Books for Dialogic Reading: Richard Scarry Books

Just about any Richard Scarry book can get children talking. For example, the books What Do People Do All Day and Cars and Trucks and Things That Go contain hundreds of intriguing drawings. The pictures are simple, clear, and usually pretty silly. Characters like Lowly Worm (wearing one shoe!) appear throughout the books. Familiar objects that young children will recognize are used in new ways, like a car made of a corn cob!

There is so much to talk about in these books that we didn’t even try to provide specific CAR suggestions. You can use these books to practice letting the child take the lead. Let the child open the book. Let her turn the pages, and just wait for her to start talking. Then, respond by adding more. If the child doesn’t start talking, let her choose another book! Not every child will fall in love with Richard Scarry’s books. (But many will!)

Many of Richard Scarry’s books are available in Spanish.

Tell us about your favorite books.  Why does this book get children talking?  What do children talk about when they look at the book?