Peter Pedal og manden med den gule hat er ude på tur. På hjemvejen gør de holdt for at se det store luftballon-kapløb. Og inden længe er Peters nysgerrighed skyld i, at han får set tingene lidt oppefra...
I flere årtier har den lille nysgerrige abe, Peter Pedal, begejstret børn og vakt lykke verden over, ikke mindst i USA, hvor han blev 'født' og er kendt som Curious George.
H.A. Rey (1898-1977) var en tysk forfatter og illustrator bosat i USA. Sammen med sin hustru, Margret Rey, skabte han de klassiske historier om Peter Pedal.
Margret Elizabeth Rey (May 16, 1906 – December 21, 1996), born Margarete Elisabeth Waldstein, was (with her husband H. A. Rey), the co-author and illustrator of children's books, best known for their Curious George
Although she was born in Germany, she fled to Brazil early in her life to escape Nazism. While there, she met her future husband Hans (who was a salesman and also from Germany). They married in 1935 and moved to Paris, France that same year.
While in Paris, Hans's animal drawings came to the attention of French publisher, who commissioned him to write a children's book. The result, Rafi and the Nine Monkeys, is little remembered today, but one of its characters, an adorably impish monkey named Curious George, was such a success that the couple considered writing a book just about him. Their work was interrupted with the outbreak of World War II. As Jews, the Reys decided to flee Paris before the Nazis seized the city. Hans built two bicycles, and they fled Paris just a few hours before it fell. Among the meager possessions they brought with them was the illustrated manuscript of Curious George.
The Reys' odyssey brought them to the Spanish border, where they bought train tickets to Lisbon. From there they returned to Brazil, where they had met five years earlier, but this time they continued to New York, New York. The books were published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, though certain changes had to be introduced because of the technology of the time. Hans and Margret originally planned to use watercolors to illustrate the books, but since they were responsible for the color separation, he changed these to the cartoon-like images that continue to feature in each of the books. (A collector's edition with the original watercolors was recently released.)
Curious George was an instant success, and the Reys were commissioned to write more adventures of the mischievous monkey and his friend, the Man in the Yellow Hat. They wrote seven stories in all, with Hans mainly doing the illustrations and Margret working mostly on the stories, though they both admitted to sharing the work and cooperating fully in every stage of development. At first, however, Margret's name was left off the cover, ostensibly because there was a glut of women already writing children's fiction. In later editions, this was corrected, and Margret now receives full credit for her role in developing the stories.
Margret and her husband moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1963, in a house close to Harvard Square. Following her husband's death in 1977, Margret continued writing, and in 1979, became a Professor of Creative Writing at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Starting in 1980, she also began to collaborate with Alan Shalleck on a series of short films featuring Curious George and more than two dozen additional books.
In 1989 Margret Rey established the Curious George Foundation to help creative children and prevent cruelty to animals. In 1996, she made major donations to the Boston Public Library and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She was also a long-time supporter of the Longy School of Music. The Reys spent twenty summers in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, to enable H.A. Rey to better observe the stars for his astronomy writing. They became an integral part of the Waterville community and their legacy is honored by The Margret and H.A. Rey Center and the Curious George Cottage located there.
Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond, a professor in the field of library science (specializing in children's literature) at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. contacted the Reys in 1966 about the university's new children's literature collection. H.A. and Margret made a donation of a pair of sketches at the time. In 1996, after Margret's death, it was revealed in her will that the entire literary estate of the Reys were to be donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at Southern Miss.
As I was reading this, I felt there was something "off" about it--it just didn't have the same charm as other George books I've read. For example, "sometimes when a monkey sees something to climb, he can't help himself. He has to climb it." In other books, these kinds of things don't need to be pointed out to us. We all get it--the kids get it, the adults get it and that's why it's fun and funny. After reading a couple more pages, I checked out the copyright info and it said that this was "based on the character of Curious George, created by Margret and H.A. Rey," so this wasn't actually written by them. It's too bad that with all the great writers out there, the publishing company couldn't find one that could do a better job.
Curious George is always getting into trouble. This time, he accidentally climbs a hot air balloon's rope and the balloon starts flying away! Poor George. And as scary as it was for him, he managed to be a hero in the end. And I'm always wondering what the man in the yellow hat's true name is besides "the man in the yellow hat." It will forever be a mystery.
I have to read this book 10 times a day to my son. When I try to read him ANY OTHER book, he WAILS! Grammatical errors and crappy storytelling aside, how can it not be amazing when my 2 year old demands I read to him?
Consumer note, Goodreaders, about some tricky branding.
In prominent letters on the front cover, the publisher proclaims:
Margret and H.A. Rey's Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon
One would assume... At least this one, this Goodreads reviewer would assume... That Margret and H.A. Rey WROTE this book.
Now for the truth. Apparently they, or somebody sold the rights to this BRAND.
PLAYING DETECTIVE From the copyright page I learn:
1. This book is based on the character of Curious George®, created by Margret and H. A. Ray. 2. Illustrations were created by "Vipah Interactive." Not even a human being but evidently a corporation. 3. As for the writer? Was it a committee? One lonely ghostwriter???? On the Copyright Page we learn only that the whole shebang belongs to a huge publisher, Houghton Mifflin.
