What do you think?
The H. A. Rey Treasury of Stories
From the author of the Curious George series comes this collection of four humorous and marvelously illustrated stories:
Tit for Tat concerns kindness to animals and portrays a place where horses ride in carriages drawn by men and women, fish catch humans, cows lasso cowboys, and dogs walk people.
Elizabite: Adventures of a Carnivorous Plant uses rhyming couplets to recount the humorous antics of a hungry plant in a botanist's laboratory.
Billy's Picture, a tale of art and individualism, tells of Billy the Bunny's attempts to paint a picture. Each of his friends has a different idea about how it should look―and they all want to help. (co-written with Margret Rey)
Zebrology offers a wordless celebration of the common ground that lies beneath appearances.
Tit for Tat concerns kindness to animals and portrays a place where horses ride in carriages drawn by men and women, fish catch humans, cows lasso cowboys, and dogs walk people.
Elizabite: Adventures of a Carnivorous Plant uses rhyming couplets to recount the humorous antics of a hungry plant in a botanist's laboratory.
Billy's Picture, a tale of art and individualism, tells of Billy the Bunny's attempts to paint a picture. Each of his friends has a different idea about how it should look―and they all want to help. (co-written with Margret Rey)
Zebrology offers a wordless celebration of the common ground that lies beneath appearances.
- GenresChildrens
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 2015
About the author
H.A. Rey
597 books222 followersHans Augusto Rey was born on September 16, 1898, in Hamburg, Germany. He grew up there near the world-famous Hagenbeck Zoo, and developed a lifelong love for animals and drawing. Margarete Elisabeth Waldstein (who would be known to most of the world as Margret Rey) was also born in Hamburg on May 16, 1906. The two met briefly when Margret was a young girl, before she left Hamburg to study art. They were reunited in 1935 in Rio de Janeiro, where Hans was selling bathtubs as part of a family business and Margret was escaping the political climate in Germany. Margret convinced Hans to leave the family business, and soon they were working together on a variety of projects.
Hans and Margret were married in Brazil on August 16, 1935, and they moved to Paris after falling in love with the city during their European honeymoon. It was there that Hans published his first children’s book, after a French publisher saw his newspaper cartoons of a giraffe and asked him to expand upon them. Raffy and the Nine Monkeys (Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys in the British and American editions) was the result, and it marked the debut of a mischievous monkey named Curious George.
After Raffy and the Nine Monkeys was published, the Reys decided that Curious George deserved a book of his own, so they began work on a manuscript that featured the lovable and exceedingly curious little monkey. But the late 1930s and early ’40s were a tumultuous time in Europe, and before the new manuscript could be published, the Reys—both German Jews—found themselves in a horrible situation. Hitler and his Nazi party were tearing through Europe, and they were poised to take control of Paris.
Knowing that they must escape before the Nazis took power, Hans cobbled together two bicycles out of spare parts. Early in the morning of June 14, 1940, the Reys set off on their bicycles. They brought very little with them on their predawn flight — 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 on their way out. They rode their makeshift bicycles for four long days until reaching 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, beginning a whole new life as children’s book authors.
Curious George was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, and for sixty years these books have been capturing the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world. All the Curious George books, including the seven original stories by Margret and Hans, have sold more than twenty-five million copies. So popular that his original story has never been out of print, George has become one of the most beloved and recognizable characters in children’s literature. His adventures have been translated into many languages, including Japanese, French, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Swedish, German, Chinese, Danish, and Norwegian.
Although both of the Reys have passed away — Hans in 1977 and Margret in 1996—George lives on in the Curious George Foundation. Established in 1989, this foundation funds programs for children that share Curious George’s irresistible qualities—ingenuity, opportunity, determination, and curiosity in learning and exploring. Much consideration is given to programs that benefit animals, through preservation as well as the prevention of cruelty to animals. The foundation supports community outreach programs that emphasize the importance of family, from counseling to peer support groups.
