What do you think?
Rate this book
Curious George Builds a Home
George's new pigeon friend needs a place to roost. George has a great idea on how to get a tree up to his apartment—he'd build one!
When Curious George meets a homing pigeon, he decides that his home, with improvements, would be perfect for his new friend. This paperback picture book explores the concepts of planning and design.
When Curious George meets a homing pigeon, he decides that his home, with improvements, would be perfect for his new friend. This paperback picture book explores the concepts of planning and design.
24 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2006
6 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Margret Rey
235 books121 followersMargret 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 4, 2025
We are so proud of you for reading "Curious George Builds a Home!" You learned such an important lesson—that helping others and working together makes big jobs easier and more fun. Just like George helped build a home, you can help us around the house, help your friends at school, or build something creative with your toys. Your hard work reading this book shows how smart and determined you are. Keep being our curious little reader!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2019
This book is good for the children that live in the city. The city doesn't always have a lot of trees and sometimes they made need to bring or construct their own. Having Curious George having the problem of wanting to draw the birds and give them a good place to say can relate to a lot of children. The book is also easy to follow and perfect for beginning readers.
April 26, 2018
I definitely prefer the original Curious George books, on which the tv series is based, over the books written either from tv episodes or with tv episodes in mind. It doesn't matter to my 4yo, who loves everything Curious George, but I'm a purist at heart.
July 6, 2017
When George sees a pigeon on the patio and he sees that he needs a 'home' he wants to build a tree for them. So he gets creative and builds one.
February 25, 2020
Love George!
Teaches kids to not give up. If you are really determined, you keep trying until you get the job done.
Teaches kids to not give up. If you are really determined, you keep trying until you get the job done.
March 16, 2021
Simple story, but touches on some relevant concepts for our structures unit.
May 18, 2021
Countdown to Kindergarten-STEM Engineering
NC Digital Kids
George uses engineering skills to build a tree for the birds.
NC Digital Kids
George uses engineering skills to build a tree for the birds.
July 16, 2021
The ones based on TV teleplays leave something lacking.
October 9, 2021
Super cute book
February 9, 2015
Curious George Builds a Home is a book about a little monkey named George who is very smart and very curious. George sits on his balcony and spots a pigeon. Now Gorge has seen so many pigeons but this one was special, it had a ankle tag. He drew this creature on his sketch-pad and showed it to the man in the yellow hat, George’s best friend. He explained why the bird had a tag on its ankle. George saw that the pigeon needed a home so he began to build a home for the pigeon. He tried many different things until he came to a final product that was stable. The pigeon goes home with its owner and that makes George very sad. At the end of the book when George turns around he seems many pigeons sitting on his tree that he built. He was happy.
This book has two themes helping and determination. This book starts off with Gorge wanting to help the pigeon find a home after the man in the yellow hat told him what the tag on the pigeons ankle meant. George has a big heart and helps anybody and anything that needs help. His determination is shown by the structures that he builds. The first place he built was made out of pipe cleaners, but it wasn't strong enough to hold. The second one was made out of clay but he used too much water. The last one he made was out of many different elements but was strong and held many pigeons. He didn’t give up when the first two structures fell through he kept focusing on his goal which was helping the pigeon.
The mood of this book is really light and cheerful. The illustrations show that George is is a happy monkey because in almost every image he has a smile on his face and he walks with his head up. The colors used in the illustrations also reiterate the mood of this book. The colors are bright and full of color. There is a moment when George gets sad but that doesn't effect the mood that much because on the next page he is back smiling.
This book has two themes helping and determination. This book starts off with Gorge wanting to help the pigeon find a home after the man in the yellow hat told him what the tag on the pigeons ankle meant. George has a big heart and helps anybody and anything that needs help. His determination is shown by the structures that he builds. The first place he built was made out of pipe cleaners, but it wasn't strong enough to hold. The second one was made out of clay but he used too much water. The last one he made was out of many different elements but was strong and held many pigeons. He didn’t give up when the first two structures fell through he kept focusing on his goal which was helping the pigeon.
The mood of this book is really light and cheerful. The illustrations show that George is is a happy monkey because in almost every image he has a smile on his face and he walks with his head up. The colors used in the illustrations also reiterate the mood of this book. The colors are bright and full of color. There is a moment when George gets sad but that doesn't effect the mood that much because on the next page he is back smiling.
April 13, 2019
We love Curious George books!
