Editorial Review

Although this book was around when many of today's parents wereyoungsters, it has remained a steadfast must-have in every toddler's library. For starters, it's a great vocabulary guide that names the many things that go (and some that haven't a prayer of going, but are great fun to imagine anyway). It's also teeming with detail-rich scenes and characters on every page, teaching children the rewards of looking long and closely (such as finding the hidden "Goldbug" in each spread). Along the way it entertains with the silly and slapstick--everything from toothpaste and toothbrush cars to six fire department vehicles that show up to extinguish a ladybug-size fire in a miniature pink convertible. What's most amazing about this book, however, is its longevity. When you purchase it for your fledgling talker, you should consider it an investment. Even 11-, 12-, and 13-year-olds are known to pore over the book nostalgically, cooing at Lowly Worm and eagerly tracking Officer Flossie's book-long chase after that irresponsible, speedster driver in a cowboy hat. (Ages 2 and older) Read more

Reviews (86)

A Scarry Classic
I first read this book to my daughter 22 years ago. It was her favorite, and alas it wore out. Searching to find Goldbug on each and every page was the most fun, and the verse was very entertaining as we did so. It helped teach her words, spelling and all about the different ways to get from here to there. I just reordered a copy to surprise her for Christmas, as she prepares to start her own family. I highly recommend this book by one of the most beloved children's authors.

Simply outstanding
I grew up with Richard Scarry books, including the now out-of-print "Busy Busy World."For some reason I had forgotten what a gem this is.Any child will delight in it, and for parents it is so nice to have a book that can be different every time you read it, as most of our books are read over, and over, and over.

My son's absolute favorite book
My son (21 months and obsessed with cars and trucks) asks to read his "cars and trucks book" every single day. It seems like every time we read it, we find something new. Great for keeping kids engaged, and the photos are excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Pigs    2. Automobiles    3. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 1-2    6. Classics    7. Fiction    8. Transportation    9. Transportation - General    10. Trucks    11. Vehicles    12. Juvenile Fiction / General    13. Juvenile fiction    14. Things that go   

Reviews (41)

Absolutely the Best Storybook Ever
I loved Richard Scarry when I was young. When I was 4 I got My first book the Bunny Book. I loved it, it was so cute. I got the best storybook for my son when he was 2. He's now 3 1/2 and i'm not kidding i've read this book to him every single day since! He loves it. He calls it the bunny book. Because he too loves that cute story. Sometimes i'll find him in his room just studying the pictures he can be there for a very long. This is a must for every childs library.I also recommend the Richard Scarry's Best Learning videos from Rrandom House.My son loves those as well.

My favorite book as a child
I am 28 years old and still remember how much I LOVED this book as a child.I read it until it fell apart, and my parents constantly tried to hide it on top of the refrigerator because they were tired of reading it to me over and over.Buy this book for your kids!I'm now an English teacher and, of course, an avid reader.When my students ask me what is my favorite book, I name this one, because it was my first loved book.

Excellent Book!
Richard Scarry's books are so simple to read, and the illustrations are classic.I remember reading his books when I was growing up, and I just loved them.This book includes many wonderful stories that aren't lenghthy so they won't lose your child's interest.I definitely want my daughter to experience them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Animals - General    3. Anthologies    4. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    5. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    6. Children: Preschool    7. Collections    8. Fiction    9. Literature    10. Juvenile Fiction / General   

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Reviews (26)

Bananas Gorilla and kids...
My copy of this book is chewed, back broken, torn, taped, worn out by the use of my own children and years of my students in my Primary classrooms. I recall reading this with my younger brother and that was just forever ago. Some books just stand the test of time and this is one of those. As a teacher I know very young children like to categorize, inspect, look for something(well what else explains I SPY books?)and ferret out details. Scarry definitely "got that". I've seen children slip inside these pages and be entertained and cataloging for really long periods of time.Not that I'm suggesting it for that reason ALONE. My daughter Sylvia was definitely one of those kinds of children and she always searched for Bananas Gorilla. I had several videos that were made of the Richard Scarry world (get them) and at a very young age-two to three- she loved those in combination with the books. My son much later was similarly enthralled and now I use this material when the Standards hockers aren't looking teaching my 1st grade with students who have ELD needs-second language development. This particular book I really like because the early years social studies curriculum is "community" based and this attends to those understandings so well. I recommend this as a teacher to families, and with parent interaction and co-exploring it's a very fun afternoon activity.

worn out
I am attempting to order another copy of this wonderful book because my 40 year old son remembers my reading it to him as a little boy and he wants a copy for his two year old son!The conversations you can have with your child as you examine the pages are incredible! Our copy is completely worn out, but I have saved it for when he visits!

