why didn't you tell me you wanted the pocket?” asked Lisa, giving him an affectionate squeeze.
That very morning, Lisa sewed a pocket on Corduroy’s overalls.
“In here is a card I made with your name on it for you to keep tucked inside” she said.
“I've always wanted a purple pocket with my name tucked inside!” said Corduroy.
And he and Lisa snuggled noses.