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Curious George Board Books
Curious George and the Rocket: An Exciting Journey into Space for Everyone's Favorite Curious Monkey
This lively story captures George’s adventure of becoming the first space monkey from the classic Curious George Gets a Medal.
20 pages, Board Book
First published March 22, 2001
3 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
Margret Rey
235 books121 followersMargret Elizabeth Rey (May 16, 1906 – December 21, 1996), born Margarete Elisabeth Waldstein, was (with her husband H. A. Rey), the co-author and illustrator of children's books, best known for their Curious George
Although she was born in Germany, she fled to Brazil early in her life to escape Nazism. While there, she met her future husband Hans (who was a salesman and also from Germany). They married in 1935 and moved to Paris, France that same year.
While in Paris, Hans's animal drawings came to the attention of French publisher, who commissioned him to write a children's book. The result, Rafi and the Nine Monkeys, is little remembered today, but one of its characters, an adorably impish monkey named Curious George, was such a success that the couple considered writing a book just about him. Their work was interrupted with the outbreak of World War II. As Jews, the Reys decided to flee Paris before the Nazis seized the city. Hans built two bicycles, and they fled Paris just a few hours before it fell. Among the meager possessions they brought with them was the illustrated manuscript of Curious George.
The Reys' odyssey brought them to the Spanish border, where they bought train tickets to Lisbon. From there they returned to Brazil, where they had met five years earlier, but this time they continued to New York, New York. The books were published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, though certain changes had to be introduced because of the technology of the time. Hans and Margret originally planned to use watercolors to illustrate the books, but since they were responsible for the color separation, he changed these to the cartoon-like images that continue to feature in each of the books. (A collector's edition with the original watercolors was recently released.)
Curious George was an instant success, and the Reys were commissioned to write more adventures of the mischievous monkey and his friend, the Man in the Yellow Hat. They wrote seven stories in all, with Hans mainly doing the illustrations and Margret working mostly on the stories, though they both admitted to sharing the work and cooperating fully in every stage of development. At first, however, Margret's name was left off the cover, ostensibly because there was a glut of women already writing children's fiction. In later editions, this was corrected, and Margret now receives full credit for her role in developing the stories.
Margret and her husband moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1963, in a house close to Harvard Square. Following her husband's death in 1977, Margret continued writing, and in 1979, became a Professor of Creative Writing at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Starting in 1980, she also began to collaborate with Alan Shalleck on a series of short films featuring Curious George and more than two dozen additional books.
In 1989 Margret Rey established the Curious George Foundation to help creative children and prevent cruelty to animals. In 1996, she made major donations to the Boston Public Library and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She was also a long-time supporter of the Longy School of Music. The Reys spent twenty summers in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, to enable H.A. Rey to better observe the stars for his astronomy writing. They became an integral part of the Waterville community and their legacy is honored by The Margret and H.A. Rey Center and the Curious George Cottage located there.
Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond, a professor in the field of library science (specializing in children's literature) at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. contacted the Reys in 1966 about the university's new children's literature collection. H.A. and Margret made a donation of a pair of sketches at the time. In 1996, after Margret's death, it was revealed in her will that the entire literary estate of the Reys were to be donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at Southern Miss.
Although she was born in Germany, she fled to Brazil early in her life to escape Nazism. While there, she met her future husband Hans (who was a salesman and also from Germany). They married in 1935 and moved to Paris, France that same year.
While in Paris, Hans's animal drawings came to the attention of French publisher, who commissioned him to write a children's book. The result, Rafi and the Nine Monkeys, is little remembered today, but one of its characters, an adorably impish monkey named Curious George, was such a success that the couple considered writing a book just about him. Their work was interrupted with the outbreak of World War II. As Jews, the Reys decided to flee Paris before the Nazis seized the city. Hans built two bicycles, and they fled Paris just a few hours before it fell. Among the meager possessions they brought with them was the illustrated manuscript of Curious George.
The Reys' odyssey brought them to the Spanish border, where they bought train tickets to Lisbon. From there they returned to Brazil, where they had met five years earlier, but this time they continued to New York, New York. The books were published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, though certain changes had to be introduced because of the technology of the time. Hans and Margret originally planned to use watercolors to illustrate the books, but since they were responsible for the color separation, he changed these to the cartoon-like images that continue to feature in each of the books. (A collector's edition with the original watercolors was recently released.)