My best book of all time
I got this book as a prize when I was 8, and I loved it every minute. I have read this book so many times and this has been a blast 18 years owning it. It has been my source for dreams of many of my childhood dreams and these illustrations are so good. If you are looking to buy your kid a book, do yourself a favor and get this own. It was my best friend for a long time and I am sure, it will be for your kid too !! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - General    2. Business, Careers, Occupations    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Humorous Stories    6. Juvenile literature    7. Occupations    8. Juvenile Fiction / Business, Careers, Occupations   

Reviews (38)

An old favorite
This was one of my favorite books as a child.It's great for beginning readers.

New Version is abridged
This is a great book BUT the current edition is badly edited from the original - I was very disappointed to find that the birds and the types of houses and many other pages are not in the new version. Anybody have an original copy they would like to sell?

The Best Word Book Ever!
I got this book as a gift for my son when he was 1 year old.He didn't read it until he was about 18 months. Now he is 3 years old and loves this book.It talks about getting up in the morning, washing face, hands, making the bed, changing clothes, going to eat breakfast, etc. It also talks about the Supermarket, school, at the beach, camping, etc.It is a great book.My son really enjoys it.He remembers Kenny Bear and tries to be like him.I recently bought this book as a gift for a friend. I would give this book to others as well.I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - General    2. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Preschool    5. Classics    6. Concepts - Words    7. Early learning / early learning concepts    8. English    9. English language    10. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (12)

Love it!
If your child likes Lowly and the Busytown gang, they'll love this book.The cars in this book are very creative and cute.

great design, fully worth the $3.99
great design!small yet easy to read.our toddler loves the pickle car, yogurt car, and zipper car depicted. a mix of real and fantasy vehicles.

Girls like trucks too
So far every review I've read has been about people's sons and their fascination with trucks.My little girl likes trucks too. And she love this book.Like one of the other reviewers, this is also our second copy, one for at daycare and one for in the "truck" so she can read everywhere we go. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Preschool    3. Concepts - Alphabet    4. Transportation - General    5. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / Alphabet    6. Road & motor vehicles   

Reviews (5)

Great book!
I bought this book thinking to teach my son about manners, saying please and thank you.He does say please and thank you, but the book taught even more about going to school, playing safe, etc.He loves the characters Huckle and Lowly very much.He loves the book and since he was so familiar with the characters I bought him the Richard Scarry's Best Learning Video Ever (DVD). He watches it over and over and sings along.Huckle and Lowly are great.Great book!

my son begged me to buy this classic manners book
my 5-year-old loves this book and parents will appreciate it too. i have tried to teach my child good manners and proper attitudes for years, but this book really clicked with him more than any of my talking. in fact, he refers to it daily! a very cute book, and not overtly preachy.

A book to remember
I remember my mom reading this book to me and we still laugh about how much I loved that book.Today, twenty-five years later, I bought a copy to treasurer those great memories. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - General    2. Behavior    3. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Preschool    6. Courtesy    7. Fiction    8. Social Issues - General    9. Social Situations - General    10. Early learning / early learning concepts    11. Juvenile Fiction / Animals / General   

Reviews (12)

Richard Scarry--my sons' favorite author
As busy as the pages appear, there is so much going on for a child to first look at, parents to read, and then, later, child can read to his/her younger siblings.Scarry's books were favorites in our house!

Brings Back great Memories
Our own children loved Richard Scarry books back in the 70's Now we find that our 2005 grandchildren (4 of them) all get the same enjoyment.Our Granddaughter has become the same Lowley Worm fan that her motherwas 30 years ago.Timeless classics.

The most important book of my childhood
I was recalling some happy moments of childhood today, in idle moments of work-related procrastination. Huckleberry Cat and Lowly Worm taught me about the world. About Hair, and Toes, and Bananas, and Dogs. About bathrooms and manners, why stealing was bad, to share with others, about forks and boats, and eating your peas. I decided to look some of these up, and I discovered that Richard Scarry passed from this world, in 1994, eleven years ago. Even though I never knew him, and he certainly had no idea I even existed, he contributed immensely to the person I am today. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Animals - General    3. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Concepts - Words    6. Fiction    7. Readers - Beginner    8. Vocabulary    9. Fiction anthologies & collections    10. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General   

Reviews (6)

A good read for me and my just-turned-3-year-old
This book has a cute, fun story with good illustrations like the other Scarry titles I've seen.I don't know how much my daughter is learning from it, except that Mr. Frumble is one unlucky guy.I haven't gotten tired of reading it, as happens sometimes, and that's as important as anything in the long run.It takes me 5-10 minutes to read, and I don't get into some of the outside-the-story details which I think would only distract my daughter from the story at this age.

EXCELLENT!!
Great book for child's first flight!Excellent conversation piece for child to describe what she saw and did. The book didn't miss a thing about the airport!Child still loves to read it!!!!

