Hans Augusto Rey was born on September 16, 1898, in Hamburg, Germany. He grew up there near the world-famous Hagenbeck Zoo, and developed a lifelong love for animals and drawing. Margarete Elisabeth Waldstein (who would be known to most of the world as Margret Rey) was also born in Hamburg on May 16, 1906. The two met briefly when Margret was a young girl, before she left Hamburg to study art. They were reunited in 1935 in Rio de Janeiro, where Hans was selling bathtubs as part of a family business and Margret was escaping the political climate in Germany. Margret convinced Hans to leave the family business, and soon they were working together on a variety of projects.
Hans and Margret were married in Brazil on August 16, 1935, and they moved to Paris after falling in love with the city during their European honeymoon. It was there that Hans published his first children’s book, after a French publisher saw his newspaper cartoons of a giraffe and asked him to expand upon them. Raffy and the Nine Monkeys (Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys in the British and American editions) was the result, and it marked the debut of a mischievous monkey named Curious George.
After Raffy and the Nine Monkeys was published, the Reys decided that Curious George deserved a book of his own, so they began work on a manuscript that featured the lovable and exceedingly curious little monkey. But the late 1930s and early ’40s were a tumultuous time in Europe, and before the new manuscript could be published, the Reys—both German Jews—found themselves in a horrible situation. Hitler and his Nazi party were tearing through Europe, and they were poised to take control of Paris.
Knowing that they must escape before the Nazis took power, Hans cobbled together two bicycles out of spare parts. Early in the morning of June 14, 1940, the Reys set off on their bicycles. They brought very little with them on their predawn flight — only warm coats, a bit of food, and five manuscripts, one of which was Curious George. The Nazis entered Paris just hours later, but the Reys were already on their way out. They rode their makeshift bicycles for four long days until reaching the French-Spanish border, where they sold them for train fare to Lisbon. From there they made their way to Brazil and on to New York City, beginning a whole new life as children’s book authors.
Curious George was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, and for sixty years these books have been capturing the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world. All the Curious George books, including the seven original stories by Margret and Hans, have sold more than twenty-five million copies. So popular that his original story has never been out of print, George has become one of the most beloved and recognizable characters in children’s literature. His adventures have been translated into many languages, including Japanese, French, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Swedish, German, Chinese, Danish, and Norwegian.
Although both of the Reys have passed away — Hans in 1977 and Margret in 1996—George lives on in the Curious George Foundation. Established in 1989, this foundation funds programs for children that share Curious George’s irresistible qualities—ingenuity, opportunity, determination, and curiosity in learning and exploring. Much consideration is given to programs that benefit animals, through preservation as well as the prevention of cruelty to animals. The foundation supports community outreach programs that emphasize the importance of family, from counseling to peer support groups.
A real dark message here. The man with the yellow hat only appears on one page, not under M for Man or Y for Yellow or H for Hat, but X for X-Ray, examining his results with a doctor. This sad subtle diagnosis is an ignoble end for Curious George's owner, that not even a Zebra Zipping along with Zest can alleviate
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I think I am going to weed this book from my son's collection, given that it portrays firefighters and mail carriers as male professions ("F is a Fireman Fighting a Fire," "M is the Mailman who brings the Mail"). (I had entertained the idea of crossing out Fireman and writing in Firefighter with a sharpie, but I just couldn't bring myself to deface a book like that, no matter the stereotypes contained within.) Some may argue that this specific stereotype would be more harmful to girls than to boys, but I think it's just as harmful for boys to grow up thinking that some professions belong only to them. Also, this board book is apparently a revised version of the 1960's edition, so it's odd that even back in the 1990's when this was published, they wouldn't change the text to reflect the times.
Getting rid of this book, however, makes me think of two questions:
1. Am I going to censure everything objectionable that comes our way when my son is growing up? Probably not, as this is neither feasable nor does it provide good opportunities for conversation and growth. Also, it goes against my instincts as a librarian. I can at most hope to control the types of things he encounters at a young age in his own home. Also, it would make me a hypocrite: many of the books and movies I love deeply have some objectionable content. Peter Pan has a stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans, and The Sound of Music's song "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" is pretty sexist. Will I keep these things from him because of their content? I don't know, but probably not. Instead, we will watch them together and then talk about the objectionable content, accounting for the views of the time period. What makes Curious George's ABCs different? Perhaps because he is too young to have a conversation with, and I don't want one of his first experiences with books to portray a stereotype.
