Amazon.com

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) --Gail Hudson ... Read more

Reviews (55)

I agree - thank you Richard Scarry!
I started reading this book with my son when he first learned to talk a few years ago. He's not tired of it yet (and neither am I). There are so many fun illustrations (I especially like the "pickle car"), and so much going on that this book can be read again and again. Now that my son is familiar with all of the vehicles, and able to point them out when we go driving in our car (although we have yet to see a pickle car in our area) we have fun not just reading the story, but looking for the tiny "Goldbug" on every page.

My 2.5 year old son's FAVORITE book
We were given this book when my son was born; he has always enjoyed the colorful and imaginative pictures, and has been finding Goldbug on each page since he was about 18 months. However, his early love for this book pales in comparison to his obsession with it now -- it's the only book he wants to hear at story time, day after day ... Luckily for Mom and Dad, it's also whimsical enough that we enjoy it, too, day after day.

My Son's FAVORITE Book
I have just purchased my SECOND copy of this book. My 22 month son loves it so much that it has been through the ringer in the past months, with his favorite pages ripped out because of over use! I had it when I was little, and it brings back great memories. But, I never expected the reaction that he would have to this book! It is perfect for any who loves PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES!! If only there was a board version!

Great Book for Generate Interest in Reading/Focus of Toddler
This was the first book my son received in 1992. I started reading it to him before he was 1 years old. He loved to sit quietly and look at the book. He continued to look for Goldbug until he was in kindergarten. Great book for spending quality time with your child and get the added bonus of an educational foundation for reading.

A tradition continues
This book was a favorite of our youngest son, age 31. Now our well loved copy is a great hit with the grandchildren. I have to buy three new copies. In this day of DVD, VCR it is a thrill to have children so engrossed looking for Gold Bug. ... Read more

Book Description

Kenny and Kathy Bear and their Busytown friends introduce new andfamiliar names for objects grouped by subject, theme, and setting, in the cityand on the farm, at the dentist and at the grocer's, in the kitchen and at thecircus and all the places they frequent. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Don't miss it!
I owned many Richard Scarry books as a ltitle girl, so I was thrilled when we received several as a gift for my daughter. I introduced this book to her at about 12 months of age, and much to my surprise she immediately became obsessed with the book, the alphabet page in particular. I was so surpised by this, as she normally only has the attention span for interactive/lift-the-flap books, but her attention span regarding this book is a testament to how fabulous it is! In the last 2 months, she has come to like all of the pages, and it is a book she brings me everyday to read to her, turning around and plopping herself down in my lap for a good long read! I myself remember the cozy illustrations, especially the pages of little things and food. The book is loaded with words, opportunities for elaborating and describing in great detail, and in my opinion I think the title suits it well: it is the best word book ever! Don't miss out on this book, especially if you are looking for something to hold your child's attention for longer than 5 minutes!

Oldie, but a goodie!
My son is in love with this book. My 2 year old is actually using my copy of the book (26th printing, 1979) but this book really stands the test of time. He has learned so many words with the aid of Richard Scarry, his most recent being 'fire truck'. Colorful pictures capture and hold his interest and the array of subject matter in the book is incredible: At the supermarket, various seasons and holidays, shapes and sizes, in the flower garden, clean-up time and so much more. Childhood would not be the same without Richard Scarry. No child should be without this book.

Helps your child learn to read.
My son, who is now 40 years old, had this book when he was about 2 years old. I used to read some of it every day to him, and we would laugh and talk about all of the pictures, and the words under each item. Soon, he could look at all the pages and "read" the words. I truly believe this book was the inspiration for his lifelong love of reading. Now, I buy this book for the grandchildren!

The Best Childhood Book
I remember this book as a favorite during childhood...over 30 years ago. Is the best for starting a infant on learning vocabulary. The pictures are wonderful and will grab any child's imagination.