Curious George was an instant success, and the Reys were commissioned to write more adventures of the mischievous monkey and his friend, the Man in the Yellow Hat. They wrote seven stories in all, with Hans mainly doing the illustrations and Margret working mostly on the stories, though they both admitted to sharing the work and cooperating fully in every stage of development. At first, however, Margret's name was left off the cover, ostensibly because there was a glut of women already writing children's fiction. In later editions, this was corrected, and Margret now receives full credit for her role in developing the stories.
Margret and her husband moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1963, in a house close to Harvard Square. Following her husband's death in 1977, Margret continued writing, and in 1979, became a Professor of Creative Writing at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Starting in 1980, she also began to collaborate with Alan Shalleck on a series of short films featuring Curious George and more than two dozen additional books.
In 1989 Margret Rey established the Curious George Foundation to help creative children and prevent cruelty to animals. In 1996, she made major donations to the Boston Public Library and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She was also a long-time supporter of the Longy School of Music. The Reys spent twenty summers in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, to enable H.A. Rey to better observe the stars for his astronomy writing. They became an integral part of the Waterville community and their legacy is honored by The Margret and H.A. Rey Center and the Curious George Cottage located there.
Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond, a professor in the field of library science (specializing in children's literature) at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. contacted the Reys in 1966 about the university's new children's literature collection. H.A. and Margret made a donation of a pair of sketches at the time. In 1996, after Margret's death, it was revealed in her will that the entire literary estate of the Reys were to be donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at Southern Miss.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 22, 2019
The true plot of this book is never fully revealed, creating a haunting backdrop of an otherwise charming story.
George the Curious receives an invitation out of the blue to fly in a spaceship BY HIMSELF, of which he has no training. Does he undergo training from the time between receiving the letter to lift off? We are not privy to this critical piece of information.
After a cool countdown sequence where you have to turn the book vertical and freak out to your kid by screaming BLAST OFF to signify the grand spectacle before him, the book asks, "Will George know what to do?" GOOD QUESTION.
Nowhere does it say what George's purpose or what he has to do. Monkey space labor, apparently. The government's schemes run deeper than we thought.
There is no lead up or climax. Off-page, he pulls a lever. You may be asking, "What does the lever do?" GOOD QUESTION. Our tax dollars at work. And who in Space Force signed off on a monkey floating back to Earth on a flimsy parachute? ANOTHER GOOD QUESTION. Our tax dollars apparently weren't enough.
This book creates more mysteries than it solves.
George the Curious receives an invitation out of the blue to fly in a spaceship BY HIMSELF, of which he has no training. Does he undergo training from the time between receiving the letter to lift off? We are not privy to this critical piece of information.
After a cool countdown sequence where you have to turn the book vertical and freak out to your kid by screaming BLAST OFF to signify the grand spectacle before him, the book asks, "Will George know what to do?" GOOD QUESTION.
Nowhere does it say what George's purpose or what he has to do. Monkey space labor, apparently. The government's schemes run deeper than we thought.
There is no lead up or climax. Off-page, he pulls a lever. You may be asking, "What does the lever do?" GOOD QUESTION. Our tax dollars at work. And who in Space Force signed off on a monkey floating back to Earth on a flimsy parachute? ANOTHER GOOD QUESTION. Our tax dollars apparently weren't enough.
This book creates more mysteries than it solves.
March 24, 2008
Our daughter was two weeks old when we brought her to the library to take out her first board book. She's too young to express a reading preference, but not too young to have a card issued in her own name--hooray! So while I'm no expert on picture books, I'm suddenly in a position to read and review them in my own unique style.
Curious George and the Rocket is a shortened version of the 1957 classic, Curious George Gets a Medal, reduced to board-book size for wee-little baby-children like mine. Lost are classic scenes of George getting himself into mischief with an ink blotter, a mess of soap bubbles, some farm animals, and various museum exhibits. What remains is George's mission training, successful rocket trip into space, safe return by parachute, and subsequently recognized status as the first monkey in space. As a result, George seems uncharacteristically serious in this book and doesn't get into the kind of trouble we might normally expect.
