Richard McClure Scarry (; June 5, 1919 – April 30, 1994) was an American
children's author and
illustrator
An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...
who published over 300 books with total sales of over 100 million worldwide.
He is best known for his ''Best Ever'' book series that take place primarily in the fictional town of
Busytown, "which is populated by friendly and helpful resident
nimals...such asMr. Frumble, Huckle Cat, Mr. Fixit, Lowly Worm, and others..."
The series spawned a media franchise.
Early life and education
Scarry was born in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
to Mary McClure and John Scarry Sr., who were of Irish-American ancestry and ran a small department store chain.
Scarry had four siblings: older brother John Jr., younger sister Barbara, and younger brothers Edward and Leo.
[1940 U.S. Census, familysearch.com] The family enjoyed a comfortable life at their 32 Melville Avenue home in the
Dorchester neighborhood,
even during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
.
Following high school, Scarry enrolled in
Boston Business School, but dropped out in 1938.
He then studied at the
School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the
Archipenko Art School in
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, New York, Kingston. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The popula ...
, and the
Eliot O'Hara Watercolor School in
Goose Rocks,
Kennebunkport, Maine, before being
drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942.
Career
After entering the Army, Scarry was assigned to the military's radio repair school. After small success at that trade, he was chosen to paint a large sign and was then made an art director after receiving a medical dispensation "from strenuous physical activity." Later he became "Editor and Writer of Publications for the Information and Morale Services Section of the Allied Force Headquarters", served in North Africa, and was discharged from the Army in 1946.
After the war, Scarry worked in magazine and advertising in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, including a very brief stint at ''
Vogue''. In 1949, he made a career breakthrough with
Little Golden Books.
Scarry's most famous series of books was about
Busytown and revolved around
anthropomorphic animals. While his books are largely populated by common animal species, he proved to be quite adept at giving human characteristics to a seemingly endless number of creatures, machines, and creations. Many of his later illustrations feature characters in traditional Swiss clothing and show architecturally correct drawings of
half-timber houses.
Scarry was a disciplined worker.
Scarry was closely associated with mass-market children's publisher Ole Risom. They worked together on dozens of books, including ''I Am a Bunny'', which Risom wrote and Scarry illustrated. First published in 1963, it remained in print into the 2000s. Risom and Walter Retan also co-wrote an illustrated biography, ''The Busy, Busy World of Richard Scarry''. In the 1980s and 1990s, many of Scarry's ''Best Ever'' books were produced as animated videos and aired during
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
's now-defunct ''
Ready Set Learn!'' block. The Busytown books were also adapted into an animated series, ''
The Busy World of Richard Scarry'', which was produced by Canada-based CINAR (now
WildBrain
WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production company, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of Children's tel ...
) and
Paramount Television
The first incarnation of Paramount Television was operated as the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, until it changed its name to CBS Paramount Television on January 17, 2006.
History
Desilu Pro ...
and aired on the pay-TV channel
Showtime from 1993 to 1997. It reran in the late 1990s on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
and its sister channel Noggin (now the
Nick Jr. Channel). A further animated series, ''
Busytown Mysteries'', was commissioned by
CBC CBC may refer to:
Media
* Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico
* Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster
** CBC Television
** CBC Radio One
** CBC Music
** ...
from the Cookie Jar Group (the successor to CINAR) in 2007, and it aired on the
Kids' CBC morning program block.
Busytown was featured at the
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is a nonprofit organization that operates four museums in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The organization is headquartered in the Carnegie Institute and Library complex in the Oakland neighborhood of Pitts ...
from June 13 to September 8, 2002, in an interactive exhibit, ''Richard Scarry's Busytown''.
His books were popular with children throughout the world, with over 100 million copies sold.
Scarry's papers and drawings are collected in the
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
archives.
Personal life and family
While working as a freelance illustrator, Scarry met Patricia "Patsy" Murphy, a writer of children's textbooks, when they collaborated on one such book, and they married in 1948.
She is credited with writing many of the stories in his subsequent children's books, such as ''Good Night, Little Bear'', ''The Bunny Book'', and ''The Fishing Cat''. Before moving to Europe, the family lived on a farm in
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is an affluent New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains and on the New York state border, Ridgefield had a population o ...
.
In 1972, Scarry and his wife moved to
Lausanne
Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
, Switzerland, and in 1974 bought a
chalet
A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-su ...
in nearby
Gstaad
Gstaad ( , ) is a town in the German language, German-speaking section of the Canton of Bern in southwestern Switzerland. It is part of the municipality of Saanen and is known as a major ski resort and a popular destination amongst high society ...
