Curious George — A Cat's Curious Nature Has Nothing Over George
Written: Sep 15 '07 (Updated Sep 16 '07)
Product Rating:
Pros: Timeless story; wonderful illustrations; very enjoyable for all ages
Cons: Some issues about George's "abduction" may be questionable
The Bottom Line: Curious George can still make this old stoic smile like a kid. Here's hoping he continues to do so for each generation who gets to read his adventures.
elvisdo's Full Review: Hans Augusto Rey, H.A. Rey, Louise (AFT) Borden - ...
Call me nostalgic. Call me an old sentimental. But you can definitely call me a father to a soon-to-be newborn baby. While visiting the local Barnes & Noble, I found myself subconsciously wandering into the children’s book section. Curiosity filled me as I entered into this intimidating yet very familiar world. I had instant flashbacks of reading so many favourites that are still being published to this very day. I guess given the nature of my curious frame of mind, it was only natural that I saw a familiar friend staring back at me beckoning me to come closer. Hello, Curious George. It has been a long, long time.
Curiosity Gets the Monkey in Trouble
George is a content little monkey enjoying his carefree life in the jungles of Africa. But more than anything, he is a very curious monkey. His adventures really begin when, one day, a stranger, only known as “The Man in the Yellow Hat”, discovers George and wants to bring him back to live with him in the big city. George’s curious nature gets him into many predicaments on a big ship, a prank call to the fire station, and even an innocent incident with balloons. Who knew one little monkey could get into so much trouble.
Curious George is over 65 years old. Created in 1941 by Hans Augusto “H.A.” Rey and Margaret Rey, the story about a curious little monkey became a popular children’s tale and has survived the annals of time. The story is simple and very easy to understand. I remember reading this when I was a child and was really enthralled with both George and The Man with the Yellow Hat. Of course, this was in competition with Roger Hargreaves’ Mr. Men series, but they both had their own appeal to me.
H.A. Rey created wonderful illustrations using watercolours and bold charcoal lines. I really love the fluidity of his art and, more than anything, it’s probably the main reason why it captures the fancy of many. His wife Margaret, in an uncredited role early on, penned the adventures that he illustrated.
Young children will have a fun time reading this, as will adults who grew up reading these books. Aimed for children between ages 3 to 7, the adventures of this little monkey will be entertaining as they can clearly identify with his mischievous yet curious behaviour. It’s also very easy for children to read and a good way for them to practice. Each two-page spread is laid out nicely in a non-threatening manner—the right side showcasing the illustrations and the left side featuring the accompanied text. Having the text in a nice large format helps in that matter as well makes it less intimidating.
There may be some questions that arise from children as to why The Man in the Yellow Hat took George away from his familiar surroundings to a strange place, or even why he even leaves George alone unattended. That’s some bad parenting, but it does leave for some entertaining stories.
Curious George is still a delight after all these years. He could give Dennis the Menace a good run for his money with the trouble he gets into all the time. The times were much different when this was written but it’s still a solid, classic tale that is very engaging and seeping with fun and imagination. Amazingly, this monkey’s curious nature is infectious. It the only explanation to my parental frame of mind.
Product Details ISBN: 039515023X
Format: Paperback, 56pp
Pub. Date: Mar 1973
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
** This is my contribution to hadassachana and dramastef’s “Fight illiteracy Write-Off”, which can be found here and here. I know my newborn will one day love Curious George as well, so naturally I had to buy two copies… one to give away and one for my household.
In this, the original book about the curious monkey, George is taken from the jungle by the man in the yellow hat. Small children will wear the book o...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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