If you don't have this book- buy it now!!!
I just can't recommend this book highly enough. It has page after page of interesting scenes, animals, objects, vehicles and more to look at and talk about with your child.
There are many opportunities for teaching words. I name objects for my daughter and she also points to objects that I name for her. She has learned many new words from this book.
It is truly a must have for parents!!! ... Read more

Book Description

This storybook is a collection of entertaining stories and poemsinvolving celebrated children's book artist Richard Scarry's lovable cast ofanimal characters.These happy tales and lively illustrations make thistreasury of the very best of Scarry's work the best storybook ever. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Oodles of Richard Scarry and I Am a Bunny, Too!
Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Richard Scarry's Best Story Book Ever was one of her picks.

This book was my daughter's choice night after night during the years from ages 3-6. The stories are all vividly colored, humorous, and reasonably short. They just suited her perfectly.

She would plead after each one, "Just one more story, Dad." (This was after her mother had read to her, as well.) I would read until I had almost no voice left. Eventually, we negotiated that she could pick two stories from this book, and if I was in the mood (and in good voice) we could go up from there. Otherwise, bedtime would have been delayed for hours!

If you don't know Richard Scarry, he has a wonderful, light sense of humor. He usually features intelligent animals, but in human-like contexts. This makes the moral of the story easier for the youngster to swallow, while making the story more interesting. For example, A Castle in Denmark is about the rules that you should follow in a castle (or a house) such as not leaving things on the floor where people can trip on them. Who else would have come up with such a wonderful way to help establish household rules?

The stories in the book contain all the elements needed in a preschool book, with lots of alphabet, numbers, socialization, and charming stories with important lessons attached. The book includes one of my daughter's all time favorite stories, I Am a Bunny by Ole Rison. This story was repeated like a mantra around our house by all four children. It is a great beginning reader story.

The stories vary in sophistication from simple ones to mini-mysteries involving detectives. My daughter especially loved the mini-mysteries.

Here are her favorite stories in the book (in the order they appear):

The Rabbit Family's Home

I Am a Bunny

Work Machines

Pip Pip Goes to London

A Castle in Denmark

Couscous, the Algerian Detective

Officer Montey of Monaco

Pierre, the Paris Policeman

The Country Mouse and the City Mouse by Patricia Scarry

Schtoompah, the Funny Austrian

From a value perspective, it is much less expensive to buy these stories in this form than to get them in the various Richard Scarry books. Of all the story books we bought for our children, this one was definitely the best value. I suspect it only cost about a penny per hour used. Running the television costs more than that!

Some readers have complained about the binding. Ours is a little loose in back after four years of hard use. For such a thick book, that's about par for the course. If your child is a hard user of books, you may want to get a new copy at some point.

After you have finished enjoying this book for the 4,317th evening in a row (if you have a large family), I suggest that you think about how these stories could be made even funnier by changing the context. For example, a castle in Denmark could become Cinderella's castle after she married the prince. What rules do you suppose Cinderella would have wanted to have? In this way, you and your child can exercise your imagination to have even more fun.

Take great stories and build on them . . . together with your child!

An excellent choice for young readers!
Like many of the other customer reviewers, I loved this book when I was a child. This book has it all: classic nursery rhymes, stories that don't tax little ones' attention spans, and enchanting illustrations. Names of everyday objects, shapes, colors, numbers, etc. are presented in an entertaining manner - your child won't realize (s)he's being educated!

This book is great for getting your toddler interested in books. My two year old daughter loves reading her "Lellow Book" at bedtime every night, and I look forward to it as much as she does. (If I had the proverbial dime for every time I've read "Chipmunk's Birthday" I'd be richer than Jeff Bezos!)

The only complaint I have is that we've had to glue the spine to the pages several times. I suppose frequent use is a contributing factor, but other reviewers have noted similar binding problems from this publisher. If not for this one drawback, I would have rated this book 6 out of 5.

