Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Page Grabbers stage.
Why it fits Page Grabbers (for young toddlers who treat books as things to do)
Busy scenes labeling hundreds of objects, vehicles, and jobs. Toddlers return to the same page daily and find something new each time. A word-hoard disguised as a seek-and-find.
What makes it special
Scarry's Busytown operates at toddler information density: hundreds of labeled things doing things, everywhere, always. The mid-century cartoon style — cats in overalls driving pickle cars — has charmed three generations without an update. It rewards the long, wandering attention that fast media never asks for, and toddlers give it gladly.
About Richard Scarry
Richard Scarry (1919–1994) built Busytown, the most densely populated place in children's literature — over 100 million books of cheerful animal workers explaining how the world runs. His specialty was information density a toddler could wander in for an hour.
After art school and Army service, Scarry spent years illustrating other people's Golden Books before an editor let him loose on his own; he moved to Switzerland and drew Busytown from an Alpine studio for the rest of his life, reportedly working with a view of cows.
Also by this author: Cars and Trucks and Things That Go · Busy, Busy Town · What Do People Do All Day?
More from “Point and Name”
This book is part of The Best Books for Toddlers: 30 Teacher Picks (Page Grabbers) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.