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Richard Scarry's Best Christmas Book Ever! was first published in 1981 and it's great to see this delightful Christmas book for children back in print. Children's books by Richard Scarry have delighted several generations of young children. This Christmas book for children features Scarry's popular Busytown and its anthropomorphic animal inhabitants who include Lowly Worm, Farmer Pig and Mrs. Cat.

Richard Scarry's Best Christmas Book Ever!: An Overview

Richard Scarry's Best Christmas Book Ever! has a lot to offer. It includes the words and music for two Christmas songs, Jingle Bells and Silent Night, numerous two- to four-page stories about preparations for Christmas in Busytown, a Christmas board game called A Visit to Grandma's House, a Christmas craft - pomander balls - and an illustrated double-page spread featuring Christmas words.

The Busytown Christmas Stories by Richard Scarry

The best thing about Richard Scarry's Best Christmas Book Ever! are his wonderful illustrations and entertaining Christmas stories about the residents of Busytown. Each story is illustrated with multiple sketches, done in colored pencil and watercolors. Unlike many picture books in which there is a page of text facing a page with one large illustration, Scarry's stories intermingle illustrations with text so you often find a colorful, detailed sketch to the left or right of each paragraph on every page.
Because of all of the details in the illustrations, kids love to hear the stories again and again, discovering something new each time.

Most of the stories are humorous and laugh-out-loud silly; some are also heartwarming, stressing kindness and community. They include stories about such holiday activities as decorating Busytown for Christmas, as well as stories about Santa Claus and about individual residents of Busytown.

Richard Scarry: Author and Illustrator

In 1949, Richard Scarry began his career in children's books with the publication of Two Little Miners for Little Golden Books. While Richard Scarry died in 1994, his books continue to delight children and adults alike. According to his publisher, "Richard Scarry has contributed over three hundred books to children an adults everywhere, a body of work that has sold more than two hundred million copies in thirty languages."

Richard Scarry's Best Christmas Book Ever!: My Recommendation

If you are looking for a Christmas book about the religious aspects of Christmas, this isn't it. However, if you are looking for an entertaining children's Christmas book that will engage your children's interest and that stresses caring for others and kindness, as well as celebrating the absurd, Richard Scarry's Best Christmas Book Ever! is the book you need. I not only recommend Richard Scarry's Best Christmas Book Ever! for children ages 3 to 6, I also recommend his other children's books about Busytown. I know from firsthand experience how much children enjoy the books and how much fun it is to discover all the little details in the illustrations. (Sterling, 2010. ISBN: 9781402772184)