Okay, I'll fling aside my disdain and start reviewing the book, such as it is.
ENTERTAINING, YES
And starring a pair of beloved characters.
Since it's a pretty good picture book, I'll give this FIVE STARS.
BUT NOTING, HOWEVER
This thin, little, high-concept, picture book bears only the most superficial resemblance to the GREAT Curious George storybooks.
Humor and creativity are absent. This is a hack's work; that is, the work of human beings who did a third-rate job and were never acknowledged or give copyright by Houghton Mifflin. For shame!
Adults should occasionally read "children's " stories. We sometimes forget there is still a part of us that can be represented as a curious little primate. Some modern authors of such books try too hard to impart a deeper message into their work. The George books are gently infused with familiar feelings that are applicable if you are 6 or 66. George's adventures work best without animation, background music, or bouncy narration. Read one sometime early in the morning or late at night when the only voice you hear is your own. Take time to observe who is in the crowd at Mt Rushmore. Find your favorite balloon. We all need a friend, and maybe a blue car, to take us on an adventure. This book demonstrates some very important points about the ways things not going going as expected can still be good. Bad feelings are temporary. Sometimes if you roll with it there will be an upside. This is a good meditation.
My self-contained SpEd teachers specifically requested a book about hot air balloons for story time today. This was the only one I found that came in ebook format! My biggest complaint about it was that it called the 4 presidents on Mount Rushmore "great" - so I edited and just called them former presidents. I have a big personal issue with what we did to the land belonging to the Indigenous Peoples in South Dakota, so... As for the story itself, my students enjoyed the book and gave it all 4 and 5 star ratings, mostly 5's. Curious George is a beloved character. The staff in the virtual room all also confessed a love for the little monkey and his curious/mischievous ways. We then talked about what designs we would put on our hot air balloons and where we would travel in them.
This one has been a recent favourite with both girls, mainly because there are stickers in the back and after each reading, they get to pick one and stick it on I's bed frame. I really hope they'll come off one day...
I appreciate that the book is slightly longer, and yet interesting enough to them that they'll sit through and listen together. I dislike that this book focuses so much on Mount Rushmore, which was a Lakota landmark and sacred site (the Six Grandfathers) before it was stolen by colonizers and carved up. There are many better books out there.
Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat visit Mount Rushmore! There's a hot air balloon race setting up nearby! A hot air balloon? I'll steal it! NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW! (everyone knows) George is scared to be in an out-of-control balloon, but everything works out as he has an adventure on George Washington's face. Kind of entertaining, but not even one of the better post-Rey stories, to say nothing of the originals.
Dear Sarah, we're so proud of you for reading about Curious George! You learned that being curious helps us discover amazing new things, just like George discovered how beautiful the world looks from up high in the sky. When you wonder about something, ask questions and explore - that's how you learn! Your curiosity will take you on wonderful adventures too. Keep reading and learning, sweetheart. We love you so much!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
What a fun read this was! I have always been a sucker for a good old fashioned Curious George book. The theming and excitement that this book had kept the reader on the edge of their seat. I also loved how a mini history lesson was incorporated since the book was centered around Mount Rushmore. Fantastic read that I would highly recommend for anyone looking for a little laughter and excitement!
Curious George is on vacation in South Dakota and accidentally loosens the rope keeping a hot air balloon in place, which causes him to go on a solo flight to Mount Rushmore. Elliot enjoys all CG stories and liked this one a lot
"Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon" is a picture book intended for ages 4-8 years old. The book is about a monkey named George who takes a vacation to South Dakota with the man in the yellow hat and they visit Mt.Rushmore then they drive to the hot air balloon races. George becomes so curious of the hot air balloons that he climbs the rope of one and accidentally takes a ride on it, but ends up being a hero when he rescues a worker trapped on Mt.Rushmore. I think this is a nice children's book. I thought the plot was cool and entertaining with the book having a lot of adventures. I think the colored illustrations are nice and Curious George was cute which made his mischief laughable and made me curious myself on what would happen next. George's natural curious personality in the book where he just cant resist his urge to get into climb the rope of the hot air balloon as well as his cuteness reminds just of a young child getting into their own mischief. I thought the text was descriptive and easy to follow and understand for a young readers. The reason I rated this four stars instead of five is because I thought I was reading an original Curious George book by Margret and H.A. Rey's but this book is only based on the character of Curious George and illustrated in the style of H.A. Rey's so I felt like I was mislead on who write and illustrated the book I do think this book will be appealing for young readers because of the nice illustrations, the plot, the main character being a monkey and because the book contains adventures. This book can be used to practice learning how to read and practice reading skills for children that have learned to read, I think it can also be used to teach a lesson on why you shouldn't mess with something that isn't yours or it could simply be read for entertainment. It could be used to talk about hot air balloons or a lesson on monkeys. Overall, I would recommend this children's book for the age group specified of 4-8 year old's but it could also be used for younger children, younger children I think would like to look at the pictures and their could be activities made from specific things that happened in the story.
