Picture Books We Love: What Do People Do All Day?

The condition of our copy of What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry evidences that is has been well-loved and read often!  We haven't lost any pages of the book yet, but they have had a falling out with the binding!

This book describes many different occupations in Busytown and how they are interrelated.  The book begins with an explanation of how everyone is a worker and basic economics.  Farmer Alfalfa grows food and sells some to Grocer Cat.  Farmer Alfalfa then uses that money to buy a new suit from Stitches the Tailor, a new tractor from Blacksmith Fox, and some other presents.  The rest he deposits in the bank.  Stitches the Tailor, Blacksmith Fox, and Grocer Cat then use the money they earned to buy a few things they need now and deposit the rest in the bank to save for later.  I think Dave Ramsey would approve:)

Other topics included in this book are: 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, my favorite, Where Bread Comes From. 

We have on occasion read this book from cover to cover.  We have also read one or more sections at a time.  The girls have really enjoyed the illustrations, which are comical yet educational.  For example, the illustrations depict plumbing and ducting inside a house, the operations of a flour mill and a sawmill and even the inner workings of a ship's engine!  We especially enjoy trying to find Lowly Worm on each page!  Of course, it certainly has helped their interest levels that the residents of Busytown include many different kinds of animals: cats, lions, pigs, rabbits, foxes and more.

The girls are particularly fond of A Visit to the Hospital where Abby goes to the hospital to have her tonsils taken out and comes home with a brand new baby brother!