February 16, 2015
In "Curious George Builds a Home" by Margaret Rey, Rey goes in depth about the process of designing and planning in the point of view of a child. In this case, the child is Curious George, the monkey. He is given a situation where he wants to make a home for a pigeon. The book explains his process of making the perfect home for the bird.
Rey does a great job of putting the story in the perspective of George, who is a young monkey. Trial and error was one of the main points that was shown throughout the book. George tried a variety of ways to make a tree for the pigeon, but most of them failed. Although his first few "trees" did not work out, he was still determined to find a solution. This is an important lesson that Rey pointed out because it shows the reader to not give up on what their goals are, and to keep focusing on what they want their outcome to be.
The illustrations in the book are done with very vibrant, solid colors. On each page, the pop colors are on the objects that are most important to the plot. The background is more basic, which draws a readers attention to the important objects. On the last page of the book, the background is a picture of the mess that George had made. This helps to show the reader the determination that George had while trying to accomplish his goal of making a tree for a pigeon to feel comfortable in.
Rey does a great job of putting the story in the perspective of George, who is a young monkey. Trial and error was one of the main points that was shown throughout the book. George tried a variety of ways to make a tree for the pigeon, but most of them failed. Although his first few "trees" did not work out, he was still determined to find a solution. This is an important lesson that Rey pointed out because it shows the reader to not give up on what their goals are, and to keep focusing on what they want their outcome to be.
The illustrations in the book are done with very vibrant, solid colors. On each page, the pop colors are on the objects that are most important to the plot. The background is more basic, which draws a readers attention to the important objects. On the last page of the book, the background is a picture of the mess that George had made. This helps to show the reader the determination that George had while trying to accomplish his goal of making a tree for a pigeon to feel comfortable in.
February 21, 2013
Basic Plot: George meets a pigeon and tries to get him to stick around the apartment for awhile.
My son asked me to read this one over and over while we still had it from the library. He apparently really likes Compass the pigeon. This offering is based on the PBS cartoon, so kids who've already seen the episode can anticipate the events of the story. They also will see art they are used to instead of the type seen in the original George stories. Curious George is a great character for little kids, and this story is a good example of why. George means well and tries to help; he doesn't always succeed at his efforts, but he persists in spite of setbacks and mistakes, which are very important lessons to learn for all of us.
My son asked me to read this one over and over while we still had it from the library. He apparently really likes Compass the pigeon. This offering is based on the PBS cartoon, so kids who've already seen the episode can anticipate the events of the story. They also will see art they are used to instead of the type seen in the original George stories. Curious George is a great character for little kids, and this story is a good example of why. George means well and tries to help; he doesn't always succeed at his efforts, but he persists in spite of setbacks and mistakes, which are very important lessons to learn for all of us.
November 26, 2013
A mediocre spinoff book for Curious George. Most of the PBS Kids spinoff books are mediocre, though, so I didn't expect much. The short plotline, and very short at that, is that George wants to build a tree for a stray pigeon he found to live in. The pigeon is a homing pigeon and must need a special home, so George tries to think of several ideas for a perfect home for the pigeon. Not a bad book, but it needed work. A little too short, but not bad. Just tiny flaws. I suggest it for readers fond of the original Curious George books and the new cartoon series on PBS Kids.
February 13, 2015
I think that the Curious George books are great for children of many ages. This sweet little monkey is a fun character to follow and children can learn from his mischievous ways. I feel as though parents can relate to these stories too because of the difficulties that the man in the yellow hat sometimes has keeping Curious George in line. I would definitely recommend Curious George Series to many readers.
February 8, 2015
While at home Curious George meets a pigeon who is wearing an ankle tag and decides to build a tree for him. Unfortunately when George starts to build, the chaos starts and the home is turned upside down. Will he solve the mystery of the "tag"? Read to find out.
Zoe and I enjoyed reading this book together today.
Zoe and I enjoyed reading this book together today.
September 21, 2014
Listening/watching books being read for my niece and nephew is always fun. Plus, I'm amazed that I found several sites that offer free readings of children's books. This one was found here: http://www.curiousgeorge.com/kids-sto...
March 9, 2012
a funny, enjoyable book to read to my children!
March 13, 2013
I love this George book, he is so curious, and I've had the same experiences here with my daughter.
May 22, 2013
Expect a typical Curious George story with this one. It doesn't disappoint. These books are always cute and entertaining for children. Great read!
August 25, 2013
Vibrant pictures! Who doesn't love Curious George?
October 15, 2015
Cute George book just like the TV episode.
December 24, 2025
George makes a home for a pigeon.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews