Reads :: Busytown Books by Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry is one of those writer-illustrators who just doesn’t go out of style.

I remember reading his books when I was a child, and also recall them being among my sister’s favourites. I forgot about Richard Scarry and Huckle Cat and Busytown when I eventually outgrew these books. And then I had kids.

When Noey was younger, one of the most important qualities which we looked for in books was that they had to be engaging enough to keep him seated so that he would eat his food. That boy was a tough one to feed! We found our answer in Richard Scarry’s big books. Noey could spend ages pouring over them because there are just so many pictures and things to see on each page.

Here are some of our favourite titles:

Richard Scarry’s Best First Book Ever!

They weren’t kidding when they called this the Best First Book. This is a great one for the little ones. There is a very simple and loose storyline following the Cat Family through the day, from the time they wake up, but what is really of interest here are the colourful pictures. Each two-page spread depicts a different setting — a cut-away of the Cat Family’s house showing each room, breakfast in the kitchen, a day at school, a shopping trip to the supermarket, etc. There are plenty of items on a page, which is useful for building vocabulary.

We’ve had a lot of fun with this book. Some simple activities the kids enjoy:

1. I Spy! — We take turns to name items and be the fastest to point them out on the page.

2. Matching Pictures to Real Objects — I dig out items from home and lay them out in the room, and I get the kids to pick out the real item to match the picture.

3. Actions — We use the page on action words and as I call out the actions, the kids will point out the correct picture and perform it themselves.

As you can tell, these are really simple activities and my point in sharing them is to show that not every learning/fun activity needs to involve forward planning and craft work! While I enjoy craft work on my own, Noey isn’t a big fan, so I mostly leave him be in that respect. I might have to change tack with Nomi, but we’ll see.

This book is Noah’s favourite, and I think, with most boys! As the title suggests, it’s full of interesting vehicles – real ones, and funny ones, like the crocodile car on the cover. The story follows the Pig Family as they make their way to the beach and back home again. Along the way, they encounter all sorts of vehicles, from fire engines to tractors to locomotives, to other fantastic vehicles.

Ever wondered what a broom-o-cycle looks like? You’ll find one in this book. What I love best about this book is that there’s just so much to see and talk about on each page. You can spot Mistress Mouse in her pink tow truck helping various hapless drivers who have vehicle trouble, and see Officer Flossy try to catch Dingo Dog for speeding.

Another thing that Noey LOVED to do was hunt for Goldbug. He’s hiding somewhere in each two page spread — you just have to find him! We’ve spent many giggly moments trying to spot him and its an activity that both Noey and I enjoyed together. Can you spot him in the spread below?

(Answer: He’s hiding in the ambulance!)

If your kids love Busytown and love a good ol’ game of “I Spy”, I strongly recommend that you check out the board game Richard Scarry’s Busytown: Eye Found It! The game is played on a loooong board, 6ft in length. The objective is quite simple — to make it across to the picnic before the pigs eat all the food. The charm of this game comes in the fact that at certain junctures, you will embark on on a hunt for objects in the artwork all over the board. The number you find determines the number of spaces you get to move on the board, and the best part is that everyone cooperates at this point to find the most items! I also love the fact that the artwork is very creative and you don’t always find object where you expect them!

We have played this many times over, and each time, we are still discovering objects in new locations. It’s a lot of fun.

I bought my set from Amazon (and paid a bomb in shipping) but I have recently realised that Richard Scarry’s Busytown: Eye Found It! retails at Toys Hunt (Serene Centre) for S$49.90.

“Lots of things to do and see,
It’s so much fun to be
A part of Busytown.”

I think this line from the theme song of the cartoon series “The Busy World of Richard Scarry” says it best! There’s lots of fun to be had with Busytown! Books like these do a childhood make.

*This is adapted from a guest post I previously wrote for Toddly Mummy some time back (hence why my kids look so young!!) I thought it would be fun to share here too. I”m hoping to do a series on some of my kids’ favourite authors, if I have the time!