I loved Richard Scarry as a child—still do!—and I'm convinced his books really helped build up my vocabulary as I learned English in first grade.
A detail I only mentally noted as an adult: the butchers in his books are always pigs themselves. A pig selling ham, sausages and, presumably, cuts of pork is a bit morbid (and also hilarious in a black humor sort of way), but it fits in with the world so much that I didn't even think twice about it as a kid. It just slid past me.
I still remember one of the books I had as a child—can't recall the title exactly—that had a bunch of urban scenes with various objects labeled. What really stood out were the little details and funny little stories going on. The stories and the humor got me to pay attention and actually care about the objects (and their labels!) far more than any generic vocabulary book for kids.
What I love about Richard Scarry is that he is never patronizing or condescending. Too many authors of children's books either try to write down to kids, try to write what they think kids ought to read, or both. But kids aren't idiots and they can tell! Well, I can't speak for everyone, but at least as a kid myself I found a lot of children's works either patronizing or unpleasant—works that were trying too hard to be childlike or, especially, works that were transparent morality plays.
Scarry's work is nothing like this at all. It's oriented for and accessible to kids, but it manages to be simple and silly in a genuine way. The art and stories are actually cute and funny rather than caricatures of what an adult thinks a child would find cute and funny. You can tell Scarry was making something he would enjoy himself. That's why I loved his books when I was five and why I still love his books now.
It's hard to find other children's books like that. I collect illustrated books and the majority I see in stores are awful. The most successful exception I've seen are books by Joe Klassen (of I Want My Hat fame) along with his common collaborator Mac Barnett. Their books are legitimately funny and visually attractive to adults, they're willing to write stories that aren't entirely saccharine, and children absolutely love them. I've seen that first-hand.
> A detail I only mentally noted as an adult: the butchers in his books are always pigs themselves. A pig selling ham, sausages and, presumably, cuts of pork is a bit morbid (and also hilarious in a black humor sort of way), but it fits in with the world so much that I didn't even think twice about it as a kid. It just slid past me.
I can still recall my impressions from reading these books at five years old, and the difference between them and the world I eventually entered does make me sad.
I’ve been struck by how the world is depicted to my children in so many children’s books. “As you grow, you’ll be able to slot into a happy productive life, no matter what kind of work you like.”
No joke: every time I read my daughter a Richard Scarry book, I wonder when and how it will have to be broken to her that unless her interests happen to include something that pays a living wage, she’s actually fucked for life.
Think about what it would be like to grow up or to raise children in a world where the ramp to adulthood was incredibly wide and smooth and it was near-impossible to fall off a cliff into poverty, loneliness, or a life of work you hate.
Busytown isn’t a real place, but it was obviously designed to give children some sense of what the world is like or supposed to be like.
I don't disagree that young people (at least in the US) are told a lie like "Do what you love and the money will follow." I fell for that and tried to become research scientist, getting a far as receiving a PhD only to find that the funnel from there to a tenured research job was _extremely_ narrow. That's a giant waste of many motivated people's time. And it does need to be fixed.
But is the source of all this Richard Scarry books? I really doubt it. It's okay to give a rosy view of the world to children. Childhood is the longest and best vacation you'll ever take. But there does need to be an incrementally higher dose of "real talk" as children grow into young adults.
Do you think the animals in Busytown are all working their dream jobs and following their passions? Of course not -- as someone else pointed out, the butchers are all pigs!
But they mostly seem to have found something that they like well enough and contributes to society. And perhaps that's an important lesson to take away. Part of living a happy, fulfilling life is finding joy in what's attainable.
> No joke: every time I read my daughter a Richard Scarry book, I wonder when and how it will have to be broken to her that unless her interests happen to include something that pays a living wage, she’s actually fucked for life.
Fight for housing reform.
Fight for every YIMBY proposal that comes up.
Demand drastic zoning reforms.