Best book ever!
This book was given to my sister when she was very young. It became the standard reading book in my family. Try as my mother did we always requested a story from this book. My favourite was "Egg in the hole". I loved this story and requested it night after night. After a while i knew it off by heart and would tell my parents off if they changes a word. Many years ago we discovered this book in a local bookshop and bought it for friends who had just had a baby - it became a sucess in their family as well. A friend of mine has a 1 year old and i was trying to think of a present for her. The daughter has enough cloths and toys when i thought of giving her a book and remembered how much my family had loved this book. I couldn't find it in any shops in Australia and am very excited to find that it is still in print and available. Although the child is only 1 this book will cover her all the way to school and i hope it becomes as much of a favourite with her as it did with me. Thanks Richard Scarry for some of the best stories ever.

Still have my copy from 1977
And I'm glad I do. Although much of the content is from previous Richard Scarry books -- it provides an excellent way to remember the funniest bits of those other books and has helped me decide which Richard Scarry books to get for my son.

A Wonderful Book
My two year old son loves this book. He asks for it every night before bed. We call it "The Lion Book." His vocabulary has increased ten-fold since we started reading it. He's learned about shapes, sizes, colors, numbers, animals, farms, planes, cars, trucks; just about everything that could attract a little one's attention. The stories are interesting and gentle and fun. A great book! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A memorable, exciting, educational book...and now abridged!
"What Do People Do All Day" is really a one-of-a-kind book. As a toddler and older child, I was enthralled by Scarry's colorful and highly detailed pictures and his fun characters, and I especially recall the sections on water treatment and electrical power generation. This book, unlike any other, certainly stimulated my early interest in a career. Speaking from experience, a kid can spend hours poring through this book, and he can remember details from it for years. Unfortunately, it seems that a few boneheads at the publisher don't share my exceptional feelings for the book and have abridged it, removing the two sections I have mentioned and more. Shame on them!

One of the best books of any kind
Like some other reviewers, I am disapointed the unabridged version is not available.

But, even abridged, this is one of the funniest and most absorbing books in print. This book is full of delightful cutaways showing the internals of houses, streets, and factories. Like most Richard Scarry books, this one explores and explains a world which is fun, colorful, comprehensible, and full of well meaning people.

Five stars is not enough.

Best Children's Book Ever
Wish I could give this 10 stars. I discovered this book as a preschooler in 1968. My mom would take me to the local library every week. I checked it out from the library and I was hooked. I wanted to check it out at every visit, so my mom had the library order a copy for me. I remember even before I could read the words, I completely understood the story from the illustrations. I still have that original edition. It is tatered but still intact. I bought another copy this year for my preschool sons. They absolutely love it as well as the other Scarry book I had as a child, Busy Busy World. The newer book is the abridged edition. The abridged edition has 63 pages as compared to the ~95 pages in the original. They removed 4 stories from the original: busy (stay at home) mom, water treatment plants, electricity and how we get it, and Sgt. Murphy the Busytown policman. Why? Somebody at the publisher must have had a lobotomy. Anyway, we keep the original up in a closet to read only with adult supervision. The new one is on the shelf, readily accesible to the kids.
This book (even the abridged edition) is an absolute classic.

Great pictures needs a bit of updating
I, like many other readers, remember and enjoyed this book as a child.
Now- with my own 3 year we are rediscovering the great pictures; the mechanics
of how things work and are built and what people do all day.

This is where I think it needs some updating. As a historic record
for the 1950's, it might be accurate. But what takes me one
tick down in the rating in re-reading this to my son is the overt
sexist roles. There are precisely 3 careers allowed for women in this
book- homemaker, nurse and secretary. I've taken to changing some of
the gender of the workers to make it a bit more realistic-

Don't get me wrong- the concept is great, the stories serve that
purpose of how things work- and my son loves this book- I just
get a bit tired trying not to perpetuate stereotpyes that didn't exist
when I was a child in the 1960's (at least in my family).

careers in Busytown examined
Set in Scarry's Busytown, this busy, colorful book is organized into eleven chapters that examine its citizens' jobs: Everyone is a worker; Building a new house; Mailing a letter; Firemen to the rescue; A visit to the hospital; The train trip; The story of seeds and how they grow; Wood and how we use it; Building a new road; A voyage on a ship; and, Where bread comes from.

