Richard Scarry’s picture books have enchanted children for decades with their endearing animal characters, warm watercolor hues, action-packed layouts, and winning blend of learning and fun. Librarians need no longer sigh over the dog-eared, grimy condition of the much-circulated volumes penned by this perennially popular author/illustrator, since Sterling has reissued a series of his titles that have been out of print or out of stock since the mid-to-late 1980s. According to Bill Luckey, Sterling’s Children’s Editor, these new editions are part of a reissue program that has been ongoing for the past three years: “It’s been my dream for many years to unearth and republish great, timeless American children’s classics originally published between the 1950s and the 1980s. There are so many wonderful books published during these decades that for a variety of reasons have gone out of print and are becoming lost to our collective memory.” Sterling began with new editions of several titles by Gyo Fujikawa, whom Luckey refers to as “…a most fascinating and creative force. It was not until she was fifty years old that she illustrated her first book (Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses). After the success of this book she continued to illustrate and in many cases write and illustrate books for the next thirty years. Sterling now has eight titles in print with more to follow. The success surrounding these reissues suggested that new generations of parents and children will find the same instant appeal in selectively chosen books published many years ago. We’ve been continually expanding and adding to this classics program with the most well-known and beloved books of a number of great authors and illustrators.” According to Luckey, the company has been pleased with the reaction to the re-issuing of Scarry’s works: “Our first list featured a new edition of Richard Scarry’s Great Big Schoolhouse [originally published in 1969] with endpaper art added and a spine designed like a ruler. We’ve also included a wonderful alphabet poster printed on the flip side of the book jacket that is perfect for classroom or library use. We created board-book editions of four of Scarry’s early concepts books since this material seemed perfect for very young children. Subsequently, we issued a new edition of my personal favorite Scarry title, Peasant Pig and the Terrible Dragon [1980, both Random House], Scarry’s fractured fairy tale featuring knights on horseback, jugglers and wandering minstrels, a lowly worm, an intrepid peasant, a beautiful princess and a frightening dragon. Scarry is at his storytelling best in this madcap medieval adventure for the young and young at heart.” Much care went into the design and production of the new editions. Luckey states: “…the first thing to note is that we see as critical the need to maintain all the joy, humor and fun learning that have continued the appeal of Scarry’s work from one generation to the next. Parents and grandparents know and love his work and our ongoing success relies on their continued familiarity and trust.” “Unfortunately, original art no longer exists for most of Scarry’s work. In re-issuing this entire line we have worked closely with a single color separator to reproduce art as closely as possible to the artist’s palette but at the same time enhance the print quality as much as possible. In an attempt to give a cleaner, more modern look to the cover and jacket designs we have featured white backgrounds and hand-lettered titling treatment on all our editions. The books are printed on uncoated, bright white paper and this change has made the illustrations truly stand out.” Luckey comments on the continued appeal of these titles for today’s readers: “Scarry’s over 300 books, which have sold over 200 million copies and been translated into 30 languages, always reflected his own curiosity about the world. ‘Wherever I go, I’m watching,’ he liked to say. ‘Even on vacation, when I’m in an airport or a railroad station, I look around, snap pictures, and find out how people do things.’ In relating his discoveries to children, he expanded not only their vocabularies, but their understanding of the ‘busy world’ as a social community in which people work, play, cooperate and share. Scarry considered himself above all else a fun-man disguised as an educator. ‘Everything has an educational value if you look for it. But it’s the fun I want to get across.’ I think that this is Scarry’s greatest legacy.  He succeeded in creating a world in which everyone learns and they do so with a smile.” Librarians can go to Sterling's Web site to view the complete Scarry list and Richard Scarry’s Best Christmas Book Ever will be published next year. As part of a promotion celebrating the author’s 90th birthday, Sterling has also posted a dedicated page that includes biographical information, downloadable activities, a look at popular Scarry characters, and reader remembrances.

Publication Information

SCARRY, Richard. Richard Scarry’s Great Big Schoolhouse. illus. by author. 2008. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-4027-5820-1. _____. Richard Scarry’s Colors. 2008. $6.95. ISBN 978-1-4027-6233-8. _____. Richard Scarry’s From 1 to 10. 2008. $6.95. ISBN 978-1-4027-5821-8. _____. Richard Scarry’s Shapes & Opposites. 2008. $6.95. ISBN 978-1-4027-6235-2. _____. Richard Scarry’s This Is Me. 2008. $6.95. ISBN 978-1-4027-6234-5. _____. Richard Scarry’s Peasant Pig and the Terrible Dragon. 2009. $12.95. ISBN 978-1-4027-6295-6. Ea vol: illus by author. BD. Sterling.