Hans and Margret were married in Brazil on August 16, 1935, and they moved to Paris after falling in love with the city during their European honeymoon. It was there that Hans published his first children’s book, after a French publisher saw his newspaper cartoons of a giraffe and asked him to expand upon them. Raffy and the Nine Monkeys (Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys in the British and American editions) was the result, and it marked the debut of a mischievous monkey named Curious George.
After Raffy and the Nine Monkeys was published, the Reys decided that Curious George deserved a book of his own, so they began work on a manuscript that featured the lovable and exceedingly curious little monkey. But the late 1930s and early ’40s were a tumultuous time in Europe, and before the new manuscript could be published, the Reys—both German Jews—found themselves in a horrible situation. Hitler and his Nazi party were tearing through Europe, and they were poised to take control of Paris.
Knowing that they must escape before the Nazis took power, Hans cobbled together two bicycles out of spare parts. Early in the morning of June 14, 1940, the Reys set off on their bicycles. They brought very little with them on their predawn flight — 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 on their way out. They rode their makeshift bicycles for four long days until reaching 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, beginning a whole new life as children’s book authors.
Curious George was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, and for sixty years these books have been capturing the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world. All the Curious George books, including the seven original stories by Margret and Hans, have sold more than twenty-five million copies. So popular that his original story has never been out of print, George has become one of the most beloved and recognizable characters in children’s literature. His adventures have been translated into many languages, including Japanese, French, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Swedish, German, Chinese, Danish, and Norwegian.
Although both of the Reys have passed away — Hans in 1977 and Margret in 1996—George lives on in the Curious George Foundation. Established in 1989, this foundation funds programs for children that share Curious George’s irresistible qualities—ingenuity, opportunity, determination, and curiosity in learning and exploring. Much consideration is given to programs that benefit animals, through preservation as well as the prevention of cruelty to animals. The foundation supports community outreach programs that emphasize the importance of family, from counseling to peer support groups.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 12, 2015
'The H.A. Rey Treasury of Stories' is a good introduction for people who only know his work from the Curious George series. The works included here are all fairly silly and I think young kids would love them.
In 'Tit For Tat' we get a lesson in doing unto others as we'd have them do to us. We see things like a carriage driver and a horse change places on Uncle Appleface's TURN-A-VISION SET. We also see other humans and animals changing places like storks and humans or dogs walking humans.
In 'Elizabite' we meet an adorable little carnivorous plant that soon grows up to be a little more than her owner and a hapless burglar can handle.
In 'Billy's Picture' all Billy Bunny wants to do is draw a picture of himself, but all his animal friends come along and add their particular "improvements" to the picture to a very comical to us and distressing to Billy effect.
'Zebrology' shows one way that zebras may have gotten their stripes in a wordless story. Adults will get some of the humor that will go over most kid's heads.
The art is very familiar looking to those who love Curious George. The pictures are colorful with lots of use of the primary tones. The drawings are playful and friendly and downright silly at times, and I think the book would get lots of giggles from young readers. I enjoyed reading this ebook.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun ebook.
In 'Tit For Tat' we get a lesson in doing unto others as we'd have them do to us. We see things like a carriage driver and a horse change places on Uncle Appleface's TURN-A-VISION SET. We also see other humans and animals changing places like storks and humans or dogs walking humans.
In 'Elizabite' we meet an adorable little carnivorous plant that soon grows up to be a little more than her owner and a hapless burglar can handle.
In 'Billy's Picture' all Billy Bunny wants to do is draw a picture of himself, but all his animal friends come along and add their particular "improvements" to the picture to a very comical to us and distressing to Billy effect.
'Zebrology' shows one way that zebras may have gotten their stripes in a wordless story. Adults will get some of the humor that will go over most kid's heads.
The art is very familiar looking to those who love Curious George. The pictures are colorful with lots of use of the primary tones. The drawings are playful and friendly and downright silly at times, and I think the book would get lots of giggles from young readers. I enjoyed reading this ebook.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun ebook.
Want to Read
April 16, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
March 26, 2015
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
How many people who are readers today did NOT read the Curious George books when they were young? Not too many, I would guess. But how many of you are aware that the creator(s) of Curious George wrote and illustrated other children's stories as well? The H.A. Rey Treasury of stories features four short, illustrated stories for children by H.A. and Margaret Rey.
The first story, "Tit for Tat," is a short little parable to get children to be kind to animals by turning the tables. If offers a 'what if/do unto others' idea. For instance, first we see a horse pulling a carriage and then we see a human pulling the same carriage, with the horse riding. It actually gets a little 'dark' as we see a mouse caught in a mouse trap and then a woman with her hands caught in an over-seized mouse trap while a crowd of mice cheer in the tit for tat. There's also a fox wearing a human stole and a caged man singing for canaries. The point is definitely delivered with some pretty strong images.
The second story, "Elizabite: Adventures of a Carnivorous Plant," reminds me of a child's version of "Little Shop of Horrors" in which a small carnivorous plant has a habit of biting people and pets that get too close. It does manage to foil a robbery by nearly eating a burglar. To protect the plant, and the people around it, it is finally put in a zoo.
Just like "Tit for Tat," "Elizabite" tends to be just a bit on the dark side. For those of us who grew up with Grimm's and Andersen's fairy tales, dark is just a part of story-telling. In today's politically correct world, these might not fare quite as well.
The third story is a bit smoother and kinder. In "Billy's Picture" a little rabbit, Billy, is wanting to paint a picture of himself. Along comes a friend, a puppy, who adds to the painting, but the painting looks like a cross between a rabbit and a dog. Then comes a goose, who also adds to the picture, but the picture becomes a cross, now, of a goose and a dog, and a rabbit. This story is simple and goes on and on with a new animal coming in and changing the picture each time, until it is completely unrecognizable. Finally Billy gets angry and tells everyone that all he wanted was to paint a self-portrait. The story ends happily, with everyone painting their own self-portrait.
The final story is my favorite. "Zebrology" is a story without words, about the history of how zebras came to be. It's delightful, cute, humorous, and precisely the sort of story I would have loved as a child (I would have gotten to make up my own story to go with the pictures) and would have eagerly read to my children.
This feels a little thin to be called a 'treasury' but the four short stories within are delightful throwbacks to a very different era in children's picture books, and aside from the historical interest and the curiosity point of view, these stories could still be read to, and be entertaining to, children.
Looking for a good book? The H. A. Rey Treasury of Stories is a nice look at some of the other works for children by the creator of Curious George -- some a little 'dark' but all of them entertaining.
I receive a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
How many people who are readers today did NOT read the Curious George books when they were young? Not too many, I would guess. But how many of you are aware that the creator(s) of Curious George wrote and illustrated other children's stories as well? The H.A. Rey Treasury of stories features four short, illustrated stories for children by H.A. and Margaret Rey.
The first story, "Tit for Tat," is a short little parable to get children to be kind to animals by turning the tables. If offers a 'what if/do unto others' idea. For instance, first we see a horse pulling a carriage and then we see a human pulling the same carriage, with the horse riding. It actually gets a little 'dark' as we see a mouse caught in a mouse trap and then a woman with her hands caught in an over-seized mouse trap while a crowd of mice cheer in the tit for tat. There's also a fox wearing a human stole and a caged man singing for canaries. The point is definitely delivered with some pretty strong images.
The second story, "Elizabite: Adventures of a Carnivorous Plant," reminds me of a child's version of "Little Shop of Horrors" in which a small carnivorous plant has a habit of biting people and pets that get too close. It does manage to foil a robbery by nearly eating a burglar. To protect the plant, and the people around it, it is finally put in a zoo.
Just like "Tit for Tat," "Elizabite" tends to be just a bit on the dark side. For those of us who grew up with Grimm's and Andersen's fairy tales, dark is just a part of story-telling. In today's politically correct world, these might not fare quite as well.
