This book is a favourite of Simon Bartram, September 2010 Guest Editor: This Richard Scarry book was etched into my memory at a very early age and I'm sure that, deep down, it has influenced my work to this day. I loved and still love the amazing attention to detail and the humour that pack the pages. Even though it was first published a long time ago and much has changed since, the likeable cats, bears and pigs continue to entertain and educate youngsters about the world around them. Personally I love the fire-fighting foxes and digger-driving mice.
Now available for the first time in picture book format, Richard Scarry's classic title, What Do People Do All Day?. Packed with pictures and things to spot on every page, this classic has been refreshed to bring the world of Richard Scarry to a new generation of readers. What do people do all day? Everyone is busy in Busytown -- from train drivers to doctors, from mothers to sailors, in police stations and on fire engines. Follow a colourful collection of busy people working through their busy days. Captain Salty and his crew are getting ready to go on a voyage, Sergeant Murphy is working hard to keep things safe and peaceful, and engineers are building new roads. Another busy day in Busytown!
Richard McClure Scarry (June 5, 1919 – April 30, 1994), last name pronounced like "scary", was an enormously popular children's author and illustrator who published over 300 books with total sales of 300 million worldwide.
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, where his parents ran a shop. The Scarry family enjoyed a comfortable life even during the time of the Great Depression. Following high school graduation, Scarry enrolled in a business college but soon dropped out, finding it not to his liking. He then studied art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he remained until being drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II.
Scarry's characters are almost always anthropomorphic animals. Occasionally this leads to the irony of portraying animals as farmers, tending livestock, including the infamous example of a pig portrayed as a butcher, selling ham and frankfurters behind a counter. Using animals in place of humans allowed Scarry to avoid giving the characters specific racial or ethnic traits, which may have helped broaden their appeal. His books have been popular with children throughout the world.