Effective use of color and cross-sections can be confusing for very young kids, but is informative and enjoyable for the curious, and the funny pictures appeal to all. Also, everything is labelled, which is very nice for beginning readers. ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in full color. Favorite Scarry animal characters introduce simple learning concepts and over 700 words. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

My Fav When I Was Little!
I had several Richard Scarry books when I was teeny tiny, and I remember loving each one! I am now 29 and about to have my first child and was so excited to come across this book. It will be a great addition to my collection that my mother has saved from when I was a child. I can't wait to share this book with my little one. I hope you and yours enjoy Mr. Scarry's line of children's books as well.

This Book is Fabulous!!
My daughter is 2 and absolutely LOVES this book! She's learned so much from it!! Every night this is the book she wants to read! What I love about it is everytime we read it she learns something new--the latest she's learned is the 12 months! I recommend this to everyone---it's also a GREAT gift!

Best Kids' Books Ever!
This book and the First Word Book were my first Richard Scarry books, and two of the first books I ever had. They were wonderful! Each page is full of detailed illustrations of everyday items and their names. I had most of the Richard Scarry books, and they really helped me to learn vocabulary, and quite a few important lessons on behavior along the way! Now I am a mommy, and I can't wait for my little girl to be old enough to get her Best First Book Ever!

Not best FIRST book
This is a great book, I agree. However, it is not the best FIRST book unless your child isn't seeing any books until age 2. My daughter just turned one, and for her the pictures are still too busy. Also, it's not a board book so she can't "read" this book herself without risking the pages. I know we'll enjoy it later, but for now this book has been put away.

Daugher loves it!
My 3 year old recieved this as a birthday gift and she loves to look at all the busy things going on it it! Its one of my favorites too! ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in full color. The animal residents of Busytown learn useful lessons about manners, thoughtfulness, and caring in this perky, funny paperback. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

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.

Good illustrations
A cute book that teaches kids about manners and helping out.

Great for little ones
This book presents manners in a fun and familiar context for little readers. My kids already love Huckle and Lowly, so it was easy for them to enjoy this book. My favorite story is Pig Will and Pig Won't. At my house, we need constant reminders on good manners, and this book makes it fun. Parents will enjoy it too. ... Read more

Book Description

Sally, Huckle, and Lowly are supposed to go sailing with Huckle and Sally's father, but it starts to rain. Father says they will have to stay inside and play, but their friend Rudolf von Flugel saves the day when he picks the kids up in his airplane-car and whisks them off to the airport for a fun day of sightseeing. Full of airport fun and "Scarry" mishaps.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Will make airports more exciting for your kid
Apart from the usually brilliant, somewhat old-fashioned classic style of Richard Scarry, this book has the added value of being a brilliant travel companion. If you spend a lot of time in airports, you'll be pleased that your child will view the same old routines - check-in, security, boarding - with a lot more informed interest.

My 2 year old daughter LOVES this book!
Everytime we read this book about the airport, she notices something new. She points everything out to me and wants to read it over and over and over again. ... Read more

Book Description

Illustrated in full color. This car-and- truck-filled alphabet extravaganza

that starts with an ambulance and ends with a zippercar, is shaped like Lowly

Worm's applemobile.




... Read more

Reviews (4)

This will be my second copy!
My son (17.5 months) loves this book so much he's completely worn it out. We've taped it with clear packing tape several times, but by now even the tape that's taping the tape needs to be retaped, so it's time for a new copy. This is his stroller book--he *must* read this book while riding in the stroller, pointing at all the pictures and exclaiming "truck!" over and over again. Or turning to the fire truck and making a siren noise, or saying "pickle!" at the pickle car.

*I* love this book because it's just silly. It puts real-life vehicles (like fire engines) and puts them on the page next to vehicles that don't exist (like a peanut car).

This is such a must-have book, especially for toddlers obsessed with vehicles. If your child is one of them, then definitely get this book (and Byron Barton's _Trucks_, too).

Excellent book!
My 1-year-old loves this book. She will sit and "read" it to herself. It is a great size for little hands to turn the pages. She also likes to teeth on it! We take it everywhere with us. We are already on our second copy.