80% of the problem of affordability in the western world is housing. In the US at least, there is plenty of space left in most major cities (outside of NYC) to dramatically expand and make housing affordable again.
The unaffordability of the modern world is a self caused problem.
People want their house to rise 5% in value every year but are pissed off when restaurant prices go up 10% a year and daycares cost 30k a year.
You know what, how about my house stays flat in value for a decade while wages catch up with housing costs, and in return I get to save 15k a year on daycare and eating out costs 5k a year less and property crime goes back down to reasonable levels?
Almost every children's book that depicts a serious issue, such as racism, tells a complete story where the problem is solved and is no longer a problem. I believe this is a big part of why so many people think that racism (again, for example) isn't a problem anymore.
Because, they learned, from a very young age, and for many years, that such problems were solved.
There is a very strong and understandable impulse for children's books to be comforting, and to shy away from un-answered questions. This, as you point out, leads to a warped view of reality that parents then should correct.
I have sort of the opposite feeling reading some children's books to my son, especially ones that I can remember from my own childhood. It's great for me to remember to look at the world in a more childlike way. Even though I have more responsibilities as an adult, like bills to pay, I also have the freedom to be silly, enjoy time with my family, do something creative, etc. Any given day I can decide I want to try something new in the kitchen, make a big mess concocting some crazy recipie, maybe decide it didn't work out and go grab a pizza for dinner instead. Or I can write some stories or poetry, or take a sketchbook to the lake, snap some photos at the train station, or whatever catches my fancy on that day. I think we sometimes forget we have certain freedoms as we settle in to typical patterns and go a little on autopilot, but all it takes is a gentle nudge to rediscover that type of fun.
I switched careers later in life after finding that it was difficult to make money in my initially chosen field, but I don't feel "fucked for life" by it. I actually feel a lot better about doing things I like outside of work. It's much more rewarding to be creative if I'm not trying to maximize profits or otherwise commodify what I'm doing. Sure I wish I didn't have to work and could do whatever I wanted all the time, but I work generally acceptable hours at a stomach-able enough job and have time outside work for family and fun and I've made my peace with that.
- born 1919
- upper middle class life in boston
- started illustrating 1949
- started writing original works 1955
- moved to switzerland 1972
- died 1994
He wasnt alone in his world view at the time. Think about how much the world has changed since.
I wonder when and how it will have to be broken to her that unless her interests happen to include something that pays a living wage, she’s actually fucked for life.
You have a hand in shaping the world she will grow up in. If this is important to you, keep it in mind at least next Tuesday.
I mean, the books definitely show lots of "real" jobs, and ones people wouldn't necessarily be naturally passionate about.
What's missing is all the bullshit jobs and awful management. But, even if you wanted to, you probably couldn't really convey that in a children's book... Hell, even most adult books fail to capture just how bullshit the bullshit is!
I'm not sure you are not doing your daughter a lot of good with such a pessimistic outlook on life. You might consider doing some soul searching and try to work out what really matters in life (hint: it isn't money) and then figure out how to adapt. At least externally, if that's what it takes. When my kids were young, my wife and I made a pointed effort to teach our kids to see the wonder in everyday things and situations. Even if they didn't seem all that special to us. That's what most of us have to do.
That aside, Busytown is set in a small town. The culture of towns vary of course, but _generally_, small town life is vastly different from urban or suburban life. There is far less social isolation. (Most) people help each other out without needing to be asked. You may disagree with your neighbor's political opinions but can still have a beer with them in the backyard. And so on.
We aren't talking about children here exactly, but I think adults tended to do a disservice to teenagers as I was growing up by not citing the mean employment statistics of certain jobs, especially ones related to the arts. We can thank the generation who survived the great depression and the boomers for this eternal optimism. "Oh well, by the time things really go south I'll be long gone anyway, sorry!"