, where Scarry enjoyed spending time with his adult son, Richard Scarry Jr., skiing, coin collecting, and sailing.
[
Scarry's son is also an illustrator, who sometimes works under the name Huck Scarry in his father's style. He moved to Vienna, Austria, and has four children.][
]
Death
On April 30, 1994, in Gstaad, Switzerland, Scarry died of a heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
, caused by complications from esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...
, at age 74.
Bibliography
Scarry began his book career in 1949 as an illustrator of books by other people, specifically Kathryn & Byron Jackson's ''Mouse's House''. He continued as only or primarily an illustrator through 1955, then began turning out original books.
His titles, in order of publication, are:[
Golden Books
* ''Mouse's House'', 1949
* ''Duck and His Friends'', 1949
* ''Two Little Miners'', 1949
* ''My Little Golden Dictionary'', 1949
* ''Christopher Bunny and Other Animal Stories'', 1949
* ''First Book Ever'', 1950
* ''Animals' Merry Christmas'', 1950
* ''Here Comes the Parade'', 1951
* ''The Gingerbread Man'', 1953
* ''Rabbit and His Friends'', 1954
* ''The Party Pig'', 1954
* ''Pierre Bear'', 1954
* ''The Bunny Book'', 1955
* ''Nursery Tales'', 1958
* ''Cars and Trucks'', 1959
* ''Firemen and Fire Engine Stamps'', 1959
* ''Naughty Bunny'', 1959
* '']Tinker and Tanker
''Tinker and Tanker'' is a children's book series written and illustrated by Richard Scarry, and published in the U.S. by Doubleday from 1960 to 1963.
Overview
The title characters live in a place called Tootletown. Upon the first book's relea ...
'' (), 1960
* ''Just for Fun'' (), 1960
* ''Chicken Little'', 1960
* ''Tinker and Tanker Out West'', 1961
* ''Tinker and Tanker and Their Space Ship'', 1961
* ''Tinker and Tanker and the Pirates'', 1961
* ''Good Night, Little Bear'', 1961
* ''The Country Mouse and The City Mouse'', 1961
* ''The Hickory Dickory Clock Book'', 1961
* ''Tommy Visits the Doctor'', 1962
* ''My Little Golden Book of Manners'', 1962
* ''Manners'', 1962
* ''What Animals Do'', 1963
* ''A Tinker and Tanker Coloring Book'', 1963
* ''I Am a Bunny'' (), 1963
* ''Chipmunk's ABC'', 1963
* ''The Rooster Struts'', 1963
* '' Best Word Book Ever'' (), first published 1963, reprinted 1970, "new revised edition" 1980
* ''Tinker and Tanker, Knights of the Round Table'', 1963
* ''Tinker and Tanker in Africa'', 1963
* ''Polite Elephant'', 1964
* ''Is This the House of Mistress Mouse?'' (), 1964
* ''Feed the Hippo His ABC's'', 1964
* ''Animal Mother Goose'', 1964
* ''Best Nursery Rhymes Ever'', 1964 (reprinted as ''Best Mother Goose Ever'')
* ''Busy, Busy World'', 1965
* ''Teeny Tiny Tales'', 1965
* ''The Santa Claus Book'', 1965
* ''The Bunny Book'', 1965
* ''Storybook Dictionary: A Giant Golden Book'', 1966 (reprinted as ''Best Picture Dictionary Ever'')
* ''Planes'', 1967
* ''Trains'', 1967
* ''Boats'' (), 1967
* ''Cars'', 1967
* ''Egg in the Hole Book'', 1967
* ''Springtime Tales'', 1967
* ''Autumn Tales'', 1967
* ''Winter Tales'', 1967
* ''Best Story Book Ever'' (), 1967
* ''What Do People Do All Day?'' (), 1968
* ''The Early Bird/Lowly Worm Meets the Early Bird'' (), 1968 (Early Moments)
* ''What Animals Do'', 1968
* ''The Great Pie Robbery'', 1969
* ''The Supermarket Mystery'', 1969
(The above two were combined in the omnibus ''Great Big Mystery Book'' (), also 1969.)
