Curious George's First Day of School [Paperback]

H. A. Rey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Curious George

It’s the first day of school and George has been invited to Mr. Apple’s class to be a special helper! George is just the right monkey for the job—that is, until he starts to make his usual mischief. A mixture of red and yellow paint makes orange . . . a mixture of yellow and blue makes green. . . . and a mixture of all the paint colors makes a big mess! After a speedy adventure up and down the halls of the school, George and Mr. Apple clean up the classroom—with a little help from George’s new friends.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The Reys were born in Hamburg, Germany. Hans Augusto Rey (1898-1977) met his wife-to-be, Margret (1906-1996), at a party in her father's home in Germany; when he first caught a glimpse of her, she was sliding down the banister. In their twenties and thirties they lived in Paris and in Rio de Janeiro, where Hans sold bathtubs in villages along the Amazon River. Eventually Cambridge, Massachusetts, became the Reys' home and community. Throughout their lives the Reys created many lively books together, including SPOTTY, PRETZEL, and lift-the-flap books such as HOW DO YOU GET THERE? The manuscript of 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. Their incorrigible little monkey has become an American icon, selling millions of books and capturing the hearts of readers everywhere. 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.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 24 pages
• Publisher: HMH Books; 1 edition (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618605649
• ISBN-13: 978-0618605644
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Apes & Monkeys > Fiction
  • #41 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > School & Education
  • #45 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Apes & Monkeys

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unimpressive new Curious George story, February 13, 2009

By 

raboof "Lauren in Tokyo" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Curious George's First Day of School (Paperback)

This book, written relatively recently and drawn by Anna Grossnickle Hines pales in comparison to the longer and more involved stories of Curious George from Rey's early portfolio. George faces no serious crisis, and his curiosity is unportrayed.

The story begins with George and his friend eating breakfast and preparing to go to school. Where the story could have used this situation to explore the anxiety of first-time school children, the author simply puts George in the position of teacher's assistant. Then, the kids all play happily and George helps them. To this point, the story is wholly uninteresting, unfortunately.

What happens next is the typical "George gets curious" plot point, except that George doesn't seem curious about what he is doing. He mixes paints to make new colors and ends up making a big mess. He is never really portrayed as being curious about what colors are to be created, nor is he very curious about anything else.

After the mess, the teacher does nothing of importance, neither scolding George for his curiosity nor assuring him that everything is fine. Of course George feels like he needs to help, so he goes straight to the janitor's closet to get a mop and ends up spilling water everywhere. Again, George is not portrayed as curious, only bumbling.

In the end, all the kids feel sorry for George and help him clean up the mess. George gets the praise of the principal and janitor and everyone goes home happy.

The story is short, trite, and not true to the Curious George character. I did not like the book. It is a pale shadow of other Curious George books like Curious George goes to the Hospital and Curious George Takes a Job. It's not terrible, but it really doesn't have much going for it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard to read on Kindle, November 5, 2010

By 

S. Bates (NC, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Curious George's First Day of School (Kindle Edition)

I have the Kindle edition of this book (It's great to be able to take the Kindle places and read stories to my daughter). Unlike other Curious George books I have on kindle, the print is very small and cannot be enlarged.

The story itself was OK and my daughter enjoyed it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars small print, December 9, 2010

By 

judith m. duggan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Curious George's First Day of School (Kindle Edition)

While the story itself is fine, neither my niece nor I were unable to read this kindle version because the print is SO small and is not adjustable. Very disappointed.