I absolutely adore Richard Scarry books. I discovered Richard Scarry a couple of months ago when I was looking for books to read for my 3 year old. Now, not a moment goes by in the evenings when we are reading the adventures of Lowly and his seek and find books. It’s a ritual every night. Richard Scarry and the Grumpy Monkey series are a godsend.
I very HIGHLY recommend the Busytown Eye Found It board game. Kids of all ages have a blast with it, and it's even moderately challenging for adults. We played ours so much we basically wore it out.
If you can find the old editions from before they were bowdlerized... they are often much better. Not everything that was pulled was actually offensive.
I'm in my late 40s. I still treasure the high-school graduation gift my parents got me: Richard Scarry autographed one of my well-abused childhood books. Cars and Trucks and Things That Go.
I never experienced Richard Scarry as a child myself. I discovered it for my own children in a pile of books left on someone's stoop to give away. I was immediately blown away by the whimsy and astonishing care put into every detail. My kids obsessively hunted for the "goldbug" on each page of Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (although they never developed a taste for finding Waldo).
I “read” cars and trucks and things that go for my 2 year old every night. He recently found out that goldbug is on every page and now he won’t let me turn the page until we find him. It’s genuinely a lovely book. We got ours from buy nothing, it’s very old and taped up and it has a bunch of writing in it by a kid named Max.
I was obsessed with Richard Scarry’s intricate drawings as a very small child (which led into devouring all the cutaway books of all sorts of machines as a slightly older child), but I didn’t pick up on the goldbug thing until someone pointed it out a few weeks ago.
I got the Swedish translation as a kid more than 40 years ago and also spent plenty of time trying to find the goldbug. Still have the book and my kids loved it as well.
Richard Scarry’s books were such a cozy universe growing up, I'd still like to live in "What people do all day." I wonder what that book would look like if he made it today.
I left the Old Country for my adopted country in part because it reminded me of "What do people do all day" – although I was not conscious of the resemblance until my father, having seen the not-a-pig dude from the city coming around with a little vehicle specially outfitted to water various geraniums, pointed it out.
Mundane childhood incident that somehow became a core memory: Trying to tell my 2nd grade teacher I wanted to bring a Richard Scarry book to show and tell and she was convinced I was talking about "witches scary" and therefore it would be great for Halloween. I then became incredibly frustrated while trying to enunciate "Richard" in a way that she would understand.
I read his books every day when really young. He created such a great world to imagine. The note about him moving to Switzerland makes sense - his world did feel really European now that I think about it.
My kids, now grown, did not get to experience his books - are his books sold widely anymore?
His books are still kicking around, although not as big as they used to be. My toddler has a few.
They're still lovely books, but I think they're less popular mostly because they're a bit dated now; lots of obsolete jobs and few female animals doing any of the cool jobs.
Yes, you can buy them. When I was a child, my friend owned the "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go" book and I spent hours browsing the book by myself when visiting him. When I had children, it was one of the first books that I bought, and they loved it, too, although not quite as much as me. It is a great present for young children if you don't want to bring a Nintendo gift card.
I was most familiar with the DOS games as a child. They even had Red Book soundtracks of the townsfolk singing about various professions. Building the house was my favorite activity back then.
Richard Scarry was a resident of my former hometown of Ridgefield, CT, as was fellow author-illustrator Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are). My school's librarian recommended his books with particular pride.
Come to think of it, a lot of children's authors seem to have lived in that area, western CT or eastern upstate NY. Some, including Judy Hawes and Jean Van Leeuwen, came to visit my school to talk about their books, reading in general, etc.
In college I referred to the textbooks used by Management Information Systems majors as "Richard Scarry books" because they were full of colorful, busy illustrations and light on technical detail.
I loved Richard Scarry when I was little, although I think it instilled in me a belief that the world was in a constant state of chaos. (maybe that’s accurate.)
My toddler is now obsessed with them and demands “CARS AND TRUCKS”, “SITE” or “HOUSE” every night at bedtime.
