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Books › What Do People Do All Day?

Cover of What Do People Do All Day?

What Do People Do All Day?

Richard Scarry

95 pages

A welcoming, highly visual stroll through a bustling animal town where everyone has a job to do.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like taking a leisurely, sunlit walk through a bustling, cheerful community where every animal has a purpose. The mood is incredibly cozy and industrious, anchored by a welcoming tone that invites young readers to observe the daily routines of townspeople, from grocers and mayors to road engineers and doctors. Because it is a pictorial work, the experience is highly visual, with simple, direct text serving as a friendly guide to the busy scenes. The emotional arc is gentle and reassuring, emphasizing cooperation, hard work, and the idea that even children can be helpful workers. It is a delightful, engaging read for young children and caregivers who want to explore the interconnected roles that make a town thrive.

Mood
  • cozy
  • industrious
  • bustling
Tone
  • earnest
  • educational
  • welcoming
  • cheerful
Pace
leisurely
Themes
community cooperation · daily occupations · family roles · civic participation
The writing
Simple, direct, and highly descriptive, designed to accompany and explain detailed pictorial works for children.
The arc
A gentle exploration of a bustling community that instills a reassuring sense of belonging and helpfulness.
Who it's for
Young children and their caregivers looking for an engaging, highly visual introduction to jobs, community roles, and helping out.

About the book

INSIDE FRONT COVER is labeled with numeral 2 on the lower left corner. Top of page text reads, "Welcome to Busytown. We all live in Busytown and we are all workers. We work hard so that there will be enough food and house and clothing for our families.".

Following the above text, are drawings of characters in work apparel with their names beneath each are organized by Job Type and/or Animal Family, and appear in the following order. Words shown below in parenthesis are my notations.

Mortimer (mouse) Mayor Fox (holding a sign that reads, "Welcome to Busytown") Farmer Alfalfa (goat) Grocer Cat (calico male cat [identified by wearing pants]) Mother (calico female cat [identified by wearing a dress]) Huckle (calico cat) Captain Salty (calico cat) Lookout Louie (mouse) King Coal (beaver, identified by 2 large front teeth) Captain Reddy, the pilot (not sure what animal?) Sarah (cat) Able Baker Charlie (mouse) Chief Road Engineer (brown bear) Mother (brown bear) Betsy (girl brown bear) Grandma (brown bear) Bugdozer (small green/white bug sitting on a small bulldozer machine)

FACE PAGE is labeled with numeral 3 on the lower right covern. Top of page text reads, "Children are workers, too. Many children are helper workers. Are you a helper?". The following characters are on this page. Words in parenthesis are my notations.

Nurse Nell (cat) Doctor Lion Stitches (bunny holding a tape measure) Blacksmith Fox Daddy Pig (dressed as a house painter) Mommy (pig using a vacuum) Harry (pig holding a floor mop) Sally (pig drying a dish) Mommy Stitches (bunny w/baby bunny) Abby (bunny) Lowly Worm (wearing a red hat) Wild Bill Hiccup (raccoon dressed as a Native American) Following are drawings of Firemen pigs: Smokey, Sparky, Snozzle Sawdust, the carpenter (cat holding a hammer and ladder) Zip, the postman (raccoon with mail bag full of letters) Sergeant Murphy (brown bear wearing a white helmut and blue uniform with 3 yellow sergeant strips on arm; he's stitting on a red motorcycle.

Text at bottom of this page reads: "Come! Let us see the many different workers working at their jobs."

Description from Open Library.

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