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H. A. Rey
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The Original Curious George Hardcover – Picture Book, October 26, 1998

by H. A. Rey (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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On June 14, 1940, Hans and Margret Rey fled Paris as the German army invaded the city. Escaping on bicycles, they took only winter coats and four picture books strapped to the racks. Among those books were the watercolors and a rough text for Fifi, later known to the world as Curious George. However, when Curious George was actually published in the United States in 1941, these original watercolors were not used for the printing. Hans Rey was required by his editor to redraw the entire book, creating preseparated art, so that costs would be minimal. The Reys retained the original art and would, on rare occasion, treat carefully chosen friends and collectors to George as he was first envisioned in Paris those many years ago. During their lifetimes they parted with only five pieces of the extraordinary art. For this edition, the original Curious George drawings have been retrieved and reassembled, using modern reproductive techniques.
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  1. Reading age
    4 - 7 years
  2. Print length
    64 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Dimensions
    8.75 x 0.46 x 10.5 inches
  6. Publisher
    HMH Books for Young Readers
  7. Publication date
    October 26, 1998
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As the introduction explains, the watercolor paintings that accompany this special edition of the very first Curious George story made their way out of Paris on the back of Hans Rey's bicycle, as he and his wife, Margaret, narrowly escaped the German occupation. By way of Spain and Brazil, Rey and his work came to the United States, where cash-strapped children's publishers always required "color separation" art--i.e., a different drawing for each color. So Rey's watercolors were not used, and for subsequent books he never even did them; only now, for the first time, has that first set been used directly. Otherwise, it's the story you probably already know, though a bit more luxuriously produced, about how Curious George came to make life a lot more interesting for the Man in the Yellow Hat. (Ages 3 to 8) --Richard Farr

About the Author

H. A. Rey and his wife, Margret, first introduced the world to the bighearted, fun-loving, mischievous hero Curious George in 1941, and young readers have been in love with him ever since. Curious George has been successfully adapted into a major motion picture and an Emmy-winning television show on PBS, and Pretzel and the Puppies, based on their picture books, is a streaming series on Apple TV+. curiousgeorge.com; pretzelandthepuppies.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0395922720
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HMH Books for Young Readers; Collectors edition (October 26, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 64 pages
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 7 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 0.46 x 10.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

About the author

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H. A. Rey

H. A. Rey

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Hans Augusto Rey was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1898. As a child, he spent much of his free time in that city's famous Hagenbeck Zoo drawing animals. After serving in the army during World War I, he studied philology and natural science at the University of Hamburg. He then married Margret Rey and they moved to Montmartre for four years. The manuscript for the first Curious George books was one of the few items the Reys carried with them on their bicycles when they escaped from Paris in 1940. Eventually, they made their way to the United States, and Curious George was published in 1941. Curious George has been published in many languages, including French, German, Japanese, Afrikaans, and Norwegian. Additional Curious George books followed, as well as such other favorites as CECILY G. AND THE NINE MONKEYS and FIND THE CONSTELLATIONS.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
48 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

AGP
5.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgia
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed reading this classic story to my daughter. Takes me back to when my mother read this to me!
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W. Ray
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2019
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It reminds us of our childhood. The grandkids and great grandkids were very pleased. It's a great addition to our children's library.
3 people found this helpful
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Joyce E. Eddy
5.0 out of 5 stars What a find!
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2010
Verified Purchase
An original Curious George book is a special find and this one is in pristine condition, minus the notations from the New York Public Library from which it was deleted. It is authentically original, which is obvious from the feel of the paper and the type of ink used. I bought it for an inexpensive gift, but want to keep it for myself!
7 people found this helpful
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v jepp
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Curious George Style
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2012
Verified Purchase
Great set of books, my two year old granddaughter, just wouldn't put them down when she came to visit. I had to buy a second set to send home with her. She really love the ABC book. Can't damage a board book too much.
One person found this helpful
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R. Word
5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter is going to love having this special volume of Curious George
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
It came on time and was as described. My daughter is going to love having this special volume of Curious George. She always picks out Curious George books at the library.
One person found this helpful
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J E Dwyer Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars bought for my nephew.
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
bought for my nephew. Here loves Curious George
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2018
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Great book!
One person found this helpful
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LtTawnyMadison
4.0 out of 5 stars A classic that doesn't need censoring or modernizing
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2010
THIS EDITION:
I compared the original watercolors in this special edition with the 'pre-separated' illustrations used in the original publication of Curious George. I am an artist and I have to say I actually like the original (pre-separated) illustrations better. They are more crisp, clean and consistent. The watercolors seem kind of sloppy by comparison, and more like sketches than like finished illustrations. Great to have if you are a Curious George collector though.

CURIOUS GEORGE, THE BOOK:
Some reviewers feel this and other CG stories aren't good for today's kids, or have said their children reacted badly to them. I was born in '71 and loved all the original Curious George books. I am extremely sensitive and I love animals, but the stories didn't have any negative effect on me. My 2.5 yr old daughter really likes the books; she is very empathetic also and didn't react badly to anything in them.

Re: pipe smoking and other dangers - I certainly never noticed the smoking in the book or thought that because people in it (or any other book/movie) were doing it I should too. I 'smoked' candy cigarettes as a kid in the '70s, yet I have never had a desire to smoke. I also have never wanted to fly off a boat, be in a movie, or a hundred other things George does. And the main message of all the books is one of the main things children must learn: try to control your impulses because they can lead to trouble. Don't act without thinking. Don't try to fly off a boat because you will almost drown like George did! If you eat a puzzle piece you might have to go to the hospital like George did! Etc. A secondary but equally important message is that even when you do get into 'mischief' people will still love you (and will not abandon you, as the man in the yellow hat does in the 2006 animated movie Curious George).

Re: George's capture - If you don't like George's capture but let your kids go to the zoo, that's hypocritical. I hope you are instead telling them how wrong the zoo is because they do worse things to capture animals than what happened to George. (Google "Animal Capture Equipment.") And to those who equate the prison and the zoo, just look at the two illustrations: A dark cell with a bit of cheese, vs. a tree in the middle of a sunny open island (not a cage)? I wish all zoos kept all their monkeys this way. Anyway, it's clear from the later stories that George doesn't stay at the zoo for long. He goes to live with the MWTYH. I agree sending George to jail doesn't make any sense; nor does sending him to a human hospital rather than a vet. But, such is the realm of fiction. I always enjoyed reading about how he escaped from the jail. And in fact the Jewish authors fled Europe at the outbreak of WWII.

I wrote this because I was really floored by the content of the negative reviews for this edition and also for  The Original Curious George . No wonder we are raising "A Nation of Wimps" as the upcoming generation is now being called and with good reason. Kids are breaking down in record numbers. The over-involvement and overprotection of helicopter parenting is backfiring. And it's little things like this that contribute. I don't really agree with those who say "It's just a children's book." Children are very impressionable, it's true. But to what degree are we to control those impressions? Probably more than our grandparents or maybe even parents did, but definitely less than this generation of parents is doing. There is a balance without which we're crippling our kids.

P.S. My daughter also loves the stop-motion animated versions of "Curious George" and "CG Goes to the Hospital" ( Curious George (Collector's Edition) ) which follow the books very closely. (One change I did notice is that George's pipe smoking is done behind the man's back and makes him sick. Good way to handle that scene.) And this video is WAY better than the 2006 animated movie.
24 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

piranha
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Nanny
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
A special book for my special grandchildren. So happy with this purchase
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