Meet Curious George Saturday 12 February 2011
Meet Curious George at Parry Sound Books
On Saturday February 12th there will be a special visitor at Parry Sound Books. Curious George will be with us between 10:00 and 11:30 in the morning and 1:00-2:30 in the afternoon to greet the children who come to play that day. We will have balloons and colouring sheets and other treats, and we will read some stories about Curious George – we will have some fun.
Curious George is a curious little monkey, created in 1941 by H. A. Rey, he has continued to be a favourite of parents and children ever since. I believe that the Curious George stories are essential for the home bookshelves of every child. These books are wonderful to read aloud to children at an early age, and they will become the books those children will begin to read on their own when they are ready. They are as perfect now as they were so many years ago.
The beauty of Curious George is that he is just as curious as a young child. He is discovering the world with a natural uninhibited curiosity. Of course, this means that sometimes, often in the case of George, things have a tendency to get out of hand! There are accidents - and sometimes (usually) things get worse before they get better. But - they always do get better and George always does try to do his very best to make it better, because he truly didn't mean to cause a problem!
Children who grow up with Curious George will know, never, to take hold of a whole bunch of balloons, or you may lift up into the sky. When you read Curious George Rides a Bike you will learn how to make boats out of newspaper. In Curious George Goes to the Hospital you will learn not to eat puzzle pieces. This is a book I recommend for children facing hospitalization for minor surgery - because just as in all of the other Curious George books, things turn out alright in the end, and there are very clear and simple descriptions and illustrations of the procedures usual before surgery.
The story of the creation of Curious George is a fascinating one, told to us in The Journey That Saved Curious George. His creators, Hans and Margret Rey, were both Jews born in Germany, and they lived an adventurous life. They lived for some time in Rio de Janeiro where they married before returning to Europe for a long honeymoon trip. While living in France they began doing sketches of a giraffe for a French newspaper. The publishers liked the original drawings so much they asked them to work on a children's book. The result was Cecily G and the 9 Monkeys, and it was here that we meet Curious George for the first time.
The Reys decided that Curious George should have a book of his own, so they began work on a manuscript that featured this lovable and exceedingly curious little monkey. The rise of the Nazi party, however, forced the Reys to make the decision to leave France. Hans and Margret left on bicycles in June 1940, taking very few possessions - 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 gone. They rode their bicycles to 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, where they began a whole new life as children’s book authors.
For seventy years Curious George has been capturing the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world. Don't let the children you know grow up without Curious George!
Treat yourself to the charm of this curious little monkey, and join him for some fun at Parry Sound Books.