Richard Scarry's son on his father's legacy and work

AAs a boy, traveled around Europe with my parents one summer going on trains everywhere from Italy through Scandinavia, and he saw all the time funny things around him. And I think the traveling was a great source of inspiration in his

Bwork. Was he always drawing? Did he

Aalways have something? He always made funny little sketches on little scraps of paper. I still have some at home. He also sent off very funny postcards to his friends, things that he saw. Yeah, I think that he found a lot of inspiration just in the day to day things that he saw

Baround him. How much does he have you in his books? I mean, you are his only son. Do do you find yourself in

Ain books? Yeah. Well, I'm basically the model for the character who in English is called the little cat, whose best friend is Loli. So is named after me. And so, certainly, I would think that I had a bit to do with with that character.

AWhen I began working, I did my own children's books, more documentary or historical scientific type books for older children, but I often help my father color his own books because it's a rather tedious, operation. The coloring up, it takes a long time. And then later, when my father began having difficulty with his eyesight and also after he died, I decided that it would be a pity that the book should stop coming out. And I love what he does, and I decided to continue making new books. So every year I'm making a couple

Bof new books. With your own my line, with

Ayour own name and No. I use his name. And because I feel it's his world, it's his characters, I think that's important that it remains his. I do my own things on when I have time on side, and but these books are his. And most of those books have been going to Africa, to schools and libraries.

AWe're not aware that in a lot of other countries, children don't have books or schools don't have books. Libraries often nonexistent, and, it's simply, a way of trying to bring some fun, some imagination and creativity to children who don't have so much that opportunity in the hope also that it will help them to learn the region right. I was thrilled. I thought it was absolutely terrific that my father's characters were so well known here in Finland that they could be used in an advertising campaign. I immediately said, yes, let's do that.

AIt pleases very much since I've been here to see how many children and also adults know of my father's work, And I'm so happy that, that people like it so much here.