The Joyfulicity Blog

Charlie and the Chocolate factory is one of those children’s books that manages to feel both wildly fun and slightly sharp at the same time. On the surface, it’s a story about a poor boy winning a golden ticket to visit the most extraordinary chocolate factory in the world. But once you actually step into the story, it becomes a lot more than just sweets and surprises.

The story follows a small teddy bear named Corduroy who sits on a department store shelf waiting to be bought. At first, he doesn’t really understand why no one picks him. He notices that he is missing a button on his overalls, and he begins to believe that this is the reason people keep walking past him. That small detail becomes surprisingly meaningful, because it reflects how easy it is to think something “missing” makes you less worthy of attention.