2. If I find content in this book objectionable, should I donate it? Chances are that a lot of people, maybe even most people, would find the use of Firemen and Mailmen in this book pretty benign. And they might be right. I can certainly think of a few worse things to include in a picture book. And otherwise this is a pretty nice alphabet book with good illustrations, and who doesn't love Curious George? On the other hand, if I find it objectionable enough not to keep it in our own library, why would I want to help spread this particular stereotype further? It will fall into the hands of some other little boy or girl who might subconsciously absorb the message that only men can have these professions. But I can't bring myself to throw away an otherwise perfectly good book, and if I did end up throwing it away, then I'm one step closer to the world of Fahrenheit 451.
I am probably overthinking this, and I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea to spend precious minutes of my son's naptime writing this review. But I am delirious with lack of sleep; in fact, I'm not entirely sure that what I'm writing here isn't complete gibberish that only makes sense to my addled brain. But I have been reading a lot of books about gender stereotypes in children lately and I believe that it's never too early to start combating those stereotypes.
Absolutely wonderful ABC book. This one has something other than the stand A is for Apple and X is for Xylophone. And all of the letters are repeated and the pictures correspond with the letters.
Curious george learns the alphabet. He is taught to recognize and remember letters based on what they look like. An “A” looks like the mouth of an alligator. A little “a” looks like half and apple. So not only does this book teach both the uppercase and lowercase letters, but it pairs it with an appropriate object (except with the uppercase “i” which is written without the lines at the bottom and top and therefore looks like a little “L” and is also paired with an icicle instead of an igloo or something more phonetically appropriate). It also follows each picture with a sentence or two that include words that either begin with the letter or contain it within their word. Each letter is highlighted for emphasis. Furthermore, George’s friend takes breaks in his teaching and offers George the opportunity to practice making words. With ABCDE george learns he can spell “cab” for example. Moreover, the breaks throughout the story provide time for George to play, which is of course, important. It hints to parents that they too should take a break and let what they have just taught sink in.
I think it’s a fabulous book and a really interesting way to teach the alphabet.
I think this book is educational because it can introduce your ABCs to you if you have not begun to memorize them in the classroom. This will always be one of my favorite books because it would be a fun way to teaching their ABC in class. I will be reading this book to the students in my classroom because it is a fun creative way to learn the alphabet along with the letters being drawn at the top of the animal shape. For example, A stand for Apple and B stands for Blueberry are examples of how it is set up in the book. I recommend this book to any teachers, parents, or students that are in the process of learning the alphabet.
This will always be a favorite when teaching them their ABC in class! The colors and illustrations are fun! You can never go wrong with a silly monkey! Love that each animal they draw the letter over top so you can see the shape in the animal! And it is great that is a hard book because it can be very durable for many years with many different kids!
I read this to help a kindergartener learn his alphabet. He was excited to read it because it was Curious George. We mainly pointed at the illustrations and said the words. Overall, the book was entertaining to him.
Already memorized this book. Started reading this to my daughter at 1 year 3/ 4 months. We trace the letters by hand. She's familiar and memorized the alphabet and phonetics thanks also to this book. A good alphabet book
I’ve read many an ABC book this past year and this one hits. Whether it’s nostalgia or the comfort of being led by a docile primate through literacy? Who knows, I have no desire to discern.
Opening line/sentence: “A is an Alligator with its mouth wide open”
Brief Book Summary: Uppercase letters of the alphabet are represented as objects or animals, for instance “D is for Dinosaur”. Similarly, each letter blends in with the objects or animals it is describing, so the reader must look for the letter within the picture. This book also helps children learn about alliteration.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Children’s Literature - Marilyn Courtot “Curious George has been around for quite a while now H.A. Rey’s work has been transformed into Curious George’s ABCs, a new board book. It is a whimsical offering with the capital letter incorporated into the animal or object depicted. Each time the letter appears in the text it is highlighted, and the text uses lots of words beginning with the featured letter – “F is a Fireman Fighting a Fire.”
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Karin Snelson – Children’s and YA Editor "A is an alligator with its mouth wide open, B is a big blue bird, C is a crab with two clamping claws...." You get the idea. It's never too early to get your babies chewing on books and ruminating on the alphabet, and children of all ages enjoy the company of H.A. Rey's intrepid monkey, Curious George. In this board book, the letter itself mimics the shape of the animal or object in question. The A is actually the gaping jaw of the alligator, the B is the head and body of the big blue bird, and so on. In most of the pictures--not-so-curiously, 26 in all--youngsters will delight in finding a tiny Curious George, just about to get into mischief, no doubt. Adult Curious George fans will get a kick out of sharing their long-time monkey friend with their favorite little chimps, and preschoolers will enjoy the comical illustrations that offer just the right amount of detail to keep things interesting.”
