Curious George

 Review

Common Sense Media says

George's antics will have kids laughing.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that George's antics will have kids laughing. The writing is simple and direct, and the art is charming in this adventure tale. Some kids may be a little troubled by George's sad expression when he's whisked away from home -- as well as when he lands in jail for accidentally calling the fire department. Reassure them that they won't get locked up for minor infractions.

  • George makes a prank call about a fire, smokes a pipe, and steals some balloons.
  • George is captured and taken away from his home, falls overboard and needs to be rescued, and spends some time in prison.

What's the story?

What happens when you take a curious monkey out of the jungle and set him loose in the big city? When the monkey is Curious George, the answer is chaos ... and a whole lot of fun! It's one adventure after another until he is arrives happily at the zoo.

 


Is it any good?

 

George's insatiable curiosity -- and children's understanding of what could go wrong -- make this book such a fun read. "My baby brother does that!" one 6-year-old exclaimed at the pictures of George dialing the phone. "He doesn't know any better," a 5-year-old boy said -- and he explained, to his mother's relief, "After all, he's a monkey!"

Author/illustrator H. A. Rey takes care to fill every other page with a colorful cartoonlike drawing. One outstanding picture shows an aerial view of George holding balloons and floating over the city. However, sometimes a series of thumbnail pictures appears on one page and confuses young children. "Are there three monkeys?" one 4-year-old asked.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how George keeps getting into trouble. Parents may want to talk about consequences. For example, why is George in such serious trouble after the fire-station incident? What would happen if you accidentally summoned a fire truck in real life?


This review was written by Mary Dixon Weidler
Teen, 14 years old
February 12, 2011
 
Great book for kids. Your kids will laugh right out of their chair
Great starter book for children. When I was younger, I would laugh my head off when George got in trouble and all the mistakes he would make.

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Teen, 14 years old
July 8, 2010
 
smokes a pipe!!!!

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Parent
February 18, 2010
 
Too mature for my toddler.
This is the very original origin story of Curious George and the man in the yellow hat meeting originally published in 1941 which is very different than the origin story portrayed in the 2006 movie Curious George. Children born in the 21rst century and their parents who are familiar with the Curious George and man in the yellow hat from the 2006, 2009, 2010, movies; the PBS math/science television series, and the Curious George stories created in the last 30 years will find this early 20th century story disturbing in some parts. The man in the yellow hat traps and kidnaps George against his will in Africa for a zoo in America. There is a perilous incident where George almost drowns in the ocean on the voyage to America. There is tobacco pipe smoking by both George and the man in the yellow hat in different parts of the story. George goes to prison for accidentally calling the fire department when playing around with the phone. George is never wanted or adopted by the man in the yellow hat, but put in the zoo after he is recaptured from his escape from prison.

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Teen, 15 years old
August 20, 2009
 
Very good book, George goes to prison though
It's a good book. I'm really into Curious George and Monk. I've read it a few times.

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Parent of 7 and 9 year old
March 14, 2010
 
Not just for kids...
Every night we have a read aloud. We read two books, and if they're good, they can have a snack before bed. Twice a week one of us will have to read Curious George. Truth be told, we love his antics, too.

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Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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This review was written by Mary Dixon Weidler
Author:H. A. Rey
Illustrator:H. A. Rey
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Adventure
Publisher:Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
Publication date:February 1, 1973
Number of pages:48
Paperback price:$5.95
Publisher's recommended age(s):4 - 7

This review was written by Mary Dixon Weidler
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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