Customer Reviews

Cecily G. and the 9 Monkeys (Curious George)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book has charming illustrations of Curious George and his siblings. It's actually the first book George ever appeared in. I think it can be enjoyed simply for that, keeping in mind it was written in simpler times before childrens' books were analyzed for political correctness. A previous review slashed this book saying the monkeys were cruel to the giraffe....I've never seen it that way, nor have the kids who I've read it to. See for yourself. If you're a fan of Curious George you'll enjoy seeing his debut.

Cecily loves her new family of monkey children and tries to make them as happy as she can. It's fun seeing how happy Curious George was before he was kidnapped by the man with the yellow hat and carted off from the jungle to New York. He had a wonderful large family, of which he was a beloved member. When I read this to my second grade class, they were upset that he had been taken from them. I reminded them that anyone of them can write the book that takes George home again. And that's what's great about imagination! I like this book quite a bit, even though the giraffe is a bit too accomodating about what she will allow the monkey to do. But what they think up, and what she does, are very imaginative and warm.

At first, I thought George was on his own. I had no idea at all George lived with a girraffe and 8 monkeys. Eventhough it says it's made in 1942, it was really written in Europe in 1939. If you wanna see George's family again, I'm writing a book called Curious George and Johnny. I got this book at Waldenbooks in the Sunvalley Mall, as part of a huge H.A. Rey treasury. It was so cool when they used Cecily as a boat,bridge,mountain,eeter totter and harp. There was only one problem: I could not tell which monkey's which. They all look eactly the same. The main reason I like this book is because George was in it. And one more thing, my dad suggested the reason George wasn't with his family at the beginning of Curious George, is because he wanted to take a day off and do something out of this world.

This is a clever, witty, and ultimately cheerful book about how a Giraffe and nine monkeys unexpectedly help each other. Published in 1946, it's the first book featuring "Curious George." George was eventually taken from his habitat by the kind man in the yellow hat, but here we see George with his Mother and seven siblings. The book is filled with both verbal and visual humor (the nine monkeys all sleep together in a gigantically long giraffe bed). The giraffe helps the monkeys play by volunteering to play as a slide, a teeter-totter, and a sailboat. In all of these scenarios, the giraffe volunteers to play, is asked nicely to play, or looks pleased. There's one funny scene where the monkeys make a pair of stilts for Cecily, who is described as "terribly excited" (not coerced). In some deft self-referential humor, Rey draws the giraffe on the stilts "so high the page isn't big enough to show all of her."

There is only one slightly dissonant note in the book, when the monkeys have tied strings between Cecily's head and outstretched legs to make a harp. For some reason, Cecily's smile looks forced, and the array of strings make her look tied up. Moreover, while Cecily does not object, neither does she explicitly give her permission for this activity. Other than this possibly flawed scene (given the tone of the book, undoubtedly inadvertent), I see only mutual support and friendship. It is also possible that a young reader who is familiar only with the later Curious George books may be upset to know that Curious George apparently left a rather large family behind (I don't know how--or even whether--the author dealt with this in some later book), but you can judge whether this will be troublesome for your audience. Here, however, George and family happily make a new home with the giraffe (after saving her house), and the formerly lonely giraffe has a house full of new friends. This is a creative (but apparently overlooked) book that shows how imagination (and a long neck) can bridge the distance between strangers and lead to fun and mutual help.

THis book with the CD is a treasure. My grandson loves reading along with it even though he's just turned 3. He listens and turns the pages when the tone sounds. I think the reader on the CD and the sounds of the story keep him going. Of course, he likes it when I read to him too. I think having the CD is great..keeps him occupied too!

I know many of you are going to complain about my lack of imagination, I take the book too seriously. I have read many many books to preschoolers, I grabbed this one up used at a yard sale. And when I came home and started reading it, I was not impressed. Cecily allows the monkeys to do all sorts of odd things to him, As mentioned, Tie him to a tree by his neck, ect.... in this reviewers opinion it is not appropriate for young readers. It crosses the line from cute and just for fun to Cecily allowing the monkeys to treat him in an inappropriate manner just to have friends to play with. I really enjoy many of the authors other books, but this one does nothing for me. I put my copy in the trash.

The images of Cecily Giraffe were so much a part of my childhood (in the 1940s) that to this day I think of a tall, narrow house as a Giraffe House. I was overjoyed to discover that this wonderful book is still available, and I plan to give copies to all the children on my gift list. How can you not smile at a Giraffe making herself into a bridge, a see-saw, or a slide for her little monkey friends? And how can you not rejoice when she is rewarded by their help when she needs it most! The concept of a Giraffe taking off her skin (and wearing a bathrobe while it dries) is ridiculous (a word which means full of giggles).

Now what I'd really like to see is a book or a movie in which Curious George comes across Cecily G again in the city zoo, and rescues her. Maybe he and the man with the yellow hat could even build her a new giraffe house.

My kids and now my granchildren love this story. The kids are fascinated by the monkeys. It is a treasured classic that I remember being presented on Captain Kangaroo. For me the tale presents a positive concept of sadness and happiness for children.I bought this hard cover edition for my grandkids. They keep it in their bookcase. I am sure we will be enjoying story time for many years to come.

Can you imagine yourself all alone without any family or friends? Cecily the Giraffe finds herself in this situation after her family and friends are taken away to a zoo. She, of course, is very sad, but soon things change quickly for her when a group of monkeys, which includes Curious George, become her friends. Cecily soon finds herself busy having many great adventures with her new friends. Quickly a strong bond is formed between her and the monkeys that stands strong even in the midst of difficult times.

I bought this book for a friend named Cecily. It's a cute little story about Curious George (before he was his own celebrity). I don't really get some of the complaints in the other reviews.

We don't own this book for ourselves but it was a very well-received gift! :D