The third story is a bit smoother and kinder. In "Billy's Picture" a little rabbit, Billy, is wanting to paint a picture of himself. Along comes a friend, a puppy, who adds to the painting, but the painting looks like a cross between a rabbit and a dog. Then comes a goose, who also adds to the picture, but the picture becomes a cross, now, of a goose and a dog, and a rabbit. This story is simple and goes on and on with a new animal coming in and changing the picture each time, until it is completely unrecognizable. Finally Billy gets angry and tells everyone that all he wanted was to paint a self-portrait. The story ends happily, with everyone painting their own self-portrait.
The final story is my favorite. "Zebrology" is a story without words, about the history of how zebras came to be. It's delightful, cute, humorous, and precisely the sort of story I would have loved as a child (I would have gotten to make up my own story to go with the pictures) and would have eagerly read to my children.
This feels a little thin to be called a 'treasury' but the four short stories within are delightful throwbacks to a very different era in children's picture books, and aside from the historical interest and the curiosity point of view, these stories could still be read to, and be entertaining to, children.
Looking for a good book? The H. A. Rey Treasury of Stories is a nice look at some of the other works for children by the creator of Curious George -- some a little 'dark' but all of them entertaining.
I receive a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
March 7, 2015
Of the four stories in this collection, I only remember seeing "Elizabite" before. Elizabite is a carnivorous plant. A botanist discovers her and digs her up to take to his laboratory (getting his fingers bitten in the process). Things do not go much better at the lab. Elizabite chomps on the dog's tail, tries to do the same to the maid, and grabs a professor by the beard. But after a run-in with a burglar one night, a happy and safe location is found for this hungry plant and her little sprouts. The illustrations that show the dog running across the room with his tail bandaged as the maid wanders too close to the plant, or the maid and the dog peeking around the corner as the professor leans in for a closer look are funny details that readers will enjoy.
"Tit for Tat" tells the story of Matt and his uncle, Angus. Matt teases his pet turtle by turning him onto his back, knowing he can't roll over in his shell. Angus uses his invention, the Turn-a-vision set, to show Matt how it fells to be on the receiving end of unfair treatment. He tells him, "you should not do to others anything you don't want them to do to you." The scenes are funny - horses sitting in carriages pulled by humans, dogs walking humans on leashes and pulling them away before they can greet their friends, etc. But they use humor to make a point about following the Golden Rule.
"Billy's Picture" is about a rabbit named Billy that is drawing a picture, but before he can finish, a friend comes along and adds a detail. Then another friend makes an addition to the picture, then another, and another. By the time they are all finished helping, it is a drawing of the oddest looking creature you have ever seen. It has an elephant's trunk, a porcupine's quills, and other features from each of the different animals that contributed to the picture. Billy bursts into tears because he only wanted to draw a self-portrait, not some odd mutant thing. But they do come up with a good solution to the problem.
"Zebrology" is the last story in the book and it is wordless. It shows two horses meet, one white and one black. Then there are two young horses, each half white and half black. Then more young ones that have large stripes and so on, until there are a herd of zebras grazing where there were once two horses of different colors. I've probably been teaching elementary school too long, but I think it would be a good visual to how kids how multiplying fractions gets you smaller and smaller fractions.
As much time as I have spent in libraries and bookstores over the last few years, you would think I would be more familiar with these stories. It seems like a good thing that this collection is being published, so that all these stories are not lost to everyone's memory.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
"Tit for Tat" tells the story of Matt and his uncle, Angus. Matt teases his pet turtle by turning him onto his back, knowing he can't roll over in his shell. Angus uses his invention, the Turn-a-vision set, to show Matt how it fells to be on the receiving end of unfair treatment. He tells him, "you should not do to others anything you don't want them to do to you." The scenes are funny - horses sitting in carriages pulled by humans, dogs walking humans on leashes and pulling them away before they can greet their friends, etc. But they use humor to make a point about following the Golden Rule.