* ''Great Big Schoolhouse'' (), 1969
* ''Summer Tales'', 1970
* ''Great Big Air Book'' (), 1971
* ''Best Stories Ever'', 1971
* ''ABC Word Book'' ( ), 1971
* ''Look and Learn Library'' (4 Vols.) (Library of Congress 75-151-440), 1971
* * ''Fun with Words''
* * ''Things to Know''
* * ''Going Places''
* * ''Best Stories Ever''
* ''Hop Aboard! Here We Go!'' (, ), 1972
* ''Funniest Storybook Ever'' (), 1972
* ''Nicky Goes to the Doctor'', 1972
* ''Silly Stories'', 1973
* ''Babykins and His Family'', 1973
Random House
* ''Find Your ABC's'', 1973
* ''Please and Thank You Book'' (), 1973
* ''Cars and Trucks and Things That Go'' (), 1974
* ''Best Rainy Day Book Ever'', 1974
* ''European Word Book'', 1974
Golden Books
* ''Animal Nursery Tales'' (), 1975
* ''Great Steamboat Mystery'', 1975
* ''Best Counting Book Ever'', 1975
Random House
* ''Busiest People Ever'' (), 1976
* ''Favorite Storybook'', 1976
* ''Busy Town, Busy People'', 1976
* ''Storytime'', 1976
* ''Look-Look Books'', 1976 (10 Vols.)
* ''Early Words'', 1976
* ''Color Book'', 1976
* ''Laugh and Learn Library'', 1976 (4 Vols.)
* ''Picture Dictionary'', 1976
* ''Teeny Tiny ABC'', 1976
* ''Learn to Count'', 1976
* ''Lowly Worm Story Book'', 1977
* ''Busy, Busy Word Book'', 1977
* ''Best Make-It Book Ever'', 1977
* ''Busy-Busy Counting Book'', 1977
* ''Postman Pig and His Busy Neighbors'', 1978
* ''Toy Book'', 1978
* ''Bedtime Stories'', 1978
* ''Stories to Color'', 1978
* ''Little Word Book'', 1978
* ''Punch-Out Toy Book'', 1978
* ''Things to Learn'', 1978
* ''Little ABC'', 1978
* ''Best First Book Ever'', 1979
* ''Tinker and Tanker and Tales of Pirates and Knights'', 1979
* ''To Market, To Market'', 1979
* ''Holiday Book'', 1979
* ''Work and Play Book'', 1979
* ''Mix and Match Storybook'', 1979
* ''Huckle's Book'', 1979
* ''Busytown Pop-Up Book'', 1979
* ''Can You Count?'', 1979
* ''Lowly Worm Things on Wheels'', 1979
* ''Peasant Pig and the Terrible Dragon'' (), 1980
* ''Christmas Mice'', 1981
* ''Best Christmas Book Ever'' (, ), 1981
* ''Busy Houses'', 1981
* ''Four Busy Word Books'', 1982
* ''Busytown Shape Book'', 1982
* ''Sticker Books'', 1982 (3 Vols.)
* ''Lowly Worm Cars and Trucks Book'', 1983
* ''Lowly Worm Bath Book'', 1984
* ''The Best Mistake Ever! and Other Stories'', 1984 (Early Moments)
* ''Best Bumper Book Ever'', 1984
* ''Pig Will and Pig Won't: A Book of Manners'' (), 1984
* ''Busy Fun and Learn Book'', 1984
* ''Biggest Word Book Ever!'' (), 1985
* ''My First Word Book'', 1986
* ''Big and Little'', 1986
* ''Splish Splash Sounds'', 1986
* ''Best Workbooks Ever! (FUN With Letters)'', 1986 (4 Vols.)
* ''Best Workbooks Ever! (FUN With Numbers)'', 1986 (3 Vols.)
* ''Best Music Book Ever'', 1987
* ''Things That Go'', 1987
* ''Things to Love'', 1987
* ''Busy Workers'', 1987
* ''Lowly Worm's Schoolbag'', 1987 (4 Vols.)
* ''Getting Ready for School'', 1987 (4 Vols.)
* ''Going Places on the Water'', 1987 (4 Vols.)
