Find the Pickle Truck

Content: Richard Scarry

Introduction: In high school, my friend Tim was torn between music classes and automotive repair classes. He had interest in both, and really struggled trying to figure out which one he wanted to concentrate on. When Mr. Dugal, our music teacher, saw Tim’s angst over these decisions, he jokingly asked Tim “Why do you want to take these car classes? You can’t find the pickle truck on your own?” This was an obvious reference to Richard Scarry’s extensive bookshelf of Busy Town volumes, which asks young readers to follow a simple story through wonderful drawings of anthropomorphic animals driving trucks and cars. A recurring theme is that readers are asked to find Goldbug (a tiny gold bug driving a tiny gold car), hence Dugal’s typically witty question.

Dream’s Age at Introduction: 1

Reason for That Age: There is nothing even remotely objectionable in Richard Scarry’s books… unless you somehow think that he racially profiles because it’s always cats getting pulled over by the cops. But there is enough narrative and details that it is lost on really small children. I’m not even certain that 1 is old enough, but I think that Dream will be able to grow with them: peering with fascination at the colored drawings when he or she is 1; listening intently to the stories at age 2; and maybe finding Goldbug at age 3. I suspect that Scarry’s books are more popular among boys because of the prevalence of cars and trucks, but the drawings are delightfully whimsical and will be loved by any child.

What I Want Dream to Get Out of It: At that age, I’d like Dream to gain a greater appreciation of books. Ideally, I’d love the child to think back to his or her Richard Scarry books as the beginning of a life time of loving books, similar to his father. I also hope the books are another opportunity for Dream and me to sit down and interact with books over milk and cookies, to lay the ground work to sit and discuss longer books over scotch and soda.

Be content,
John