Review This! Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat

I don't know whether to say Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary, because each one of them would be correct. Curious George is still looking really good and he's only 75 years old! 

Curious George books have been making children happy for a long time.  They have been favorites of children since 1941.  Margret and Hans Augusto Rey were the author and illustrator of the books. They fled France, on home made bicycles, carrying the manuscripts for the first Curious George book with them. In those times, only H.A. Rey was credited with the work on Curious George because there were already a large number of children's books written by female authors.  Even then, marketing was everything and giving the credit to Hans, seemed to give Curious George more "attention".  As he (Curious George) became well known in the literature world of children, credit was given back to Margret and Hans was cast as the illustrator.

  

The Original Curious GeorgeCurious George Around Town (6 Volume Set)The Complete Adventures of Curious George: 70th Anniversary Edition

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The original book started with George's capture in Africa by the man with the Yellow Hat. He takes George on a voyage to the 'Big City" where he will live in the zoo.

Much to George's dismay, zoo life was not for him and he escapes.  But George and the Man in the Yellow Hat (who never has a name) are reunited and thus begins all of George's adventures.

In 1947 George gets a job.  In 1952 he learns to ride a bike, in 1957 he get a medal and so his adventures are all about things that would interest and garner the attention of post war children.  Three more books would follow, George Flies a Kite (1958) Curious George Learns the Alphabet (1963) and Curious George goes to the Hospital (1966).  The years were full of changes and prosperity and relative peacefulness.  So the world as a whole was much more relaxed.  Stories of George and his antics were welcomed stories, read to children everywhere.

George and his "man in the yellow hat" are really almost like a father and son.  The man,  as he is referred to in many of the tales, takes George into situations where he will learn something new.  While the original Curious George was only made into 7 different stories, the publishing company adapted several of the Telefilm series into books edited by Margret Rey.  Most of these are out of print, but had been re-released with some new cover art. (For you collectors, keep your eyes open for these 1984-1993.)

A third series called the New Adventures of Curious George appeared in 1998, and still continues to the present day.  New illustrators continue the art work in the same vein as was started by Hans Rey. Children all over the world still seem to love Curious George.

Since his original release, Curious George stories have been made into  two  movie shorts.  He has been featured at water-parks, a Christmas film, and video games.  In 2010 Curious George was still being used for a live-action/computer-animated series.  Public Broadcasting Systems loves Curious George and you can still see him on their PBS channels.   To this day, there is still one toy store that carries everything "Curious George" and that is in Cambridge Mass.  If you get a chance, go for a visit, I'm sure that some childhood memories will be rekindled.


The Only Curious George Store , Cambridge Mass.

Photo credit: http://www.massvacation.com/

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Childrens Classics ~ Book Reviews

Grandson Jacob reading a storybook

The dictionary defines 'classic' as something of enduring significance.  In literature, a classic work is generally considered to be of the highest excellence ~ a work recognized as definitive in its field.

In the field of children's books, there are dozens of stories whose origins go back many years and are still considered favorites today.  

• If you were to go back to ancient times, probably the most well-known is 'Aesop's Fables'.  
• In the early 1700s, the most famous stories today remain 'Gulliver's Travels, Robinson Crusoe, and the Tales of Mother Goose.   
• Nineteenth century writers brought us more than four dozen stories considered 'classics' to this day, such as The Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, Black Beauty, Heidi and Little Women.

Here's a few modern children's classics from 20th century authors that are most special to me... and some fascinating facts about the authors.

Winnie-the-Pooh... and Friends!

A.A. Milne's beloved Winnie-the-Pooh character has been delighting children since 1926. The author's son, Christopher, was the inspiration for Pooh Bear's buddy, Christopher Robin.  I loved these stories so much that I even named my first-born son Christopher.

The author began his Pooh Bear stories initially just to entertain his son ... and they became 'words of wisdom' and expressions of love & affection for generations of children. 


Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood delighted our generation and that of our parents. Now our children can snuggle under the covers and listen to the timeless adventures of Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and Christopher Robin!


For over 90 years, Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood have delighted each generation of children... and, of course, the grown ups who get to read the stories to little ones...

Winnie the Pooh 90th Anniversary Edition on Amazon.

Winnie the Pooh quotes have become famous.... the one below says it all ~

“Friendship," said Christopher Robin, "is a very comforting thing to have."
                                                   ~A.A. Milne

Dr. Seuss' Favorite Cat! 

 

It's the "Cat in the Hat" of course!

The Cat in the Hat changed the way our children learn how to read with fun rhyming words. 

How the 'Cat-in-the-Hat' Came About

Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) wrote 'The Cat in the Hat' in 1957 at the request of the educational division of Houghton Mifflin publishers who were looking for a more entertaining primer for early childhood literacy because the current ones (such as the Dick and Jane series) were ineffective.

Geisel tells the story of being frustrated with the word list from which he could choose words to write his story, so he decided to scan the list and create a story based on the first two words he found that rhymed. The words he found were cat and hat.

 

Bambi

Of all the classic stories made famous by Disney, Bambi is the best. I watched the Bambi movie as a child, then took my children to see it. Now my children take my grandchildren. Both the Bambi storybooks and the movie are truly classics.


Since 1942, Bambi and his friends Thumper the Rabbit and Flower the Skunk have been animation favorites, one of the 10 best animation classics of all time.

The story was originally adapted for film from the book "Bambi, a Life in the Woods" written by Felix Salten in 1923. 

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams – 1922

 

“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you.'

     ― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit   

 

This is the story of a stuffed rabbit and his desire to become real through the love of his owner.  I think it's one of the sweetest fairy tales ever written.

Check out this special 75th Anniversary edition of the Velveteen Rabbit with its original story and artwork of a classic tale first told in 1922.

According to an online poll taken in 2007, this book is one of the National Education Association's  "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children. 

Curious George by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey

 

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"This is George. He lived in Africa. 

 He was a good little monkey, and always very curious."

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With these words, the tales of a curious monkey named George began.....
 
Curious George was brought from his home in Africa by "The Man with The Yellow Hat" to live with him in a big city. The first book in the series (Cecily G and the Nine Monkeys) was published in France in 1939.

The story was written by Margret Rey and illustrated by H.A. Rey.  As wartime approached France, the couple fled Paris in June 1940, on self-made bicycles, carrying the Curious George manuscript with them.

The Curious George series of books have been adapted into several television series and films and each book has been in continuous print since first published.

Classic Children's' Tales

Grandsons Tyler & David - reading!

These classic stories of a honey bear, a special rabbit, a curious monkey, a sweet deer fawn and a funny cat are instantly recognized by children today and have become 'classics' in the world of children's literature. 

Whether reading a classic tale or any favorite story, children everywhere love books.  My two youngest grandchildren, David (6) and Tyler (18 months) enjoy reading every day. 

For more reviews of children's books, check out 

ReviewThisReviews: Book Reviews

(c) Published 11/28/15. By Wednesday Elf

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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