What do you think?
Rate this book
Curious George Gymnastics Fun (CGTV Reader): A Playful Introduction to Gymnastics Featuring Everyone's Favorite Curious Monkey
La presente edición bilingüe español-inglés está basada en el programa de televisión Curious George, emitido por la cadena PBS y galardonado con el premio Emmy. En este cuento, Jorge se balancea como solamente un mono puede hacerlo. Jorge toma su primera clase de gimnasia... ¡y está muy entusiasmado! Aprende muchos detalles de este deporte y a practicarlo de manera segura. Después de la primera clase, Jorge, Allie y Bill quieren hacer gimnasia todos los días, pero el gimnasio abre una vez por semana. ¿Dónde podrán encontrar un gimnasio que esté abierto todos los días? ¿Podrán hacerlo en su propio jardín? Para facilitar la lectura, el español y el inglés se presentan en colores diferentes. Además se incluye una receta para hacer bolitas energéticas sin hornear, y las instrucciones de un juego que evalúa las destrezas gimnásticas. In this Spanish/English bilingual reader based on Curious George, the Emmy Award-winning PBS TV show, George is swinging around like only a monkey can. George is taking his first gymnastics class, and boy is he excited! He learns all about the sport and how to practice safely. By the end of class, George, Allie, and Bill want to go to gymnastics every day—but they only have access to the gym once a week. Where will they find a gym they can use all the time? Why not in their own backyard? Spanish and English text are set in different colors for ease of reading. Includes a recipe for no-bake energy balls and instructions for a game that will put gymnastics skills to the test!
24 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2015
About the author
H.A. Rey
600 books219 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 2, 2015
I thought this was a great little book! Besides being an interesting, easy-reader story, it also had some fun lessons to impart! The three important lessons they learned at the gym were repeated at home - stretching, supervision (although the supervision seems to be mostly peer in the second half, with a brief appearance of the Man in the Yellow Hat), and safety!
I also liked how it was an example of the hard work and determination it takes to be an athlete, without becoming preachy. They wanted to get better, so they decided to practice at home, so they made it happen.
Excellent all around!
I also liked how it was an example of the hard work and determination it takes to be an athlete, without becoming preachy. They wanted to get better, so they decided to practice at home, so they made it happen.
Excellent all around!
January 26, 2019
Summary: I believe there are 8 original Curious George books but this one specifically is about the curious George monkey and his friends joined a gymnastics class but just could not wait another week before being able to practice again so they made their own make-shift gym outside with materials around the house that were safe to use, and impressed their teacher when they came back.
Connections: I remember watching tons of the Curious George tv episodes on PBS when I was a little kid.
How you would use it: I hope to acquire the Curious George books for my classroom library for my students to chose from during independent/ silent reading time.
Subject heading:
Curious George (Fictitious character)--Juvenile fiction.
Monkeys--Juvenile fiction.
Gymnastics--Juvenile fiction.
Spanish language materials--Bilingual.
Connections: I remember watching tons of the Curious George tv episodes on PBS when I was a little kid.
How you would use it: I hope to acquire the Curious George books for my classroom library for my students to chose from during independent/ silent reading time.
Subject heading:
Curious George (Fictitious character)--Juvenile fiction.
Monkeys--Juvenile fiction.
Gymnastics--Juvenile fiction.
Spanish language materials--Bilingual.
October 19, 2025
We are so proud of you for reading "Curious George Gymnastics Fun"! Just like George, you learned that trying new things takes courage and practice. Even when George fell or made mistakes, he kept trying and had fun learning. You can use this in your life too – whether it's learning to ride a bike, making new friends, or trying something different at school. Remember, it's okay to make mistakes because that's how we learn and grow! You're such a wonderful reader, sweetheart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2020
I actually like this one more than traditional Curious George texts. George has a gymnastics teacher who covers the three S rules of gymnastics (stretching, supervision, and safety) George's friends come up with creative ways outdoors to practice gymnastics when the gym is closed (though they don't show how Tim converts towel rings into gymnast rings). Plus, there's a recipe for energy balls!
October 11, 2017
This book was great.
March 20, 2023
Wonderful read!
June 19, 2024
I really liked that George build his own gym for his friends. They were so strong- Khi 3
April 11, 2016
I know I shouldn't have high expectations for these series that the publisher is just cranking out to make money, but I though it was funny that they made a point of talking about the importance of supervision while learning at the gym and then promptly jury rigged an unsupervised gym at home.
July 20, 2015
This easy reader gives kids some great ideas for a 'home gym', encouragement to practice daily the activities they enjoy, and there are two great at-home extension activities in the back that are easy to implement.
April 15, 2015
Typical PBS kids easy reader. Discusses safety and other fitness topics. Large bright pictures make it a good choice for sharing with larger audiences.
May 20, 2016
My five year old kept waiting for George to get in trouble for taking apart a fence and letting the cow out- and it never happened.
April 12, 2017
A Level 1 bilingual picture book. I like Curious George and gymnastics, so I enjoyed this simple book :)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews