Ruby loves her Richard Scarry books, and they’re among a very few books that she specifically asks for. Looking at these books doesn’t quite count as reading a story, because each jumbo page is so packed with activity that we tend to stay put exploring a single spread for ten minutes or so rather than making our way through the book, but I’m happy to return every night to Richard Scarry’s BEST FIRST BOOK EVER! or BEST WORD BOOK EVER because:
1. He has no qualms about featuring pigs as butchers.
2. Chaos is integrated into everyday life.
3. Don’t tell me Mommy Cat’s not pouring herself a paper cup of burgundy.
4. And is that an ashtray?
5. He respects, or at least recognizes, the work of both nurses and mothers. In this delicious article (which hopefully was sent by multiple friends and family members to every ICU employee because of the recognition it gives to their hard work), Tim Kreider wrote, “if your job wasn’t performed by a cat or a boa constrictor in a Richard Scarry book I’m not sure I believe it’s necessary.” Amen.
SOFT SCIENCE Notes from Kristen McConnell 
My boys always loved Richard Scarry books too. We had one that was looked at so often it fell into pieces. Their favorite thing was to find Gold Bug in the illustrations. Sometimes that little booger was really hard to find.