I know Throwback Thursday in the blogging world usually means recycling an older post from your blog, however we’re going to have something a little different here on Thursday’s. For the Book Dads version of Throwback Thursday, one of the Book Dads reviewers or a guest is going to write a short review of a favorite book from their childhood. Today, I’m kicking it off with a brief post about one of my favorite books as a kid: Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever.
Who doesn’t remember this book? I wonder if they’ve kept track of how many copies this has sold…
Anyway, I had a bunch of Richard Scarry books as a kid but this was one of my favorites (or at least one I remember). I loved the pigs and definitely got a kick out of the elephants as well (see photos below).
Originally published in 1963, the book contains over 1,400 labelled pictures and was Richard Scarry’s first book he both authored and illustrated. Despite being published in 1963, the book has stood the test of time thanks to some revisions and edits keeping it a little more gender-friendly. If you notice on the cover of the new editions, the police officer is now a female bear. On the “Work Machines” page there are some more female bears featured driving a bulldozer, tractor scraper and roller. More female representations appear throughout the book now. Not that you can always tell – they are after all, drawings of animals.
My mother got Tessa this book after she was first born. Tessa has generally preferred books she could hold so she really likes the board books we have but she still pulls this off the shelf and looks through it. I’m sure as she gets a little older, this will become well worn from use.
Richard Scarry was my favorite author growing up. I spent hours looking at this books. I am going to recycle an old post from when I celebrated Scarry’s birthday, but I only do this so you can see the pic of my favorite Richard Scarry book from when I was little. My mom still has the book and emailed me the photo.
http://www.happybirthdayauthor.com/2010/05/happy-birthday-richard-scarry-june-5.html
what a great book I loved these books
They were a lot of fun for sure! Cool to pass them onto the next generation as well.
I Loved him too but I Love the Beverly Cleary books as well. I get his now for my son.