Richard Scarry's What Do People Do all Day? {5 Days of Picture Books}

With Covid-19 stay home policies enacted globaly many young families have found themselves indoors. This in turn has inspired me to share some of my favourite picture books with you.  Please take heart, Quarantine-schooling is not the norm for homeschooling families either.

Today I would like to introduce Richard Scarry to you.  His books are full of hidden treasures and your children will spend hours combing through his gorgeous books.

What Do People Do All Day ?

• For ages 0-5
• Format Paperback | 64 pages
• Dimensions 220 x 280 x 5mm | 280g
• Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
• Language English
• Illustrations note chiefly col. Illustrations
• ISBN10 0007353693
• ISBN13 9780007353699

This book was first published over 50 years ago and is still loved by children all over the world.  It's currently got a best sellers rank of 729! Every single page is full of things to discover.

From Book Depository: "Everyone is busy in Busytown - from train drivers to doctors, from mothers to sailors, in police stations and on fire engines. Follow lots of busy people working through their busy days! Captain Salty and his crew are getting ready to go on a voyage; Doctor Lion is busy at the hospital; Sergeant Murphy is working hard to keep things safe and peaceful; and engineers are building new roads. Packed full of activity and funny details to discover, this celebration of Busytown and its inhabitants will keep curious minds occupied for hours on end!"

Here are a couple of other titles by Richard Scarry we have enjoyed over the years:

• Richard Scarry's Please and Thank You Book - The animal residents of Busytown learn useful lessons about manners, thoughtfulness, and caring
• Richard Scarry's Bedtime Stories - Five funny tales featuring Lowly Worm, Huckle Cat,
  Bananas Gorilla, and the rest of Scarry's memorable menagerie are collected in
  a sleepytime anthology.
• The Best Little Word Book Ever!  - Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, and their Busytown friends star in "Richard Scarry's Best Little Word Book Ever!" Illustrated in Scarry's signature style, it offers over two hundred names for objects both familiar and new, grouped by subject, theme, and setting. This book is perfect for reinforcing a child's knowledge of the world and further expanding his or her universe.
• Good Night, Little Bear  - First a story, and then a kiss from Mother Bear, and Father Bear carries Little Bear to bed. And that's when the fun begins...
• Richard Scarry's Cars And Trucks  - Tweet! goes the policeman's whistle. All the trucks stop. The beloved Richard Scarry gives readers an exciting array of vehicles in this classic Little Golden Book from 1959.
• Richard Scarry's Postman Pig And His Busy Neighbors  - Join Richard Scarry's beloved Postman Pig for a day of discovery and adventure! With deliveries to the police station, the doctor's office, the library, and many more, young readers will see how those in their communities go about the day.
• Richard Scarry's The Country Mouse and the City Mouse  - Featuring The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, The Fox and the Crow, and The Dog and His Bone. 

Do you have any fabulous children's authors of picture books to recommend?

Blessings
Chareen

Mike Mulligan and More A Virginai Lee Burton Treasury {5 Days of Picture Books}

Before I started on my home school journey I visited many homeschooling families to see what they were using.  After many months I settled on using Sonlight Curriculum to begin our journey.  Over the years I have used many different curriculum options however we've always seemed to migrate back to my first option.  When Nathaniel was little we used the pre-school package from Sonlight and in this package we received Mike Mulligan and More A Virginai Lee Burton Treasury.

This is one of the most beautiful picture book compendiums I own. I loved reading these stories over and over and over again. The pictures are gorgeous and the characters are lovely. Each charater brings honour to living a simple life with integrity. Each hero exhibits determination and a graceful adaptation to the changes life brings their way.   Each story in this treasury is complete and unabridged.

• For ages 0-5
• Format Hardback | 208 pages
• Dimensions 216 x 238 x 16mm | 1,016.05g
• Publication date 28 Oct 2002
• Publisher HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
• Language English
• Illustrations note Illustrations, unspecified
• ISBN10 061825627X
• ISBN13 9780618256273 

Books in the Treasury

The Little House was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1943.
From Book Depository: "The Little House, a poignant story of a cute country cottage that becomes engulfed by the city that grows up around it. The house has an expressive face of windows and doors, and even the feelings of a person, so she's sad when she's surrounded by the dirty, noisy city's hustle and bustle: "She missed the field of daisies / and the apple trees dancing in the moonlight." Fortunately, there's a happy ending, as the house is taken back to the country where she belongs."

 Maybelle the Cable Car is based on actual historical events in San Francisco.  It chronicals the city's efforts to keep the cable cars running.  The story shows how the voice fo the people can be heard in the true spirit of democracy to achieve good things.

Katy and the Big Snow illustrates how important even the smallest jobs really are.
From Book Depository: "Katy, a brave and untiring tractor, who pushes a bulldozer in the summer and a snowplow in the winter, makes it possible for the townspeople to do their jobs. In this enduring winter favorite from the Caldecott Medal winner Burton, Katy the snowplow finally gets her chance to shine when a blizzard blankets the city and everyone is relying on Katy to help dig out. Children love sharing Katy's shining moment of glory and will inevitably admire her "chug, chug, chug" endurance."

 Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel 
From Amazon: "Mike and his trusty steam shovel, Mary Anne, dig deep canals for boats to travel through, cut mountain passes for trains, and hollow out cellars for city skyscrapers -- the very symbol of industrial America. But with progress come new machines, and soon the inseparable duo are out of work. Mike believes that Mary Anne can dig as much in a day as one hundred men can dig in a week, and the two have one last chance to prove it and save Mary Anne from the scrap heap. What happens next in the small town of Popperville is a testament to their friendship, and to old-fashioned hard work and ingenuity."

Do you have a picture book author who has impacted your home or childhood to recommend?

My Nest is Best {5 Days of Picture Books}

I've been contemplating the "Stay Home Stay Safe" mantra that is currently our social norm. One of the things I've come to realise is that I have had the privledge of staying home for the last three decades.  My home is my haven and I love to be here.  However this isolation is NOT our normal.  I am missing my home educating friends and their famlies. I am missing my family.  I am missing my community.  However I am greatful for the blessings that I do have.    Dwelling on what I don't have is not healthy.  We are created to think and meditate on the good things we do have and as such it's time to start listing the positives of the Stay Home Mandate we are living through.

Yesterday I shared five picture books to read out loud.  Today I'd like to share one of my favourites:  My Nest is Best by P.D. Eastman.

{Please note that the links below to Book Depository are affiliate links.  You will not pay more for the books however I will receive a commision should you choose to purchase a book from them} 

My Nest is Best 

• For ages 0-5
• Format Board book | 14 pages
• Dimensions 150.88 x 212.85 x 14.48mm | 244.94g
• Publication date 24 May 2005
• Publisher Random House USA Inc
• Imprint Random House Books for Young Readers
• Language English
• Illustrations note Colour Illustrations
• ISBN10 037583267X
• ISBN13 9780375832673 

About PD Eastman

• He is an author/illustrator of children's books
• Trained at the National Academy of Design
• Sold more than 30 million books
• Was in the army with Theodor Geisel who became known as Dr. Seuss

Other Titles by PD Eastman

• Are You My Mother?
• Go, Dog. Go!
• The Best Nest
• Sam and the Firefly
• Red, Stop! Green, Go! 
• Flap Your Wings 
• Big Dog . . . Little Dog 
• The Alphabet Book 
• Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary 

Do you have a favourite picture book Author?