Dorchester Illustration 2614 Richard Scarry
Richard Scarry (1919-1994), children’s author and illustrator, grew up in Dorchester.
His parents, John and Mary, bought a house at 32 Melville Ave. in 1917. John Scarry operated Scarry’s department store in Brookline Village for 45 years and a men’s store in Fields Corner. He was president of the Massachusetts Cooperative Bank and of the Dorchester Board of Trade.
After high school, Richard Scarry enrolled in a business college but dropped out to become a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He was living at home and a student there when he was drafted in 1943. His draft registration card described him as 6 feet tall, 150 pounds with a light complexion, brown hair and brown eyes. The Boston Residents Lists note that he lived at 32 Melville Ave. until 1946.
Scarry is best known for his Best Ever book series that take place primarily in the fictional town of Busytown, which was populated by friendly and helpful animals, including Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, police Sergeant Murphy, Mr. Fixit, Bananas Gorilla and Hilda Hippo. The Busytown books were also adapted into an animated series for television, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, which can be viewed on YouTube. The books and animated series were produced for a preschool-age audience and espouse themes such as teamwork, friendship, courage, and responsibility.
Scarry illustrated more than 150 books many are still in print. His books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide and are published in 20 languages.
Scarry died 1994. The Society of Illustrators posthumously awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.