* ''Learning How Sticker Book'', 1988
* ''Giant Coloring Book'', 1988
* ''Busy Busy Sticker Book'', 1988
* ''Best Times Ever'', 1988
* ''Activity Book'', 1988
* ''Best Bedtime Book Ever'', 1988
* ''Best Read and Learn Book Ever'', 1988
* ''Biggest First Book Ever'', 1988
* ''Busy, Busy World'' (), 1988
* ''Dr. Doctor'', 1988
* ''Farmer Patrick Pig'', 1988
* ''Frances Fix-It'', 1988
* ''Harry and Larry the Fishermen'', 1988
* ''Play Day'', 1988
* ''Smokey the Fireman'', 1988
Golden Books
* ''Sniff the Detective'', 1988
* ''All About Cars'', 1989
* ''Best Friend Ever'', 1989
* ''Best Ride Ever'', 1989
* ''Best Two-Minute Stories Ever!'', 1989
* ''Mother Goose Scratch and Sniff Book'', 1989
* ''Best Ever'', 1989
* ''Tinker and Tanker Storybook'', 1989
* ''Welcome to Scarrytown'', 1989
Random House
* ''Best Puzzle Word Book Ever'', 1989
* ''Just Right Word Book'', 1990
* ''Counting Book'', 1990
* ''Be Careful, Mr Frumble'', 1990
* ''Best Read It Yourself Book Ever'', 1990
* ''Best Story Book Ever'', 1991
* ''ABC's'', 1991
* ''Watch Your Step, Mr. Rabbit!'', 1991
* ''Best Busy Year Ever'', 1991
* ''The Cat Family Takes a Trip'', 1991
* ''The Cat Family's Busy Day'', 1991
* ''Mr. Frumble's Worst Day Ever'', 1991
* ''Sergeant Murphy's Busiest Day Ever!'', 1992
* ''Best Fairytales Ever'', 1992
* ''Best Little Word Book Ever'', 1992
* ''Biggest Pop-Up Book Ever!'', 1992
* ''Bananas Gorilla'', 1992
* ''Huckle Cat's Busiest Day Ever'', 1992
* ''Word Book With Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm'', 1992
* ''Mr. Fix-It: Richard Scarry's Smallest Pop-Up Book Ever!'', 1992
* ''Mr. Frumble: Richard Scarry's Smallest Pop-Up Book Ever!'', 1992
* ''Biggest Make-It Book Ever'', 1993
* ''Colors'', 1993
* ''First Words'', 1993
* ''Story Book'', 1993
* ''Pie Rats Ahoy!'', 1994 (Early Moments)
* ''Busy, Busy Town'' (), 1994 (posthumous)
* ''Longest Book Ever!'' (), 1995 (Posthumous)
* ''The Worst Helper Ever!'', 1998 (Posthumous) (Early Moments)
* ''Chuckle with Huckle! and Other Easy-to-Read Funny Stories'', 2005 (posthumous) (Early Moments)
Many of these titles are preceded by his name ("Richard Scarry's ..."), and may be so listed in library and booksellers' databases. Some (''Pie Rats Ahoy!'', ''Best Mistake Ever!'' and ''The Early Bird'') were published under the Beginner Books (Grolier and Early Moments only) imprint, and others (''Chuckle with Huckle! and Other Easy-to-Read Funny Stories'' and ''The Worst Helper Ever'' arly Moments only as Bright and Early Books, although all are targeted at beginning readers. Scarry also illustrated a 1963 edition of ''The Fables of La Fontaine'', and in 1993 put his own stamp on a series of familiar nursery stories (''Little Red Riding Hood'', ''The Little Red Hen'', ''The Three Bears'', ''The Three Little Pigs'').
Stories made to video
Golden Book Videos:
* ''The Gingerbread Man and Other Nursery Stories'' (Golden Book 1985)
* ''Old MacDonald's Farm and Other Animal Tales'' (Golden Book 1986)
* ''Get Ready for School'' (Golden Step Ahead 1986, 1991)
Random House Videos: (by 2006 these were taken out of print)
Richard Scarry's:
* ''Best ABC Video Ever!'' (Random House 1989)
* ''Best Counting Video Ever!'' (Random House 1989)
* ''Best Busy People Video Ever!'' (Random House 1993)
* ''Best Learning Songs Video Ever!'' (Random House 1993)
* ''Best Silly Stories and Songs Video Ever!'' (Random House 1994)
* ''Best Sing-Along Mother Goose Video Ever!'' (Random House 1994)
References
External links
*
A Guide to the Richard Scarry Papers
at the University of Connecticut Archives & Special Collections
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarry, Richard
1919 births
1994 deaths
20th-century American writers
American children's writers
American emigrants to Switzerland
American people of Irish descent
American writers of Irish descent
Artists from Boston
Artists from Connecticut
People from Ridgefield, Connecticut
School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts alumni
United States Army personnel of World War II
United States Army soldiers
Writers from Boston
Writers from Connecticut
Writers who illustrated their own writing
Busytown