Busy Day Busy People

by Tibor Gergely

Text and pictures explore all the different activities taking place in the city, on the farm, in the circus, restaurant, market, and other places.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 1973

About the author

Tibor Gergely was a Hungarian American artist best known for his illustration of popular children's picture books.

He studied art briefly in Vienna before immigrating to the United States in 1939, where he settled in New York City. Largely a self-taught artist, he also contributed several covers of The New Yorker, mostly during the 1940s. Among the most popular children's books Gergely illustrated are The Happy Man and His Dump Truck, Busy Day Busy People, The Little Red Caboose, The Fire Engine Book, Tootle, Five Little Firemen, Five Hundred Animals from A to Z, and Scuffy the Tugboat. Many of his better known books were published by Little Golden Books. His best work is collected in The Great Big Book of Bedtime Stories. He became a U.S. citizen in 1948. Gergely died in 1978, in New York.

As of 2001, Tootle was the all-time third best-selling hardcover children's book in English, and Scuffy the Tugboat was the eighth all-time bestseller.

Reviews

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars - English hardcover

Second- hand store find. Loved it.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book since I was a toddler. I found it recently in my "box o' memories" and I remember how influential this book was in my love of books and learning. I think it has informed my current obsessions with both drawing and anthropology! Each page has a tableau of an everyday scene, from a department store to a hospital. Often the buildings are cross sectioned to show the myriad things going on within. Each picture is filled with activity but is drawn. In a clear and simple style. I can't recommend this book enough to parents and children.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book and I are both turning 50 this year. Felt like a re-read.


The book is a bit dated in how gendered the jobs are. There are no women at the construction site, nor at the fire station. But the people shown are diverse. For now it's more of a time capsule on how things were instead of how things are.

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[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandma probably read this book to me at least 100 times.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this illustrator, Tibor Gergely!

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book introduces what is happening in a day and what the world is like to everyone. The illustrator did a good job of drawing details of the book. I like that many jobs and buildings are mentioned in the book and allows children to explore so many different things in this book.

[Jaden-Ciera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture Book - a wonderful story that show how we all work together to have a happy and cooperative community.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent illustrations of 1970s life. Department stores, construction sites, the subway are featured scenes. Culturally sensitive about depictions of black people. Our son loves it.

[James Vickery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very important book because it can give its readers a look into the life of everyone in the world and what types of things that people do for a living. This book does a good job of showing how many jobs in the world rely on the jobs of others to make the job market work. This book also shows individual aspects of certain jobs.

[eRin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book about the different jobs people have and their importance to the rest of the world. Describes everything from Police Officers to construction workers, to farmers, to the circus, to department stores and the subway. Nice little introduction to the way things work.

[Karen L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little children will love the illustrations of the everyday jobs of people! My kids had me read this over and over again!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it's one of many children's picture books that feature an airport, but the *only* one that actually has ramp and gate agents as the center of the entire airport.

[Meryl Trefethen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my absolute favorite book when I was a kid!