My son is mezmorized by the this book.
My 20 month old son has been mezmorized by this book for months now. Typically a book will hold his interest for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. My son can never seem to put this book down. It is ideal for long car trips, traffic jams or fussy days. There is a lot going on in the book so he never seems to get bored.

My four month old loves it!!
I bought this book with the idea of saving it on the shelf until my little one was able to learn his abc's. Before I put in on the shelf I showed it to him and he was fascinated! He loved the pictures. The book is rather small in shape so I was therefore thrilled to see how easy it was for him to hold it all by himself. I now know that this will be a favorite of his for quite some time! ... Read more

Amazon.com

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.) Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever has stood the test of time for more than 25 years and is still a hit with young readers. (Ages 1 to 4) ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Classic
I used to make my mother read to the entire book to me every night- I had it memorized so I even knew when she would try to skip pages! I absolutely love this book and recommend it to anyone who has kids or who knows kids. This is absolutely my favorite childhood book. . .there is none better!

A great book
This collection of nursery rhymes is a classic. It has all the ones I remember as a child and more. The pictures are big and funny. It is so much fun to read. I can hardly wait to read it during story time for my daughter.

DELIGHTFUL
This collection of nursery rhymes and illustrations are a classic.I deeply enjoyed them as a kid and now my children enjoy this as a good read. Truly a delightful book.

Illustrations create wonderful memories
The illustrations in this book make the nursery rhymes entertaining to small children. This book provided me with many hours of joy and wonderful memories when I shared it with my two children. I am now sending it to my son to share with his little girl.

5 children rate this the best ever!
The large sized illustrations, the bright colors and the rhymes themselves all made this book the favorite with our 5 children. We have gone through 2 copies, now reduced to loose pages, and need to order 2 more for new grandchildren (both age 5 months) ... Read more

Book Description

Welcome to Busytown where everyone is on their way to work.TheBusytown grocers stock and sell fresh food;the bankers keep the money safe;the doctors and nurses make sure everyone is healthy; the postal workers collectand deliver letters; the sanitation workers collect trash and recyclables; thelumber workers chop trees to make furniture and houses; and the workers at thedocks, railroads and airports help transport people and freight. But it takeseven morecareers and professions than that to keep this busy town running. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellant for kids
Unfortuantely, Richard Scarry's work sometimes gets criticized as being anti-feminist. As a result, his classic book Busy, Busy, World (my favorite book as a child) is out of print. But, come on ladies, let's move on. Scarry is an extremely talented illustrator that kids love. My daughter insists we read this book every night. So save the feminist rantings for more appropriate targets, and leave Scarry's work alone.

A Wonderful Book
When I was a little girl in the 1980's this was my most favorite book. Today I have a B.S. in Physics with a math minor and a Masters in Physics. Guess all that gender sterotyping didn't work!

This is a wonderful book. I would always look for lowly worm, he's so much better than where's waldo.

Rigid Gender Roles
This book sends a powerful message to little girls about what they can and can't achieve. Unfortunately this book takes no note of the women's movement and all that women have achieved in the last fifty years. Each and every "job" shown in the book upholds rigid gender stereotypes. Every "nurse" is a female animal, every doctor a male animal, every construction worker is represented by a mail, every secretary by a female, right down the line without the slightest variation. It's really a pity Mr. Scary doesn't show a bit of enlightenment on these matters.

Looking for Mr. Frumble
This was a cherished book of my childhood. A few years ago I was out looking for this book for myself. I discovered that the newer versions didn't have the story about a day in the life of Mr. Frumble. This was the highlight of the whole book for me. The one I had as a child has been lost. I figure the original had to be published somewhere between 1970 and 1985. If anyone has a way of getting a hold of this version I would be so thankful. My e-mail address is wjengr@flash.net. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

The Best Bedtime Book!
We received this book as a gift when my 3 year-old son was born. It has been a family favorite ever since, and now we read it to my 1 year-old daughter, who loves the butterflies. No matter how many times we've read it, my husband and I both get misty when Nicholas curls up in his hollow tree!

