It’s been many decades since I perused the field in detail. There was a time when I used to love Richard Scarry books. Of course, these days many of the busy jobs have been replaced by AI or undone by gig technocorps. But which modern authors are kinda sorta close? Someone must have tried to copy a successful product?
Richard “Huck” Scarry has been creating books in his father’s style.
Maybe. It was thinking like subject matter rather than characters, though. Like “the world of work”. Still, a nice family tradition, and I thank you for sharing that.
I loved Richard Scarry. Construction, ships, cites, it was the coolest to see how things worked. It is a shame pigs don’t drive wienermobiles in real life.
“A Frightened parking meter”
Like this?
I learned how to read from those books! Every object had its name next to it.
There’s a guy who does cross-sections of ships and castles and things. Not exactly the same. Might have the level of detail, but not the stories or characters. Does anyone?
David Macaulay
But you’re right about no stories or plot lines. Also, for a much older audience.
Or maybe you’re thinking of Stephen Biesty?
A quick Google turns up sites like “71 Books Like Richard Scarry” which, on the face of it, seem nothing like.
However, stumbled on this cool thing on how the books have been subtlety updated over time (by the original author).
Beyond children’s books, there’s a clear Richard Scarry influence on display in Zootopia and Bojack Horseman.
I don’t know - the one thing about Scarry that stands out is the very generic-European niceness of it all (kind of like old-school Lego City too). Neither of those properties have that quality to them (neither does Lego City anymore, it’s all bank heists and car chases now).
There’s not really any other modern kid’s illustrator in that vein. Axel Scheffler is, I’d say, the current rock star illustrator, and he’s not quite the same.
Do they still make new Usborne books?
Yes, I think so.
I just read my kids the originals. Both the BusyTown ones (Huckle, Lowly Worm, etc…) and some of the Little Golden Books and especially “Hop Aboard, Here We Go”, which was clearly him, but had Roger and Flip (a kid and a dog) as the protagonists.
And FWIW, Mr. Frumble and Rudolph Von Flugel never go out of style for little kids. I remember thinking they were really funny as a little boy, and my kids thought they were hilarious as well. Finding Gold Bug is a treasured pastime as well.
I forget who some of those people are, but recall looking for the bug fondly.
Sandra Boynton for just “nice funny pictures of animals” books.
Julia Donaldson (of “The Gruffalo” fame) for actual stories.
And the aforementioned Usborne books for “big two-page spreads featuring vocabulary words”.
ETA: Mind you, nobody else but Scarry could have written “Schtoompah the Funny Austrian”.
I bought one of these play map carpets earlier this season and thought the same.
Sandra Boynton was what I was going to say too.
Good one! Also Mo Willems (who even borrowed part of a Richard Scarry title for his third “Pigeon” book).