George's space mission is coordinated by a Professor Wiseman, whose academic credentials are never given, under the sponsorship of the Museum of Science, possibly as a publicity stunt although the scientific rationale would have been compelling and significant. There doesn't seem to be an animal behaviorist on staff, unless the Man in the Yellow Hat is being employed as such, which would be a good idea because Professor Wiseman is apparently under the misapprehension that monkeys can read and write.
The book is sparse on details, which is a shame because the scenario presents an excellent opportunity to teach children about the early days of manned (and monkeyed) rocketry. For example, George's bravery and the Man in the Yellow Hat's anxiety could have been highlighted by a brief recap of missions that had gone before...
The first six monkeys loaded into rockets were all named Albert, and all of them suffered horribly in the name of science. Albert I was launched into the sky in June of 1948, went 39 miles up, and suffocated to death before reaching the edge of space. A year later, Albert II successfully made it into space but died on impact when his rocket crashed back to Earth. Albert III died when his rocket accidentally exploded at an altitude of about 35,000 feet. Albert IV, like Albert II, also died on impact. Albert V died in 1951 when his parachute failed to deploy. Finally, Albert VI actually returned alive from space, but died of his injuries two hours after landing.
In 1952, when somebody finally realized that Albert was a terribly unlucky name for monkey astronauts, a pair of cynomolgus monkeys named Patricia and Mike made it safely up and back--except that they didn't fly quite high enough to actually reach space.
This was the state of monkey rocketry in 1957, when Curious George Gets a Medal was originally published. The visionary author-illustrator team of H. A. Rey and Margaret Rey (here uncredited) apparently imagined that the first successful monkey mission would come from the academic and institutional realm, since the military hadn't had much luck to that point and NASA hadn't yet been founded. Thus enter Professor Wiseman and his backers at the museum.
Professor Wiseman can be lauded for including a video camera on George's flight, allowing the crew to view and track him in real time. He also provides George with a protective space suit that might have saved one or two of the Alberts if it had been in earlier usage. However, some other of Professor Wiseman's mission parameters seem a little sketchy--the use of a launch platform made of flammable-looking wood, the close proximity of the ground crew while the rocket is firing, the seeming lack of sensors to monitor George's vital signs during the trip, the idea to attach a parachute to George rather than to the rocket capsule, and the reliance on George to activate his own escape sequence from the rocket after reentry--but despite the potential for disaster, the trip is an overwhelming success and George ends the book with a shiny gold medal.
It wasn't until 1959 that a real-life monkey matched George's fictional space accomplishment. A rhesus monkey named Mr. Able and a spider monkey named Miss Baker were the first living beings to safely make it into space and back again--although Mr. Able died four days later from a bad reaction to an anesthetic during surgery to remove an infected medical electrode. Miss Baker lived out a very long spider monkey lifetime and is buried on the grounds of the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Had George's trip actually occurred in 1957, he really would have earned that medal, as well as the thanks of a grateful planet. Lessons learned from American space monkeys and Soviet space dogs made it possible for human beings to reach orbital and suborbital space in 1961.
Bottom Line: The newly-shortened version of the book is recommended for its depiction of space travel but does very little to showcase Curious George's famous personality, his trademark penchant for getting himself into and out of trouble, and his carefree attitude toward life. We see nothing of George's curiosity in the pages that remain from the larger work, so the protagonist comes off as regrettably generic. I enjoyed reading this to my daughter because I could go off on tangents about space travel, but I felt apologetic on George's behalf, as if I needed to explain that he really is a fun and clever monkey when he's not all serious and scientific.
ME (using Man in the Yellow Hat voice): Look, George, you got a letter from Professor Wise Man!
ME (using Professor Wiseman voice): It's pronounced WEISS-man!
ME (using Man in the Yellow Hat voice): Professor Wise Man wants you to fly to space in his rocket!
ME (using Professor Wiseman voice): WEISS-man, WEISS-man, WEISS-man!!!
ME (using Man in the Yellow Hat voice): Professor Wise Man sure is a nice guy, isn't he?