It's a have to have!
When my 14 year old daughter was little, this was the book she had to have read to her when she went to bed. It was read to her so many times, that by the time she was 3 she had the whole story memorized - and many people thought she could already read! Then, it became the staple for my son. Nine years later, I'm expecting my third child, and have to find a new copy of this book for this baby as it's become a family tradition to read all about Nicholas and his adventures.

Such a GREAT Book!!
I had this book when I was little.. i got it in 1981 (year i was born) and I read it so many times!! I had that book memorized! My copy is sitting in my box of baby stuff.......

My son's first bday just past and I just about cried when I saw this book! He just loves it when i read it to him and pays attention to all the bright pictures!

IT'S A MUST for young children!

newmom
My 5-month-old son received this book as a gift and it is by far his favorite book. The illustrations are absoutely beautiful! He is captivated by the large colorful pages. Forget turning on the tv, read this book to your child instead!

Still remember the pictures after 30-some years!
I was very excited to find out that this book is still in print - I have such vivid and fond memories of this book from my own childhood - of reading it with my Mom but especially gazing at the illustrations. I bought this for my 2.5 year old niece and my friend's 3 year old daughter - both Moms report the girls are captivated by the pictures! ... Read more

Book Description

This truly unique word book for children contains over 700 entries,each telling its own separate and complete little story with a setting, plot,and characters, all in Richard Scarry's playful style.Kids will love followingthe antics of Baby Cat who's always causing mischief,Ma Bear's disastrouscooking adventures, and Mrs. Fishhead's outrageous hats while they learnalphabetical sequence, letter and word recognition, and get practice inspelling.A delightful and hilarious romp for kids and adults alike!, , Forlearning the alphabet, practicing spelling, and building vocabulary, nothingbeats this hilarious word book.It's packed with over 700 entries, each withits own characters, setting, and plot.Kids will read about mischievious BabyCat, Ma Bear's kitchen disasters, Mrs. Fishhead's outrageous hats, and much,much more.... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

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 Scarry book, it also is extremely entertaining for parent and child. We read this one every day by my daughter's request. Such a good book for your collection! ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in full color. Five funny tales featuring Lowly Worm, Huckle Cat, Bananas Gorilla, and the rest of Scarry's memorable menagerie are collected in a sleepytime anthology. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

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.

My son (3 and 1/2) loves these stories, however...
Great stories with great characters, but if you've already purchased "Funniest Stories Ever..." then don't bother with "Bedtime Stories" because "Bedtime..." merely contains a subset of the stories found in "Funniest", with no new material what-so-ever.

This was needless to say rather disappointing to find out, following the online purchase.

Richard Scarry's Bedtime Stories
This is a delightful books for young readers -- it falls in the 4-8 age range, but is probably more appropriate for 3-5 age range. Some of our favorite characters, Lowly, Huckle and friends ease younger sleepers into sleep. It was particularly helpful in lulling to sleep a newly-minted older brother who was eager not to miss any of his new baby's "action." Richard Scarry is wonderful at that! ... Read more

Book Description

It is time for Little Bear to go to bed. But where can he be? Father Bear searches all over the house. Little ones will enjoy being in on the joke as they look at Richard Scarry's colorful pictures. This Little Golden Book Classic is now back in print for a new generation of readers to enjoy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Long Search Finally Ends
I must have read this Little Golden Book book to my daughter over 1000 times. She absolutely loved it as a child. Even though she had memorized the words she insisted on having it read to her every night and she caught me every time I tried to turn two pages at once.

For several years, she had unsuccessfully searched for this book so she could read it to her two sons aged 1 and 3. I was thrilled to see that it was recently re-published and available on Amazon[.com].

The story line involves a baby bear who hides on his father's shoulders when it is time for him to go to bed. The father bear "searches" all over the house for "little bear" who is nowhere to be found. At long last, the father bear looks in a mirror and discovers "little bear" who is perched on his shoulders. A simple story, but one which absolutely fascinated my daughter. ... Read more

Book Description

Poor Bananas Gorilla! He can't find his bananas anywhere!

