Cars and Trucks

by Richard Scarry

Illustrates different types of cars and trucks and shows how they are used to help people in their daily activities

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

RICHARD SCARRY is one of the world's best-loved children's authors EVER! In his extraordinary career, Scarry illustrated over 150 books, many of which have never been out of print. His books have sold over 100 million copies around the world, and are currently published in over twenty languages. No other illustrator has shown such a lively interest in the words and concepts of early childhood. Richard Scarry was posthumously awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Illustrators in 2012.

Reviews

[leynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Scarry was an American children's author and illustrator who published over 300 books with total sales of over 100 million worldwide. He is best known for his Best Ever book series that take place primarily in the fictional town of Busytown.

Even as a German kid I knew of Scarry and his characters. The Snowstorm Surprise was one of my favorite books growing up and it's one of the few children's picture books that survive from my own childhood.

When I was looking for children picture books for my nephews I remembered Scarry and ordered some books from him. I gifted my youngest nephew his popular What Do People Do All Day? for his second birthday. In 2025, I also ordered Cars and Trucks from the "First Little Learner" series and decided to keep that one at my house for when the two come over to visit.

Part of me thinks that I enjoy this book even more than my nephews, lmao. I just think it's so fun. The concept is nice and simple: Scarry illustrated about 6 cars per double page but sometimes with a fun twist. Some cars don't look like regular cars, instead, they are "pickle trucks", "apple cars", "garbage monster trucks" and "hammer cars"—and these are the most fun to look at.

It's somewhat of a silly children's picture book with no underlying message or anything overly useful to learn but the cars and trucks are illustrated in a fun way, and it's hella fun coming up with short little stories of your own to match the cars and their drivers.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My two-year-old's current favorite. Love the pickle truck and the banana car!

[Mandy J. Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any little boy will love the variety of cars and trucks found in this Richard Scarry book. While there may not be a lot of words, it's fun to look at all of the pictures!

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I liked when the other people go on a trip." (This may not be the same book Morris read. He read a Little Golden Book from 1971.)

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the First Learner's Series. The common pictures used in the series are a help for the early learner.
Age Range: 3 - 5 years
Grade Level: Preschool - Kindergarten