This past week Edmund discovered Richard Scarry's book "What Do People Do All Day?" in the back of his closet bookshelf. He refers to it as "People Do All Day," and is more or less obsessed with the book. It's a long book and we have the abridged edition. I'd love to see what the unabridged edition is like. Reading this book is the closest we've come to chapter books. Edmund is especially taken with the "chapter" entitled "The Train Trip." He loves looking at the illustrations of Busytown critters engaged in a variety of antics. Edmund's developing sense of humor is never more evident than when he is looking at one particular picture. In this illustration a pig floats down a river following the hat that has toppled off his head. Edmund laughs uproariously every time we get to this page. I'm hoping years down the road I won't have to send my child to a counselor because he found this pig's misfortune laughable. I suppose I should count my blessings. We haven't reached potty humor yet!
One thing that struck me almost immediately about "What Do People Do All Day?" is how sexist the book is. The copyright date is 1968. Granted I wasn't around in that decade, but I was under the impression this was a time in America's history when feminism was coming to the forefront with a vengeance. In fact, my research on Scarry turned up the fact his wife was also a writer. Thus, I'm taken aback by the lack of female critters in Busytown's workforce. There is the occasional female secretary and nurse, but for the most part the role of women in Busytown is summed up by these two sentences, "Grocer Cat bought a new dress for Mommy. She earned it by taking such good care of the house."(Scarry, pg. 8). And as far as Scarry is concerned, mail carriers and firefighters don't exist. These professions are reserved for the menfolk.
Most of the "chapters" in "What Do People Do All Day?" chronicle "a day in the life" of the creatures of Busytown. The stories still hold up today, save for the lack of women role models. But I don't know what Scarry was thinking when he wrote "A Visit to the Hospital." Poor Bunny Abby. She has to have her tonsils taken out, so a very pregnant Mommy Bunny drops Abby off at the hospital and leaves. That's right. Mommy Bunny has better things to do with her time. Never mind her small child who is probably shaking in her rabbit feet at the thought of surgery and a hospital full of strange equipment. And what do you know? Mommy Bunny returns shortly thereafter to deliver the newest member of the bunny family. Perhaps Mommy Bunny would have been better off supporting little Abby in her time of need, seeing as she had to return to the hospital anyway. Who knows what these bunnies were thinking? Clearly they need a lesson or two in efficiency.
I certainly enjoyed Richard Scarry's books as a child and I've decided to let Edmund read and enjoy them too. At first when I noticed the sexism, my first inclination was to ban the book. He's a two year old who should see the sunny side of life. However, when I really reflected on this I found my reaction ridiculous. Many books we now read in high school English were banned, but now we read them and learn from them. I'm sure I might feel differently if say, Grocer Cat were running a drug house, but he's not. He's making an honest living running a grocery store. Some people may not agree with me, but I feel I can use this book to teach Edmund about how different people, or in this case, animals, can do a variety of things. It's a great spring board for conversation. Plus, if there's one thing this book has going it for it, it's diversity. Lion doctors operate on fluffy bunnies while dogs and cats work side by side in harmony. If that's not diversity I don't know what is.