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviewers mention how appealing this book is when teaching children the ABCs. The intricate way that H.A. Rey’s incorporates the uppercase letters into the illustrations is very unique and appealing to children. This provides a fun way of learning for the children reading about the alphabet. Like most classics, Curious George is a book that all children enjoy, especially when learning new concepts.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The book uses bright and colorful illustrations to appeal to the young reader. The pictures have child friendly objects, animals and people that have a simplistic look to them. The style of the book is set up so all the uppercase letters are written in bold red font to stand out to the reader. The setting varies on every page as each letter describes a different object or animal. Lastly, the alliteration used in the book helps the reader pronounce each letter.
Consideration of Instructional Application: After reading this book, I would write the upper case letters on toy cars and label different parts of the room with a word that has the uppercase letter in it. I would have the children drive the cars to the correct part of the room, so their letter matches the word. Another activity could be having the children try to sound out or spell out their names, and then see which uppercase letter is in each of their names. Then, you could trace their names lightly, so the children could write on top on it, as though they wrote their own name.
Title: Curious George’s ABC Author: H.A. Rey Illustrator: H.A. Rey Genre: Picture Book/ABC Book Themes: Animals/Everyday things Opening line/sentence: “A is for Alligators with its mouth wide open.” Brief Book Summary: The book goes through the alphabet and uses animals and everyday things that start with the same letter to describe it. Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Curious George has been around for quite a while and now H. A. Rey's work has been transformed into Curious George’s ABCs, a new board book. It is a whimsical offering with the capital letter incorporated into the animal or object depicted. Each time the letter appears in the text it is highlighted, and the text uses lots of words beginning with the featured letter--"F is a Fireman Fighting a Fire." 1998 (orig. 1963), Houghton, $5.95. Ages 2 to 5. (PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Boston:), PUBLISHED: c1998.) Professional Recommendation/Review #2: "A is an alligator with its mouth wide open, B is a big blue bird, C is a crab with two clamping claws...." You get the idea. It's never too early to get your babies chewing on books and ruminating on the alphabet, and children of all ages enjoy the company of H.A. Rey's intrepid monkey, Curious George. In this board book, the letter itself mimics the shape of the animal or object in question. The A is actually the gaping jaw of the alligator, the B is the head and body of the big blue bird, and so on. In most of the pictures--not-so-curiously, 26 in all--youngsters will delight in finding a tiny Curious George, just about to get into mischief, no doubt. Adult Curious George fans will get a kick out of sharing their long-time monkey friend with their favorite little chimps, and preschoolers will enjoy the comical illustrations that offer just the right amount of detail to keep things interesting.” Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with both professional reviews. Curious George is very popular in young children and even some adults. I think that this book uses the letters very well to illustrate the words that start with the corresponding letter. Evaluation of Literary Elements: This book uses the popular Curious George to introduce the alphabet. I think it is interesting and helpful that they made the letters into the characters that are illustrated. Consideration of Instructional Application: This book can be used to teach the alphabet along with animals and different everyday things or professions. I think that this book is good because it can keep the kids attention because it is colorful and based on something they most likely enjoy (Curious George).
Even though this is only an ABC book written and illustrated by H.A Rey, it is still a Curious George book and that's what matters to me most. I love the Curious George series because of it's simplicity yet complexity at the same time. There is nothing simple about a monkey name George who acts like a regular human but the things George does are very easy for anyone to understand. This ABC book was not the best i've ever seen nor was it a good representation of the Curious George series. There's no way you can even make a bad ABC book because it's just our alphabet letters in a row with an example word on each page. Your average 1st grader could probably create a fully functioning ABC book in all reality. Sure their words wouldn't be the biggest but at least it makes them think of at least one letter per page. Curious George's ABC book was good for what it was but it might be one of the worst that I have ever come across. Wouldn't suggest for kids.
