Richard Scarry Books
Ranked #2,483 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #99,794 overall
Books are perfect gifts for children
Give the children in the family not only something to enjoy but also to learn from.
I discovered Richard Scarry when I was in college and buying a book for my young niece. She's always had a very quick mind and I wanted something that would be educational as well as interesting to her. I came across "What Do People Do All Day". It was a brilliantly done book showing cute cartoon animal characters doing various jobs around town. But even better than the information it gave on firemen and bakers, were the little action scenes in every corner. There was something new to see every time I opened the book.
There was only ONE thing I could do....buy one book to give to my niece and once book for me.
I discovered Richard Scarry when I was in college and buying a book for my young niece. She's always had a very quick mind and I wanted something that would be educational as well as interesting to her. I came across "What Do People Do All Day". It was a brilliantly done book showing cute cartoon animal characters doing various jobs around town. But even better than the information it gave on firemen and bakers, were the little action scenes in every corner. There was something new to see every time I opened the book.
There was only ONE thing I could do....buy one book to give to my niece and once book for me.
My Favorites
Here are my favorites - even though the latest versions of some are condensed, there still amazingly wonderful.
Reviews of Richard Scarry books
Pages crammed with colorful, comical characters presenting words, concepts and a myriad of objects to inquisitive youngsters-the jaunty style of the late Scarry needs no introduction to his millions of fans. Treated here to a tour of the bustling burg of Busytown, readers glimpse the inner workings of its post office, service station, school and medical center (when Lowly Worm stretches to his full height on the scale, Dr. Lion observes, "Your weight is just about right for such a skinny fellow"). As office workers ply their various trades and merchants open their shops, the activity in this instructive metropolis never ends. A fitting encomium on Scarry's own work can be found at the Busytown Library, where the author/artist wryly observes, "There are all kinds of writers. The best writers write children's books." Enough said. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
More reviews from various sources
Great Big Schoolhouse is lovingly remembered by generations of American children whose first day at school was undoubtedly made easier by Scarry's warm, friendly, and comforting classroom. Huckle's life changes forever as he joins his classmates on the school bus; meets Miss Honey, his sympathetic teacher; and learns the alphabet, new vocabulary, numbers, the days of the week, and the hours of the day. Of course, there's recess, show and tell, and a few unexpected adventures, too! Young readers are welcomed in, as they're asked to help some of Huckle's friends answer Miss Honey's questions.Beautifully produced, this is the perfect gift for any child approaching school age-and the flip side of the dust jacket hides a fun surprise: a Richard Scarry A-Z wall poster.
Another review
Airport book Apart from the usually brilliant, somewhat old-fashioned classic style of Richard Scarry, this book has the added value of being a brilliant travel companion. If you spend a lot of time in airports, you'll be pleased that your child will view the same old routines - check-in, security, boarding - with a lot more informed interest.
Review of What Do People Do All Day
Wish I could give this 10 stars. I discovered this book as a preschooler in 1968. My mom would take me to the local library every week. I checked it out from the library and I was hooked. I wanted to check it out at every visit, so my mom had the library order a copy for me. I remember even before I could read the words, I completely understood the story from the illustrations. I still have that original edition. It is tatered but still intact. I bought another copy this year for my preschool sons. They absolutely love it as well as the other Scarry book I had as a child, Busy Busy World. The newer book is the abridged edition. The abridged edition has 63 pages as compared to the ~95 pages in the original. They removed 4 stories from the original: busy (stay at home) mom, water treatment plants, electricity and how we get it, and Sgt. Murphy the Busytown policeman. Why? Somebody at the publisher must have had a lobotomy. Anyway, we keep the original up in a closet to read only with adult supervision. The new one is on the shelf, readily accesible to the kids.This book (even the abridged edition) is an absolute classic.
Educational Richard Scarry
Actually ALL of them are, but...
I love animals
My favorite thing about the Richard Scarry books were the animals. They all had such personality. And some of them, like the worm, kept showing up in these strange places that you would miss if you weren't paying attention. It was like a little special gift. Some of the animals included werecats, rabbits, pigs, and mice. He also gave human characteristics to an endless variety of other animals such as beavers, raccoons, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, owls, bears, goats, elephants, foxes, gorillas, crocodiles, dogs, wolves, anteaters, hyenas, baboons, chickens, worms, and insects.