ME (using Professor Wiseman voice): Aaaaaaaargh!!!
Curious George and the Rocket is a shortened version of the 1957 classic, Curious George Gets a Medal, reduced to board-book size for wee-little baby-children like mine. Lost are classic scenes of George getting himself into mischief with an ink blotter, a mess of soap bubbles, some farm animals, and various museum exhibits. What remains is George's mission training, successful rocket trip into space, safe return by parachute, and subsequently recognized status as the first monkey in space. As a result, George seems uncharacteristically serious in this book and doesn't get into the kind of trouble we might normally expect.
George's space mission is coordinated by a Professor Wiseman, whose academic credentials are never given, under the sponsorship of the Museum of Science, possibly as a publicity stunt although the scientific rationale would have been compelling and significant. There doesn't seem to be an animal behaviorist on staff, unless the Man in the Yellow Hat is being employed as such, which would be a good idea because Professor Wiseman is apparently under the misapprehension that monkeys can read and write.
The book is sparse on details, which is a shame because the scenario presents an excellent opportunity to teach children about the early days of manned (and monkeyed) rocketry. For example, George's bravery and the Man in the Yellow Hat's anxiety could have been highlighted by a brief recap of missions that had gone before...
The first six monkeys loaded into rockets were all named Albert, and all of them suffered horribly in the name of science. Albert I was launched into the sky in June of 1948, went 39 miles up, and suffocated to death before reaching the edge of space. A year later, Albert II successfully made it into space but died on impact when his rocket crashed back to Earth. Albert III died when his rocket accidentally exploded at an altitude of about 35,000 feet. Albert IV, like Albert II, also died on impact. Albert V died in 1951 when his parachute failed to deploy. Finally, Albert VI actually returned alive from space, but died of his injuries two hours after landing.
In 1952, when somebody finally realized that Albert was a terribly unlucky name for monkey astronauts, a pair of cynomolgus monkeys named Patricia and Mike made it safely up and back--except that they didn't fly quite high enough to actually reach space.
This was the state of monkey rocketry in 1957, when Curious George Gets a Medal was originally published. The visionary author-illustrator team of H. A. Rey and Margaret Rey (here uncredited) apparently imagined that the first successful monkey mission would come from the academic and institutional realm, since the military hadn't had much luck to that point and NASA hadn't yet been founded. Thus enter Professor Wiseman and his backers at the museum.
Professor Wiseman can be lauded for including a video camera on George's flight, allowing the crew to view and track him in real time. He also provides George with a protective space suit that might have saved one or two of the Alberts if it had been in earlier usage. However, some other of Professor Wiseman's mission parameters seem a little sketchy--the use of a launch platform made of flammable-looking wood, the close proximity of the ground crew while the rocket is firing, the seeming lack of sensors to monitor George's vital signs during the trip, the idea to attach a parachute to George rather than to the rocket capsule, and the reliance on George to activate his own escape sequence from the rocket after reentry--but despite the potential for disaster, the trip is an overwhelming success and George ends the book with a shiny gold medal.
It wasn't until 1959 that a real-life monkey matched George's fictional space accomplishment. A rhesus monkey named Mr. Able and a spider monkey named Miss Baker were the first living beings to safely make it into space and back again--although Mr. Able died four days later from a bad reaction to an anesthetic during surgery to remove an infected medical electrode. Miss Baker lived out a very long spider monkey lifetime and is buried on the grounds of the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Had George's trip actually occurred in 1957, he really would have earned that medal, as well as the thanks of a grateful planet. Lessons learned from American space monkeys and Soviet space dogs made it possible for human beings to reach orbital and suborbital space in 1961.
Bottom Line: The newly-shortened version of the book is recommended for its depiction of space travel but does very little to showcase Curious George's famous personality, his trademark penchant for getting himself into and out of trouble, and his carefree attitude toward life. We see nothing of George's curiosity in the pages that remain from the larger work, so the protagonist comes off as regrettably generic. I enjoyed reading this to my daughter because I could go off on tangents about space travel, but I felt apologetic on George's behalf, as if I needed to explain that he really is a fun and clever monkey when he's not all serious and scientific.