'Chaos' is a great observation. I only had a couple of Scarry books as a child but there was something dynamic about them compared to most children's books and I think it was the frenetic and chaotic nature of them. There was always a pickle barrel spilling over, or oranges rolling across a road.
I didn't even know what a pickle barrel was, but it obviously made a mess when someone crashed into it.
I initially thought my 1.5 year old didn’t quite have the attention span for Cars and Trucks and Things that Go yet, but recently, after learning the word bus, he picked it up and dutifully started going through each page and finding all of the buses.
And if anyone isn't aware of Chris, he writes and draws amazing, deep, hilarious and sometimes sad graphic novels that defy genre constraints and appeal to and resonate with introverts and nerds. Highly recommended.
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go is a child favorite and What Do People Do All Day has great depictions of saw mills, flour mills, power plants, and more, but I like Richard Scarry’s I Am a Bunny the most: The pages are filled edge-to-edge with his vibrant illustrations (no whitespace as in his other books) and the story by Ole Risom describes the timeless passing of the seasons.
Looked at Richard Scarry's books on google images in hopes to find a book I read as a kid but don't remember its name or much of it. Richard's art is similarly colorful but Writing it here in hopes someone else may know?
There were some blobby looking ice-cream/sundae in it. And a picture story where someone made very tall icecream. So tall that a helicopter was putting scoops on top (or may be it was placing the cherry on top, but i remember that helicopter touching that icecream). It was a colorful cartoony style art in the book.
Having strong imagination as a kid, the pictures in this book always felt real (hard to explain). Then I remember looking at this book many years later as a grown up and not feeling them as real. It's been many many years since then and I want to have a glimpse again.
I remember the books as a staple of pediatricians' waiting rooms, and we had some at home, too. Scarry also published a book on how to draw things--cars, I recall, I suppose people and animals.
I still remember looking at these with my mother when I was small. We loved to hunt for Gold Bug. She told me later in life that her favorite was, "Lowly worm washes his face and foot." (He always wore a sock and shoe on the end of his tail.)
I loved the books as a child and as a father I love reading them for my children. And they love them too.
Some things have not aged well in them though. Thinking specifically around the gender roles. Not matching Sweden of today. Basically all men are working and having a good time and the women are taking care of children and their husbands. But I sometimes make a lesson of that and tell them that it used to be more like that and ask them whom of my wife and I do different chores and takes care of them. Then we can laugh about it a bit together instead of me grinding my teeth. “Mom’s work is never done”.
[+] [-] tikhonj|1 year ago|reply
A detail I only mentally noted as an adult: the butchers in his books are always pigs themselves. A pig selling ham, sausages and, presumably, cuts of pork is a bit morbid (and also hilarious in a black humor sort of way), but it fits in with the world so much that I didn't even think twice about it as a kid. It just slid past me.
I still remember one of the books I had as a child—can't recall the title exactly—that had a bunch of urban scenes with various objects labeled. What really stood out were the little details and funny little stories going on. The stories and the humor got me to pay attention and actually care about the objects (and their labels!) far more than any generic vocabulary book for kids.
What I love about Richard Scarry is that he is never patronizing or condescending. Too many authors of children's books either try to write down to kids, try to write what they think kids ought to read, or both. But kids aren't idiots and they can tell! Well, I can't speak for everyone, but at least as a kid myself I found a lot of children's works either patronizing or unpleasant—works that were trying too hard to be childlike or, especially, works that were transparent morality plays.
Scarry's work is nothing like this at all. It's oriented for and accessible to kids, but it manages to be simple and silly in a genuine way. The art and stories are actually cute and funny rather than caricatures of what an adult thinks a child would find cute and funny. You can tell Scarry was making something he would enjoy himself. That's why I loved his books when I was five and why I still love his books now.