Kids will delight in helping Bananas Gorilla find his lost bananas somewhere aboard this busy 8-foot-long freight train! Thanks to Richard Scarry's well-loved illustrations, lots of flaps to lift, and a movable crane, this hilarious pull-out book is sure to be a hit with children of all ages.

All aboard! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

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.

Fun -- though not exactly a "book"
This book doesn't have much text but folds out into a VERY long yet sturdy train, with the usual whimsical Richard Scarry illustrations, plus some open the flap surprises. It's fun, but ultimately it doesn't offer as much as, say, "What Do People Do All Day?" or "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go" or other classic Scarry books.

My son's favorite book!
This is my 13 month old son's favorite book. He has worn out the flaps and left teeth marks on his favorite pages. I am ordering a spare copy for him and 2 more for my nephews. The rhyming text and story are as much fun as all of the moving parts! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great delight for daughter.
My 3 year old loves this book. It has been her favourite since she was 18 months old. We've read it to her so many times she can "read" it back to us. ... Read more

Book Description

Early Bird looks and looks, but he can't seem to find a worm to play with. A jumping frog and a tiny field mouse try to help out, but there just aren't any worms to be found. Early Bird is about to give up when he meets a friendly fellow in a funny hat--it's Wiggly Worm! Long out of print, this Richard Scarry classic will delight a whole new audience of readers! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A favorite of mother and son
When my son was born, I immediately began to look for Early Bird, but it seemed to be out of print. Luckily, my mother found my copy and it has become a favorite for a new generation! The simple humor captures the imagination of my son as much as it did mine. Typical of Scarry, there are so many different images to spark discussion. The illustration (pictured in the Amazon entry) of the family eating dinner alone provides endless opportunity to discuss foods, health, nutrition, etc. I HIGHLY recommend this book and I am so happy that it is back in print!

revisiting own childhood
This was one of my favourite books as a young child and I am really pleased to be able to find a copy to give to my own daughter for her 2nd birthday. I think the pictures are great and the book has a good message about making friends. I still get a warm feeling when I think of this book.

Glad It's Back
"Early Bird" by Richard Scarey was my 25 year old son's favorite book as an infant. He delighted in learning the names of the different animals and in the story itself. Now that he's going to be a father I can think of no other book that he would like to treasure and share with his new baby. I am glad that it's back in print so I can send it to him as soon as possible so another generation can enjoy the delights that Early Bird brought him. ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in full color. "Two feet high, this board book is as tall as a toddler. Scarry packs countless pictures of his characters on the wide pages, each perky creature identified by a short word or phrase. Strongly constructed, it's a can't-fail item for small boys and girls."--Publishers Weekly. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great gift!
I first found this book at the library, then had to have it for home. My children love to look at it-even the littlest would crawl over to sit on it. I've bought it as a gift for more children than I can count!!

Outstanding for all ages!
This is the greatest book! I have taught 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade and have always had this book in my classroom. It is great for vocabulary building and just a fun way to get kids interested in books. My students of all ages gave it lots of wear, and it is still in good shape for my son to enjoy. He is now 18 months and ever since he was about 9 months has loved to sit on it and pat the pictures and now he is starting to name different things. It's really unique because of it's giant size (about 1.5'X2') and thick cardboard pages. I think it is well worth the price for the amout of enjoyment and wear you will get out of it! What a great gift too.

A great gift!
My husband has 7 godchildren, and this book is one of the "standard" gifts that we send to them. They love the BIG size--the book is usually bigger than them, and the size makes it an extra-fun gift to receive. Naturally, the kids also love all of the Richard Scarry details on each page!

best first book.....ever
my son got this book when he was about 9 monthes old and spent hours sitting inside it looking at the pictures and by a year old could point to everything in every picture when asked to identify them. all of the richard scarry books were the greatest books for building an extensive vocabulary in him. now, at nine years, he never stops talking.

When he says big, he means BIG!
This is a great book for toddlers and preschoolers, it's as big as they are and chock full of Scarry's signature illustrations. Even though this book is tall, it is very thin and slides behind a toychest or headboard easily. ... Read more