Curious George by Margret and H.A. Rey

6 Apr

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George was a good little monkey and always very curious…

Curious George by Margret and H.A. Rey was first published in 1941. We have a small collection of the Curious George books and these delightful short stories tell of a curious monkey and a character who cares for him called The Man With The Yellow Hat. Each book sees George getting into mishaps, mischief, and adventures, often getting him into trouble despite not meaning too. His faithful friend and companion The Man With The Yellow Hat often accompanies him and comes to his rescue in some way. The illustrations are colourful, simple, and joyful, helping readers to follow the story.

There is a TV show and film based on the characters which brings it to life for a modern audience. If your children are reluctant to pick up books, perhaps there is a bridge that can crossed here. Show them the books that came before the show, find out about how the stories came to be, and delight in the movie together. It’s a great opportunity to show how books can become animations/movies, and maybe you can discuss the differences and what you like or dislike about both.

Fun fact: If you have seen the movie Forrest Gump, Curious George is the book that his mama reads to him when he is young, and is also the book he reads to his own son.

I love that Curious George goes to many different places in each book. These are little introductions to places and different activities such as the zoo, camping, a chocolate factory, a hot air balloon and many more. These can be great talking points to springboard ideas off of. You could ask the question: how would you feel if you saw what George did? What do you think George should have done instead? What was your favourite part?

Curious George has his own super duper website with games, books, activities and more. This was quite fun to explore so you can interact with these classic stories in new and exciting ways. There is also a helpful biography and a question and answers section about the author and illustrator. I particularly enjoyed this video!