It's hard to find other children's books like that. I collect illustrated books and the majority I see in stores are awful. The most successful exception I've seen are books by Joe Klassen (of I Want My Hat fame) along with his common collaborator Mac Barnett. Their books are legitimately funny and visually attractive to adults, they're willing to write stories that aren't entirely saccharine, and children absolutely love them. I've seen that first-hand.
[+] [-] tivert|1 year ago|reply
Also: every scarecrow has a crow sitting on it.
[+] [-] velcrovan|1 year ago|reply
I’ve been struck by how the world is depicted to my children in so many children’s books. “As you grow, you’ll be able to slot into a happy productive life, no matter what kind of work you like.”
No joke: every time I read my daughter a Richard Scarry book, I wonder when and how it will have to be broken to her that unless her interests happen to include something that pays a living wage, she’s actually fucked for life.
Think about what it would be like to grow up or to raise children in a world where the ramp to adulthood was incredibly wide and smooth and it was near-impossible to fall off a cliff into poverty, loneliness, or a life of work you hate.
Busytown isn’t a real place, but it was obviously designed to give children some sense of what the world is like or supposed to be like.
[+] [-] 0xcafefood|1 year ago|reply
I don't disagree that young people (at least in the US) are told a lie like "Do what you love and the money will follow." I fell for that and tried to become research scientist, getting a far as receiving a PhD only to find that the funnel from there to a tenured research job was _extremely_ narrow. That's a giant waste of many motivated people's time. And it does need to be fixed.
But is the source of all this Richard Scarry books? I really doubt it. It's okay to give a rosy view of the world to children. Childhood is the longest and best vacation you'll ever take. But there does need to be an incrementally higher dose of "real talk" as children grow into young adults.
[+] [-] jonas21|1 year ago|reply
But they mostly seem to have found something that they like well enough and contributes to society. And perhaps that's an important lesson to take away. Part of living a happy, fulfilling life is finding joy in what's attainable.
[+] [-] com2kid|1 year ago|reply
Fight for housing reform.
Fight for every YIMBY proposal that comes up.
Demand drastic zoning reforms.
80% of the problem of affordability in the western world is housing. In the US at least, there is plenty of space left in most major cities (outside of NYC) to dramatically expand and make housing affordable again.
The unaffordability of the modern world is a self caused problem.
People want their house to rise 5% in value every year but are pissed off when restaurant prices go up 10% a year and daycares cost 30k a year.
You know what, how about my house stays flat in value for a decade while wages catch up with housing costs, and in return I get to save 15k a year on daycare and eating out costs 5k a year less and property crime goes back down to reasonable levels?
Vote for change.
[+] [-] boplicity|1 year ago|reply
Almost every children's book that depicts a serious issue, such as racism, tells a complete story where the problem is solved and is no longer a problem. I believe this is a big part of why so many people think that racism (again, for example) isn't a problem anymore.
Because, they learned, from a very young age, and for many years, that such problems were solved.
There is a very strong and understandable impulse for children's books to be comforting, and to shy away from un-answered questions. This, as you point out, leads to a warped view of reality that parents then should correct.
[+] [-] naet|1 year ago|reply
I switched careers later in life after finding that it was difficult to make money in my initially chosen field, but I don't feel "fucked for life" by it. I actually feel a lot better about doing things I like outside of work. It's much more rewarding to be creative if I'm not trying to maximize profits or otherwise commodify what I'm doing. Sure I wish I didn't have to work and could do whatever I wanted all the time, but I work generally acceptable hours at a stomach-able enough job and have time outside work for family and fun and I've made my peace with that.
[+] [-] rohfle|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] dfxm12|1 year ago|reply
You have a hand in shaping the world she will grow up in. If this is important to you, keep it in mind at least next Tuesday.
[+] [-] tikhonj|1 year ago|reply
What's missing is all the bullshit jobs and awful management. But, even if you wanted to, you probably couldn't really convey that in a children's book... Hell, even most adult books fail to capture just how bullshit the bullshit is!
[+] [-] bityard|1 year ago|reply
That aside, Busytown is set in a small town. The culture of towns vary of course, but _generally_, small town life is vastly different from urban or suburban life. There is far less social isolation. (Most) people help each other out without needing to be asked. You may disagree with your neighbor's political opinions but can still have a beer with them in the backyard. And so on.
[+] [-] jandrese|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] havblue|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] neofrommatrix|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] bityard|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] devilbunny|1 year ago|reply
I'm in my late 40s. I still treasure the high-school graduation gift my parents got me: Richard Scarry autographed one of my well-abused childhood books. Cars and Trucks and Things That Go.
[+] [-] andrewla|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] longdustytrail|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] xxr|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] iambateman|1 year ago|reply
Making it to the beach scene always feels like an accomplishment :D
[+] [-] ojl|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] topherjaynes|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] 082349872349872|1 year ago|reply
I left the Old Country for my adopted country in part because it reminded me of "What do people do all day" – although I was not conscious of the resemblance until my father, having seen the not-a-pig dude from the city coming around with a little vehicle specially outfitted to water various geraniums, pointed it out.
[+] [-] mattkevan|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] autumnstwilight|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] Multiplayer|1 year ago|reply
My kids, now grown, did not get to experience his books - are his books sold widely anymore?
[+] [-] showerst|1 year ago|reply
They're still lovely books, but I think they're less popular mostly because they're a bit dated now; lots of obsolete jobs and few female animals doing any of the cool jobs.
[+] [-] jansan|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] edmundsauto|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] doright|1 year ago|reply
https://archive.org/details/BusytownDOS
https://archive.org/details/busytown_dos
[+] [-] kridsdale3|1 year ago|reply
"PUT A BANDAGE ON IT"
[+] [-] syndeo|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] camtarn|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] bitwize|1 year ago|reply
Come to think of it, a lot of children's authors seem to have lived in that area, western CT or eastern upstate NY. Some, including Judy Hawes and Jean Van Leeuwen, came to visit my school to talk about their books, reading in general, etc.
In college I referred to the textbooks used by Management Information Systems majors as "Richard Scarry books" because they were full of colorful, busy illustrations and light on technical detail.
[+] [-] Tokkemon|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] aaronbrethorst|1 year ago|reply
My toddler is now obsessed with them and demands “CARS AND TRUCKS”, “SITE” or “HOUSE” every night at bedtime.
[+] [-] dingaling|1 year ago|reply
I didn't even know what a pickle barrel was, but it obviously made a mess when someone crashed into it.
[+] [-] mikeocool|1 year ago|reply
I initially thought my 1.5 year old didn’t quite have the attention span for Cars and Trucks and Things that Go yet, but recently, after learning the word bus, he picked it up and dutifully started going through each page and finding all of the buses.
[+] [-] throw4847285|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] ZeroGravitas|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] divbzero|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] T-will|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] smusamashah|1 year ago|reply
There were some blobby looking ice-cream/sundae in it. And a picture story where someone made very tall icecream. So tall that a helicopter was putting scoops on top (or may be it was placing the cherry on top, but i remember that helicopter touching that icecream). It was a colorful cartoony style art in the book.
Having strong imagination as a kid, the pictures in this book always felt real (hard to explain). Then I remember looking at this book many years later as a grown up and not feeling them as real. It's been many many years since then and I want to have a glimpse again.
[+] [-] cafard|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] topherjaynes|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] bell-cot|1 year ago|reply
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37044673 (47 comments)
[+] [-] drummojg|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] balls187|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] tomasGiden|1 year ago|reply
Some things have not aged well in them though. Thinking specifically around the gender roles. Not matching Sweden of today. Basically all men are working and having a good time and the women are taking care of children and their husbands. But I sometimes make a lesson of that and tell them that it used to be more like that and ask them whom of my wife and I do different chores and takes care of them. Then we can laugh about it a bit together instead of me grinding my teeth. “Mom’s work is never done”.