"Billy's Picture" is about a rabbit named Billy that is drawing a picture, but before he can finish, a friend comes along and adds a detail. Then another friend makes an addition to the picture, then another, and another. By the time they are all finished helping, it is a drawing of the oddest looking creature you have ever seen. It has an elephant's trunk, a porcupine's quills, and other features from each of the different animals that contributed to the picture. Billy bursts into tears because he only wanted to draw a self-portrait, not some odd mutant thing. But they do come up with a good solution to the problem.
"Zebrology" is the last story in the book and it is wordless. It shows two horses meet, one white and one black. Then there are two young horses, each half white and half black. Then more young ones that have large stripes and so on, until there are a herd of zebras grazing where there were once two horses of different colors. I've probably been teaching elementary school too long, but I think it would be a good visual to how kids how multiplying fractions gets you smaller and smaller fractions.
As much time as I have spent in libraries and bookstores over the last few years, you would think I would be more familiar with these stories. It seems like a good thing that this collection is being published, so that all these stories are not lost to everyone's memory.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
February 22, 2015
Four wordless illustrated tales from the author of Curious George. I was intrigued.
The tales vary in quality and enjoyment for me, though each is clever. I think my son would need to be older to appreciate them, he's four and these are a little complex for him. The style of illustration is familiar if you know Curious George: bright, bold colours in cartoon-style humorous drawings.
Each tale is clever enough for an adult to enjoy. The first, Tit for Tat, was my own favourite. A boy laughs at a tortoise upside down and struggling and is taught a lesson by being shown situations with humans in positions of servitude to animals or powerless - pulling carriages full of horses, stuck in mouse traps, singing in cages.
Elizabite, Adventures of a Carnivorous Plant concerns an 'Audrey II-like' plant whose appetite for unusual food grows as she does. Very funny as her bite does prove useful...
The third story I didn't really like, or think it fitted the Kindle format well, the pages didn't seem to fit my screens (tried on iPhone and Hudl) very well. It didn't make a lot of sense to me. Billy's Picture is about a group of animals trying to draw a picture and not really agreeing on what it should look like.
And Zebrology shows a Just So Story-like episode of white and black horses coming together to make zebras. Almost an example of (slightly skewed) evolution.
Interesting selection. Very brief so I would buy when the price is right.
Review of a NetGalley advance copy.
The tales vary in quality and enjoyment for me, though each is clever. I think my son would need to be older to appreciate them, he's four and these are a little complex for him. The style of illustration is familiar if you know Curious George: bright, bold colours in cartoon-style humorous drawings.
Each tale is clever enough for an adult to enjoy. The first, Tit for Tat, was my own favourite. A boy laughs at a tortoise upside down and struggling and is taught a lesson by being shown situations with humans in positions of servitude to animals or powerless - pulling carriages full of horses, stuck in mouse traps, singing in cages.
Elizabite, Adventures of a Carnivorous Plant concerns an 'Audrey II-like' plant whose appetite for unusual food grows as she does. Very funny as her bite does prove useful...
The third story I didn't really like, or think it fitted the Kindle format well, the pages didn't seem to fit my screens (tried on iPhone and Hudl) very well. It didn't make a lot of sense to me. Billy's Picture is about a group of animals trying to draw a picture and not really agreeing on what it should look like.
And Zebrology shows a Just So Story-like episode of white and black horses coming together to make zebras. Almost an example of (slightly skewed) evolution.
Interesting selection. Very brief so I would buy when the price is right.
Review of a NetGalley advance copy.
April 10, 2015
Synopsis: "From the creator of Curious George comes this compilation of four humorous and marvelously illustrated stories: Elizabite: Adventures of a Carnivorous Plant; Tit for Tat, concerning kindness to animals; Billy's Picture, a tale of art and individualism; and Zebrology, a wordless celebration of the common ground that lies beneath appearances."