ME (using Man in the Yellow Hat voice): Look, George, you got a letter from Professor Wise Man!
ME (using Professor Wiseman voice): It's pronounced WEISS-man!
ME (using Man in the Yellow Hat voice): Professor Wise Man wants you to fly to space in his rocket!
ME (using Professor Wiseman voice): WEISS-man, WEISS-man, WEISS-man!!!
ME (using Man in the Yellow Hat voice): Professor Wise Man sure is a nice guy, isn't he?
ME (using Professor Wiseman voice): Aaaaaaaargh!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2018
The illustrations are classic as ever, and the countdown to blastoff is a favorite with my 2 year old daughter. I was a little disappointed that the actual in space portion was largely omitted. This story is based on Curious George Gets a Medal, which I vaguely remember from my childhood. It appears to be a little less than half the length of the original. Regardless, it is a current favorite in our house right now getting repeat readings in a single sitting. It probably doesn't hurt that the star of the story is "George from TV".
October 2, 2014
It's difficult to deny the appeal of Curious George. I loved him as a kid.
However, it's not hard to understand this George adventure is a cute and happy rendering of the use of apes and monkeys in space research--a very timely topic when this book was written, but one that was neither cute nor happy for any of the animals involved. So yes, it's a product of its time, but humane-minded parents may take pause before purchasing this title for their kids.
However, it's not hard to understand this George adventure is a cute and happy rendering of the use of apes and monkeys in space research--a very timely topic when this book was written, but one that was neither cute nor happy for any of the animals involved. So yes, it's a product of its time, but humane-minded parents may take pause before purchasing this title for their kids.
February 12, 2015
This is one of my favourite Curious George books. Mostly because he gets to fly a rocket.
However, why would he scientists make a rocket the only a monkey could fit into? Did they run out of money or materials? Was it a mistake where they only realized when the astronauts couldn't fit inside?
Regardless, since Curious George is so curious about things all the time, he accepts the request to fly the rocket and earns himself a medal. Good job George!
However, why would he scientists make a rocket the only a monkey could fit into? Did they run out of money or materials? Was it a mistake where they only realized when the astronauts couldn't fit inside?
Regardless, since Curious George is so curious about things all the time, he accepts the request to fly the rocket and earns himself a medal. Good job George!
September 25, 2012
An abridged version of Curious George Gets a Medal. This includes some of the fantastic original illustrations as well. A fun story; my only complaint is that it was more wordy than your standard board book story. It's hard to hold a little one's attention on one page for that long. It may be more appropriate for older toddlers.
May 21, 2016
I really like that this shortened book has George not getting into trouble. He flies in a rocket. It mimics history in a toddler safe fashion. And it doesn't encourage my son to get into mischief like most George books.
Wish it had a page or two more to make it less a vignette and more a story. But Connor likes it.
Wish it had a page or two more to make it less a vignette and more a story. But Connor likes it.
January 12, 2008
This was probably my favorite book when I was a very young child. :)
August 21, 2010
I love counting down to blast off!
April 8, 2012
this amazing histroical book was aweosme it had a monkey and space. a great tribute to all those space onkeys that loss there lives, geoerge you are a hero for all those monkeys that cam e before you
March 3, 2013
Good transition book between toddler and preschooler.
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September 29, 2013It's Curious George and rocketry adventures. You can't go wrong!
May 27, 2016
This is my least favorite board book about Curious George because the story is lacking and there is not a single female in the hoards of scientists, reporters, and onlookers.
March 15, 2018
I find this George book so disturbing.
July 26, 2019
George is training for and then going on a very important mission in a rocket. Toddler and up
June 2, 2020
very fun! my toddler son loves George.
March 10, 2021
A Curious George board book based on the classic picture book Curious George Gets a Medal. Toddlers who are Curious George fans will enjoy this adventure, especially when the rocket blasts off.
October 6, 2021
Only 1 small picture of George in space and you can’t even tell it’s space.
May 26, 2024
Another of Marlowe’s favorites. She loves the middle of the book, where George blasts off into space.
September 26, 2024
Cute board book. Everything escalates. Quickly in the story. My son loved it
May 9, 2007
A nightly bedtime read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews