Richard Scarry (1919-1994)

Richard Scarry is one of the world’s most beloved children’s authors. Generations of children have grown up captivated by his books, which overflow with the colorful details of everyday life. No other illustrator has demonstrated such a keen interest in the words and concepts relevant to early childhood. (When asked his age, Scarry would playfully hold up one hand and say, “five!”)

Born in 1919, Richard Scarry was raised and educated in Boston, Massachusetts. After five years drawing maps and designing graphics for the US Army, he moved to New York to begin a career in commercial art. His work found its perfect home when he showed his portfolio to an editor at Golden Books. Initially, Scarry was assigned to illustrate Little Golden Books featuring popular characters like Winky Dink, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Smokey the Bear. He later went on to create his own original characters, including Lowly Worm and Huckle Cat, after first illustrating the iconic classic I Am a Bunny, featuring the young rabbit Nicholas.

Throughout his distinguished career, Richard Scarry illustrated over 150 books, many of which have remained continuously in print. His books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and are currently published in over twenty languages. Richard Scarry Jr., also an illustrator, continues his father’s legacy today under the name Huck Scarry. Richard Scarry passed away at his home in Gstaad, Switzerland, in 1994. In 2012, he was posthumously honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Illustrators.

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