My Review: I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited to see an H.A. Rey book available, we are big fans of Curious George in our house. This book contains several short wordless stories and I love the classic illustration style. I do feel like this leans more towards adult audiences and humor. Though a young reader would still enjoy them. I particularly loved Zebrology, it made me giggle.
My Review: I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited to see an H.A. Rey book available, we are big fans of Curious George in our house. This book contains several short wordless stories and I love the classic illustration style. I do feel like this leans more towards adult audiences and humor. Though a young reader would still enjoy them. I particularly loved Zebrology, it made me giggle.
March 31, 2015
My son and I loved reading the adventures of Curious George so much that when I saw this book, I couldn't wait to read it. It contains some really funny material and I laughed over and over again as I turned the pages.
The book contains four stories, each with an illustration on every page. My favorite; Tit for Tat,has horses riding in carriages drawn by men and women, fish catching humans, cows lassoing cowboys, and dogs walking people. The other stories are also funny and they will be enjoyed by children and grown-ups alike.
This is a perfect gift for any fan of H A Rey and I recommend it.
The book contains four stories, each with an illustration on every page. My favorite; Tit for Tat,has horses riding in carriages drawn by men and women, fish catching humans, cows lassoing cowboys, and dogs walking people. The other stories are also funny and they will be enjoyed by children and grown-ups alike.
This is a perfect gift for any fan of H A Rey and I recommend it.
February 13, 2015
Of course you remember CURIOUS GEORGE – who wouldn’t? That
rascally monkey gave us plenty of laughs – remember? Now H.A.
Rey returns with some other tales that are equally as good –
satiric and sure to generate a lot of discussion.
So take some time for some laughs – you know you deserve it –
and settle down with this short collection of stories with fantastic
pictures from the guy who gave you Curious George!
rascally monkey gave us plenty of laughs – remember? Now H.A.
Rey returns with some other tales that are equally as good –
satiric and sure to generate a lot of discussion.
So take some time for some laughs – you know you deserve it –
and settle down with this short collection of stories with fantastic
pictures from the guy who gave you Curious George!
February 24, 2015
A republished collection of wordless stories from the creator of Curious George. I read the stories with my 4 and 6 year old kids. We looked at the pictures together and talked about what was happening in the picture.
**Interview with my kids **
Me: What was your favourite bit?
Him: When the fish tried to catch the man because it was so funny!
Her: When the plant eat up the bad guy and the police get the bad guy out.
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
**Interview with my kids **
Me: What was your favourite bit?
Him: When the fish tried to catch the man because it was so funny!
Her: When the plant eat up the bad guy and the police get the bad guy out.
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 27, 2015
This is amazing. I need to read more stories by the Rey’s that aren’t about that infamous monkey. I had no expectations going into this so I was pleasantly surprised by all that it had to offer. It had their trademark charm that is instantly recognisable as their own. I can see myself revisiting this in the future.
Also, if you’re wondering how Zebra’s came to be then I would suggest giving this a go.
Also, if you’re wondering how Zebra’s came to be then I would suggest giving this a go.
April 30, 2015
To my surprise, these stories were not at all like the Curious George series. Still nicely illustrated, these were shorter stories.
My daughter's favorite story in this four story collection was Billy's Picture which had her giggling aloud. We both agreed that Elizabite was our least favorite.
My daughter's favorite story in this four story collection was Billy's Picture which had her giggling aloud. We both agreed that Elizabite was our least favorite.
June 29, 2015
Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.
March 3, 2015
(Generously provided by Dover Publications via Netgalley)
Quite a charming collection of wordless stories that are beautifully illustrated. Nice addition for fans of Curious George.
Quite a charming collection of wordless stories that are beautifully illustrated. Nice addition for fans of Curious George.
May 17, 2015
A fun collection of classic stories.
Read
August 10, 2015On this list for the short story Zebrology, which is image-driven.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews