Curious George Gets a Medal [Paperback]

H. A. Rey (Author), Margret Rey (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

After repeatedly disastrous efforts to get himself out of trouble, George becomes the first monkey to go to space.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Children will welcome with great delight this fourth book about the engaging little monkey." Horn Book

About the Author

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: HMH Books; Pap/Cas edition (September 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395891159
• ISBN-13: 978-0395891155
• Product Dimensions: 14 x 9.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,011,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Curious George Fiasco..., March 25, 2000

By 

bethlovesbooks (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Curious George Gets a Medal (Paperback)

The basic storyline is that Curious George gets himself into a heap of trouble, and the more he tries to fix the situation, the worse it gets.

I did not feel that the story advocated George's tactics (stealing, etc.). All of the things that George does are obviously the wrong way of going about things...he doesn't earn the medal for any of his foibles. In fact, when George is caught it says "he felt so ashamed, he almost wished he were dead."

Of course, as in other George stories, the man with the yellow hat shows up to save the day, and he redirects George to a more appropriate use of his intelligence.

It may not be one of the great moral masterpieces of our civilization, but it's vintage Curious George--a classic from a simpler era when everything wasn't hyper analyzed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Curious George gets a Medal by Darius, January 27, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Curious George Gets a Medal (Paperback)

Curious George gets a Medal
Reviewed by Darius
By H.A. Rey

Are you very curious? Than Curious George gets a Medal by H.A. Rey is for you. George is curious and causes some trouble. It is important and extraordinary for youthful children.
George lives on a farm during the fall time. He floods the house and goes to get a pump and lets a whole pen of pigs out. Then the farmers chase him. He gets on a truck that goes to the museum.

I like when George floods the house with water. The illustrations were working with the setting to make it funny. It was really funny and amusing. The one thing I disliked it was really long.

The plot was excellent. The theme was interesting and very good for little children. The setting also helped because the things look real. The theme is don't touch things your not allowed to.

I think George is curious and if you are curious you are made for this book. This book is very funny. I recommend this book for young children.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Adventure in Monkey Mischief, June 15, 2009

By 

Shanna A. Gonzalez "eyelevelbooks.com" (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Curious George Gets a Medal (Paperback)

The Curious George books are part of a larger genre of children's fiction, popular during the 1940's and 50's, of mild-mannered domesticated wild animals. (Other examples of this kind of story are Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, Crictor, and Babar.) This genre plays on the unusual characteristics of these anthropomorphized animals, who are so different from ordinary cat-and-dog pets. While these animals are always goodwilled, their wild nature causes trouble even as they seek to integrate into human society.

Young children have adored the Curious George books since the first one was published in the 1940s, and their popularity remains undiminished in our household. George is a monkey from the Amazon who was captured and brought home by the Man in the Yellow Hat. George happily settles into domestic life, but remains a mischievous monkey who constantly got into trouble, usually by failing to follow instructions from humans. George's appeal is partly that, as a monkey, he is able to do many things young children wish they could do; his disobedience can serve as a humorous example of what not to do while providing excitement and adventure. And at the end of the day, the Man with the Yellow Hat is always there to bail him out in the nick of time.

In this story, George's troubles begin when the Man with the Yellow Hat leaves him at home, admonishing him not to get into trouble; George receives a letter which he cannot read; then he attempts to write a letter, spills the ink, fills the room with soap and water in an attempt to clean it up, then makes off for the country to swipe a pump to empty the room. He releases a herd of pigs and steals a cow to tow the pump away, then flees the farmers by stowing away on a pickup truck headed for the museum. There he wrecks a dinosaur exhibit and is about to be carted off to the dreaded zoo when the Man with the Yellow hat arrives to explain everything. It turns out the director of the museum is the author of the letter that began George's troubles, and the letter invites him to become the first monkey to go into space. George agrees, all is forgiven, and he receives a medal for his courageous participation in the space program.

All of the original Curious George books are good, but like many other classic children's books, this one has a number of poor-quality sequels. I recommend only the original seven.