Is this a genuine Richard Scarry book?
I think this is one of the "Richard Scarry" books, not a genuine Richard Scarry. The pictures don't look quite right and the writing is all wrong. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Airports    2. Animals - General    3. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 2-3    6. Fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Transportation - Airplanes    9. Transportation - General    10. Juvenile Fiction / Transportation   

Reviews (9)

busy, busy town
a great children's book that my children loved and now my grandchildren love it. Richard Scarry knows how to teach children about their world with a combination of words and illustrations.

Great Classic!
This is a fabulous classic childrens book.Still the same captivating drawings as when I was a kid.
Sure, it's sexist...
While I agree with the Danish reader that sexism is prevalent in this book, the reader should be aware that Richard Scarry died 10 years ago (1994). Later "Scarry" books, as written by Richard Scarry's son, Hank, do reflect current times and attitudes.However, I think Hank Scarry would be hard-pressed to tamper with his father's book, which many people consider a classic.I suggest using this book (as well as Cinderella, Snow White, etc.) as an opportunity to discuss sexism with your children.It's more productive than complaining about the dead on Amazon. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Animals - General    3. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Preschool    6. City life    7. Classics    8. Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Lifestyles - City & Town Life    12. Occupations    13. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (5)

richard scary books
we read these books together... the word aquisition skill opportunities are wonderful..share and enjoy.

The Original Richard Scarry you loved as a kid
This edition preserves the original Richard Scarry artwork and text from the 1970's that I grew up with (and loved) as a kid.Some of the new (1990 and on) editions of Scarry stories have art that is slightly "off" from Scarry's style, and text that does not convey Scarry's wit and fun storytelling style.Rest assured that this edition has both of those!

Good short stories, but has nothing to do with bedtime.
This book is a nice collection of short stories, but none of the stories have a thing to do with falling asleep. Buy this book because you want more of Richard Scarry's wonderful stories, not because you want to soothe your child to sleep. I myself feel let down because I thought I was buying stories to put my child to sleep to. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - General    2. Bedtime & Dreams    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children's stories, American    5. Children: Babies & Toddlers    6. Short Stories    7. Fiction anthologies & collections    8. Juvenile Fiction / Short Stories   

Editorial Review

Richard Scarry's bright and humorous animal characters have been charming children for decades. Always inventive in the world of animal fashion, Scarry shows the cow jumping over the moon in pearls and a pink dress, and the little dog who "laughed to see such sport" sports a sailor suit. You won't hear "I can't see the pictures!" with this book; its large size makes it a good choice for group story hour. This collection of 50 Mother Goose rhymes is especially appropriate for toddlers; most of the two-page spreads contain only one illustrated rhyme. (Many children younger than three can focus better on one simple verse than on many rhymes on each page.) Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Poetry / Plays    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Preschool    4. Nursery rhymes    5. Poetry - Mother Goose    6. Fairy tales, folk tales, fables, magical tales & traditional stories    7. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (6)

Wonderful but Abridged!
Though this activity book is just wonderful and full of great crafting and learning acitivities, it is an abridged version of the book we loved when we were kids.The book, organized around the 12 number-it-yourself calendar pages, includes seasonal connect the dots, a paper village to color and build, paperdolls, paper airplanes to fold, greeting cards, Valentines, and bookmarks.The Christmas activities are missing altogether.

History repeats itself!
Twenty-eight years ago I recieved this book for Christmas.On a whim I checked to see if it was still available and I was SO happy to find out it is!My daughter loves it as much as I did when I was a child!

A classic
I had to get this for my daughter even though she is not quite old enough - I remember really enjoying this book.Lots of fun things to do. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. General    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Papercrafts    6. Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure   

Reviews (49)

So lovely
We just purchased this book for our six week old son and we absolutely love it. The illustrations are so charming and I'm sure it's going to be a favorite for him in these early years as it's not a complex story. I'm so glad it isn't out of print.

Gorgeous and attention-grabbing
This is the first book my son would bring to me for repeated readings (starting at about 9 months).The illustrations are stunning, and the vocabulary is perfect for infants/toddlers.I give this book to everyone with children!

A family favorite!
This was my favorite book as a child - my parents still know most of it by heart from reading it so many times! Now, my two year old son loves it too. We had to buy a new copy because my was so tattered and old. He just loved the colors and the story. He especially loves that the bunny goes to sleep at the end with a blankie - my son loves his blankie. This book is a must have for little ones! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Rabbits    2. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Classics    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Nature & the Natural World - Seasons    8. Rabbits    9. Seasons    10. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Reviews (8)

In it's 3rd generation of use !
I was given this book on my 6th birthday (1952) and am still reading it EVERY year. It has been rebound and the front page, that opens into a large pop-up Santa emerging from a chimney, is scotch-taped and fragile from use(I wonder if the new book has this?). The Animals Merry Christmas is lovingly displayed each year amidst my Christmas decor. It has been read much, over many years,to my son and his children and I will be purchasing one this year for my grandniece. It is highly recommend for all children AND the young-at-heart.