Curious George's ABCs is a children's reader intended to teach the letters of the alphabet corresponding with animals that start with the same letter. For example: "A is an Alligator with its mouth wide open" or "J is a Jaguar in the Jungle." The animals in the book take the shape of the letter being introduced. The alligator for the letter A has his mouth wide open and "A" is placed inside the mouth of the gator. The illustrations in the book are kept simple but interesting and even a little humorous to keep young readers attention. This book doesn't have much text which reinforces the importance of the bold letter presented on each page. Each page does a good job of highlighting the letter that is trying to be reinforced and taught in big, bold, capitalized, red letters. This book would be recommended for children 0-3 who are just learning to understand the alphabet.
Curious George has always been interesting books to read. I think this is an awesome book to read. It teaches children not only the alphabet but also words that start with them such as "Alligator." When children read this books they will be able to hear the word "Alligator" and remember how to spell it because they had read it in the Curious George book. I like this book more than the Dr. Seuss' ABC book because in Dr. Seuss' book there were a lot of words that were too difficult for kids to pronounce and ones that I believe do not even exist. When I heard someone reading the book to me earlier they even had trouble reading it because there were many tongue twisters that I think are too difficult for young kids. This is why I like this book more because it helps children read normal words first and then they can progress into more difficult texts.
This is an educational/informational book for children in the younger grade levels. This book brought more enjoyment to me because it involves the teaching of the alphabet but in a more fun way because a monkey named George is involved. I would incorporate this book into a preschool or kindergarten lesson because Curious George is perfect for grabbing a child's attention and making them want to learn their ABCs. In the book George takes his readers on an adventure while crossing paths with each letter of the alphabet. Each letter happens to be associated with an animal, for example A is for Alligator, and so on. This book includes a great source of symbolism. Also it makes it easier for children in preschool or kindergarten to remember their letters because they are linked to familiar animals.
Ways to Use Book: * This is such a sweet board book for teaching ABC's. I especially like how many of the pages contained more than one word using that letter and how each of the actual letter were part of the picture. For instance, the "F" was a firefighter holding a hose and the "C" was red and had claws for "crab". * Read it to students and have them play, "Where's Curious George?" * Have students create their own letters in the shape of something that starts with that letter, such as a spotted "J" with whiskers for "jaguar".
Other information: The pages are bright and colorful and the sturdy board book format is perfect for toddlers and young students who tend to manhandle their books.
This book stars the always mischievous George and focuses on the alphabet. Each page includes a letter plus something that starts with that letter. For example, "B is for big, blue bird". The letters on each page mimics the animal or object that is being discussed, which is a great visual for kids. George can be found in most of the pictures in the book. Children will enjoy this fun book that gives them letter practice, while providing interesting illustrations that will grab their attention.
Activity: Students could be assigned a letter or two and have to draw a picture. In the picture, they will have to draw an object or animal that starts with their assigned letter and try to make it mimic the actual assigned letter. Students will have fun drawing illustrations similar to those in the book.
H. A. Rey, Curious George's ABCs (Houghton Mifflin, 1998)
Purists beware: Curious George's ABCs, the Houghton Mifflin board book, is “based on” Rey's 1963 book Curious George Learns the Alphabet. Most of the text has been removed, as well as all of the lowercase letters. Still, as an early primer on letters, it's useful enough, and the capital-letter illustrations are the originals, so you still get some—just not all—of that Rey magic. ** ½
Curious George’s ABCs is about different animals or object George sees related to a specific letter in the alphabet. This would be a good book to read to younger children to introduce the alphabet, for children older children struggling with the letters, or a child that love curious George. Have the older children that are struggling to draw their own ABC book related to what they see at home or in the classroom, after reading this book.
This book main charector is the monkey George and focuses on the alphabet. Each page includes a letter plus something that starts with that letter. For example, "B is for big, blue bird". To help wth the visual of the letter each animal mimcs the sound of the animal. Children will enjoy this fun book that gives them letter practice, while providing interesting illustrations that will grab their attention.
We like this book. It holds his attention and we can get through the entire alphabet in a little board book--very good! The art is clever: it shows the letter imbedded, if you will, in the item it is representing. And it uses alliteration to teach the letter with multiple words: Mister Melvin Mailman and then the M is part of the Mailman's body.
This books best illustrates the English alphabet. Each letter of the alphabet is used to create an illustration of something that begins with that letter. For example, on the cover of the book it shows the letter "A" and has a picture of an alligator. This text creates phonemic awareness for those who are unfamiliar with the English language or struggles with identifying letters in a word.
This book is simple and yet complex. It is a great ABC book that includes great illustrations. Each letter is formed into a part of the picture. For example the C was used for crab claws. This would be fun for children to read and look at. You could play the game where is George and have the children guess where he is.