Richard Scarry on DVD
Activity and Games
Busy Town
Just an example of a busy town in one of Richard Scarry's books
Kindle
Special Note of caution
Unknown write says:
Titles reprinted since the death of Mr. Scarry in 1994 were significantly condensed from their original versions.
For example, in "Best Word Book Ever" whole sections have been deleted: the section on painting was removed, as was the section on music making. The "Buildings" section was removed - it originally depicted a church, a cathedral, and a French Foreign Legion fortress. The "Out West" section removed as well. Other parts of the book were edited to show more women in the workplace and fewer cultural stereotypes. Examples in Best Word Book Ever include the Grocery section: in the old version, the grocer is a male bear - in the new version, the grocer is a female bear. In the Boats and Ships section, the old version showed a Native American in a canoe - in the new version, it shows a mouse in a pink sweater. In the "Work Machines" section, a male bulldozer operator became a female bulldozer operator with the addition of pink flowers on the sleeves. In the "When You Grow Up" section, a milkman becomes a female taxi driver. A Cowboy was replaced by a female gardener and a female scientist. A commuter-train conductor was replaced by a reporter and a female photographer. A soldier was replaced by a female judge and a small female cat.
So, if you can, get your hands on the original books if at all possible
Titles reprinted since the death of Mr. Scarry in 1994 were significantly condensed from their original versions.
For example, in "Best Word Book Ever" whole sections have been deleted: the section on painting was removed, as was the section on music making. The "Buildings" section was removed - it originally depicted a church, a cathedral, and a French Foreign Legion fortress. The "Out West" section removed as well. Other parts of the book were edited to show more women in the workplace and fewer cultural stereotypes. Examples in Best Word Book Ever include the Grocery section: in the old version, the grocer is a male bear - in the new version, the grocer is a female bear. In the Boats and Ships section, the old version showed a Native American in a canoe - in the new version, it shows a mouse in a pink sweater. In the "Work Machines" section, a male bulldozer operator became a female bulldozer operator with the addition of pink flowers on the sleeves. In the "When You Grow Up" section, a milkman becomes a female taxi driver. A Cowboy was replaced by a female gardener and a female scientist. A commuter-train conductor was replaced by a reporter and a female photographer. A soldier was replaced by a female judge and a small female cat.
So, if you can, get your hands on the original books if at all possible
Animal Characters
A sample of the wonderful characters in these books
Ways to decorate with Richard Scarry's characters
Make curtains with fabric covered with Richard Scarry animals
More fun
Richard Scarry on the Computer
Richard Scarry Cartoons online
Yes, you can watch Richard Scarry cartoons online.The Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation (now known as Cookie Jar Entertainment) and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes. The television series was based on the books drawn and written by Richard Scarry. Reruns of the show formerly aired in syndication as part of the Cookie Jar Kids Network block, but the show now continues to air on the Cookie Jar Toons block on ThisTV. ( wiki)
Cookie Jar Shows
TV dot Com
Featured Lenses
Read more about Richard Scarry in Squidoo
Link List
- Busytown Cityscape
- Scenic fabric of Busytown's city bustling with activity!
There is a 12" x 20" repeat. Part of the "Busytown" collection by VIP Fabrics. - Busytown Main St. Stripe
- Streets of Busytown are bustling with activity. Main street is buzzing with cars driving on by the village stores. The stripe repeats 4x across the selvage and they are 8.5" tall with a 2.25" border. Part of the "Busytown" collection by VIP Fabrics.
- Busytown Panel
- Panel fabric from the Busytown books includes pictures and names of their vehicles, even a pickle car! The book measures 19.25" x 10". Part of the "Busytown" collection by VIP Fabrics.
- Richard Scarry Busytown Fabric - On the Move Busy Drivers
- Blue, 1 yard of fabric on Etsy
by TNM
I admit it....I have too many interests. Until I left college, besides studying, my world revolved around drawing and painting. But when I got out of... more »
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