A Christmas Classic
I bought this book for my 5-year-old daughter's November birthday based on the reviews posted here. We have been enjoying the stories night after night since then. This is a treasury of stories about different animals celebrating Christmas in very simple and joyous ways. Each tale is charming yet teaches something valuable about giving. The Richard Scarry illustrations are delightful as well.

good memories
My grandparents lived far away while I was growing up.One Christmas my grandma taped herself reading the book for us.I have wonderful memories of listening to that tape and looking at the pictures as we read along.This is a lovely Christmas book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Animals - General    3. Children's Baby - Fiction - General    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Kindergarten    6. Christmas    7. Classics    8. Fiction    9. Holidays & Celebrations - Christmas    10. Holidays & Festivals - Christmas    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Preschool Picture Story Books    13. Short stories    14. Juvenile Fiction / Holidays & Festivals / Christmas   

Reviews (2)

This book played a big part in my daughter's development
My daughter, who is in the first grade, is reading at the fourth or fifth grade level. She could read before she turned four, and I think a big part of that was this book. We had the old, politically incorrect version, and we literally read it to pieces. Now I'm ordering for my niece, who just turned one. This book is a great vocabulary builder for little ones. One word of warning: after the five hundredth reading it gets a little old for the adults, but it is a great book for learning vocabulary and spelling of everyday words.

My daughter's favorite book!
I highly reccomend this book!It's full of illustrations and words, but it always uses each word in context of a sentence, so the child will understand exactly what each word means.Of course, being a Richard Scarrybook, it also is extremely entertaining for parent and child. We read thisone every day by my daughter's request.Such a good book for yourcollection! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Preschool    3. General    4. Juvenile literature    5. Picture dictionaries    6. Picture dictionaries, English    7. Dictionaries    8. English    9. English language    10. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (2)

This is awful - horrible images!!!!
My son loves Richard Scarry, and we have two dvds he loves: Counting and ABC. This book, however is terrible. The images are chaotic and confusing. And the story is confusing, as well. Not recommended, even for Scarry fans.

Really an awesome book!
What a cute book! We bought this for our little one because of his love for the firemen and the firetrucks.Boy, is it ever cute! It's really neat to see all the different predicaments the firefighters encouter during the book.Our particular favorite is when the wrecking crane runs into the strawberry jam truck.Oh, what a mess!I didn't know the age limit on this book before purchasing it but it works well for preschool and up to the first grade.The above description wasn't too explicit.We LOVE this book in our house and I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business, Careers, Occupations    2. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Preschool    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Preschool Picture Story Books    7. Scarry, Richard    8. Juvenile Fiction / Business, Careers, Occupations   

Reviews (5)

Fantastic book!
If you're looking for a great train book or even just a lift the flap book, then be SURE to get this one!It's absolutely adorable!Poor Bananas gorilla has lost his bananas somewhere on the train and he has everyone looking for him.I just love all the little details in the drawing of this book - there's a worm driving a tractor on top of one of the train cars, frogs jumping into a big kettle on another, and so on.You really have to take some time to see all the neat little "extras" that are in this book.It's really not a literary find, but it's great for little ones to see all the neat things that Scarry has hidden throughout the book.It's printed on both sides and it's just wonderful.I'm just glad I found it and I cannot recommend it enough.Great book!

GREAT ENTERTAINMENT
My 2 1/2 year old LOVES this book. He not only reads it, but he plays with his "choo-choo book" for long periods of time. It does not have the greatest text, but it is definitely a great book for children because it is interactive and entertaining. I am buying it for my newphews for their birthdays!

Funny, interactive book
I'm glad there are authors like Richard Scarry, who appreciate the great sense of humor children have.This book is beautifully and cleverly built, folding out into a long train (my two year old was "driving" it around the house yesterday) and containing lots of flaps to peek behind.There are many silly details (crocodiles crying their crocodile tears) and an exciting premise: will Bananas Gorilla ever find his bananas?!?My son looks at dejected Bananas and feels real empathy for him.This book has provided many hours of fun for us. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Preschool    3. Fiction    4. Humorous Stories    5. Interactive Adventure    6. Railroads    7. Specimens    8. Stories in rhyme    9. Toy and movable books    10. Trains    11. Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories   

Subjects:  1. Children's Baby - Literature    2. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    3. Children: Preschool    4. Classics    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    6. Fairy tales    7. Folklore    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Preschool Picture Story Books    10. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Subjects:  1. Animals - General    2. Children's All Ages - Fiction - General    3. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    4. Children: Kindergarten    5. Concepts - General    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Movie Tie - In    8. Juvenile Fiction / Movie or Television Tie-In   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/All Ages    2. General