The Curious George stories are so formulaic that any one can tell a story in style of of Margret and H. A. Rey. The Man in the Yellow Hat (TMYH) has a chore, job, business trip, etc that takes him and of course George somewhere new. TMYH of course then is called away on some emergency or has to leave for some reason, leaving George to his own devices. After an initial series of goof-ups, everything works out for George and he ends up a better monkey for the ordeal.
The original series that can actually be credited to Margret and H. A. Rey is a very short list from all the titles bearing their name:
* Curious George (1941) * Curious George Takes a Job (1947) * Curious George Rides a Bike (1952) * Curious George Gets a Medal (1957) * Curious George Flies a Kite (1958) * Curious George Learns the Alphabet (1963) * Curious George Goes to the Hospital (1966)
These initial stories are rather appalling. George is not the loveable monkey that he is remembered as and TMYH is a strange authoritarin figure that is part abusive parent, part master and part kidnapper. In the flurry of books since those initial seven, TMYH has softened as a character and has ended up more like soft spoken David Seville than a "bring it back alive" adventurer. By the current incarnation after the 2005 film, TMYH is actually loveable and caring (shown making numerous attempts to find day care for George whenever he's away).
In all of these changes, the original authors are still credited, to the point that the modern versions bear their names and the name of the company contracted to actually make the books (story board and illustrate is the way their website describes their roll in creating the books). I find it odd and sad that the current people working on the books receive no credit for their work. It may be a committee or a single person. I have no idea. George has gone from a disturbed monkey to a commodity.
So that brings me to Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon. In this adventure, George finds himself carried away by a hot air balloon. After nearly getting lost, nearly crashing and so forth, he manages to rescue a ranger and becomes the hero of the day. It's a fairly typical and vanilla plot from the most current incarnation. For children who enjoy the movie and the PBS cartoon, it's a cute book. My only wish is that the publisher would have the balls to say who actually wrote and illustrated it.
The author used the craft of playfulness with time by telling the story in chronicle order. On almost every page there was a phrase or a word connecting the event to the next thing that was to occur. The only thing that made it get off course was the observation of the main character, but that too lead up to the next thing to come. I like how the author used the craft, the excitement of the event went from nonfiction information or fiction, and gradually became exciting. Everything was from the writer’s point of view and never the characters speaking on how a particular situation made them feel. I would use this book as a way to get my students to practice building suspense in their writing. They can gradually build until their stories peak and allowing the resolution of the problem bring their story to a closing. I teach student the difference between writing from a narrative point of view and the characters point of view.
Curious George and the hot air balloon By Margret & H.A. Rey’s (Classic Picture Book) How can you go wrong with Curious George! That darn monkey is always getting into trouble. I have always liked these books, they are easy for youngsters to understand and the books are always at a high entertainment level. The illustrations are kept simple but not so much that they become boring. It’s been a long time since I have read any of these stories but I can see a great amount of educational value in this particular story. A teacher could use this to incorporate the science aspect of hot air rising, or the social studies aspect of Mount Rushmore and the presidents. The teacher could go as far as using this story to reinforce the behavior of leaving things alone that are not yours. Good book, and again I must make the statement, how can you go wrong with Curious George!
Review: This is a fun and cute Curious George story just like all the others in this series. I particularly like this one because it is full of adventure. I personally always wanted to fly in a hot air balloon. This story also features some historical places such as Mount Rushmore.
Margret and H.A Reys Facts: This is a couple who wrote and illustrated children's books. They are famously known for writing and illustrating the Curious George series. Their first book was "Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys". This is not famous today but, Curious George was actually a character in this book who was greatly loved and admired. The Reys realized this and became inspired to write and illustrate the Curios George series.
Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon is a story about a monkey named George that gets into some mischief when he accidentally take a ride on a hot air balloon white visiting Mt. Rushmore. The illustrations are colorful and descriptive. They are a great addition to the text. H.A. Rey and Vipah Interactive do a thorough job at depicting exactly what George is thinking and/or feeling. Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon would be a neat book to read to younger elementary aged students.
My two-year-old is very into Curious George right now and picks out a few "George books" whenever we go to the library. This is one of the better ones he has picked out so far. It's the usual George story: he gets curious about something and gets into mischief that actually ends up being helpful. My little boy is a fan of balloons and helicopters, so this story is appealing. He prefers Curious George and the Puppies, but I think this one is better.
Don't know where goodreads got the description but his has nothing to do with an animal shelter. Yet again, the man in the yellow hat thinks George won't get into trouble. At least this time he genuinely helps someone, and not because he first got that person into trouble. And as with "In the Snow", it's in the Rey's style, not by them.
This story is good for younger readers. The font is bigger, so that a child's finger could fit under each word to help them read. The pictures are bright and fun. George is a very curious monkey. George show that even smiple curiousity can lead to an adventure.
My 2nd Curious George and I liked it better than when he went to school. Maybe because he's en vacances. Who doesn't love holiday, moreover when it's a road trip in the USA?