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Curious George New Adventures
Curious George Goes Fishing
Inspired by a vignette in the classic Curious George Flies a Kite , this amusing episode shows George at his curious best trying to catch a fish.
24 pages, Board Book
First published September 30, 1987
9 people are currently reading
217 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 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 3, 2011
Who doesn't love Curious George? This funny little monkey entertained my niece and nephew in this tale. The book was funny, but my niece and I made it even funnier by making Curious George monkey sounds, which elicited belly laughs from my nephew. The text is easy to read, which would also make this a great story for new readers to practice reading aloud. An all around great kid book.
March 26, 2012
So much better than you think it will be.
October 19, 2018
Love it
January 11, 2018
I know there are bigger Curious George books, but when I am reading to toddlers I am mainly getting very small and short books, most of which are great.
This one comes as a small book, but is written as a large one, and is in fact an excerpt from a larger book. So even though a two year old can easily hold it and turn the pages, they get restless with the long passages of text. I ended up having to drop multiple sentences or just describe the pictures to maintain interest.
I am sure an edited version could work, and that should have been thought of when the book was being prepared.
This one comes as a small book, but is written as a large one, and is in fact an excerpt from a larger book. So even though a two year old can easily hold it and turn the pages, they get restless with the long passages of text. I ended up having to drop multiple sentences or just describe the pictures to maintain interest.
I am sure an edited version could work, and that should have been thought of when the book was being prepared.
March 17, 2019
Fishing must not be that hard if a monkey can do it...
April 20, 2022
The boys were extremely entertained by this one.
July 5, 2023
"My favorite part was him ripping the hook of the wall. It was funny!"
November 10, 2022
Sadly, for me the Curious George books have not aged well. They can be tedious and sometimes the illustrations look like they’ve been re-printed way too many times and are very muddy.
As for Parker, who was fascinated with the fishing. He does like his fish sticks, lol.
As for Parker, who was fascinated with the fishing. He does like his fish sticks, lol.
September 14, 2016
I know this seems silly reviewing a kids book, but I vowed I would review every book that I completed, and this counts.
So George wants to go fishing. Good for him. But I don't know why George would model himself after a fisherman who is standing at the end of a pier looking like he's using a fly fishing pole in a lake. I'm surprised George was able to copy this guy so well without further getting a pipe to smoke either?
The next thing, George goes into his home (I hope it's his home) and starts just grabbing stuff to make his fishing pole. He takes presumably the only mop, thieves some cake, and then rips a hook off of the wall in order to make his pole. I can't imagine what would happen if my kids were to do that and traipse off to hang out at a lake.
Lastly, the end of the book is just George getting distracted by a guy flying a kite? Another stranger?
Not the best of the Curious George line, would recommend to people who don't have super impressionable children.
So George wants to go fishing. Good for him. But I don't know why George would model himself after a fisherman who is standing at the end of a pier looking like he's using a fly fishing pole in a lake. I'm surprised George was able to copy this guy so well without further getting a pipe to smoke either?
The next thing, George goes into his home (I hope it's his home) and starts just grabbing stuff to make his fishing pole. He takes presumably the only mop, thieves some cake, and then rips a hook off of the wall in order to make his pole. I can't imagine what would happen if my kids were to do that and traipse off to hang out at a lake.
Lastly, the end of the book is just George getting distracted by a guy flying a kite? Another stranger?
Not the best of the Curious George line, would recommend to people who don't have super impressionable children.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2014
Curious George is this monkey who has the mind of a child. So one afternoon his owner decides to take him out fishing. They get to the lake and the owner goes off to find a good place to fish and leaves George in one spot. Instead George goes off swinging from tree to tree and finds this family. He notices the family fishing and is curious of how to fish. When the family turns their backs he uses their fishing poles to try and fish but ruins their dinner. So he feels bad and wants to help get them their dinner back. As the family leaves camp to look for food Curious George uses four fishing poles to catch dinner. As the family returns back they find Curious George catching four fish! The way the story ends it is a closed ending and a happy one. I like the way the images in the books are painted looking. The colors look soft and it isn't so vivid. The sentences in the story are kept simple and short. Easy for a group of second graders to read, especially since it all takes place in one setting the forest. Some could also think that there is a moral to this story, such as when you do something wrong don't walk away from it, instead try and fix it. It's a good children's book and simple to understand for just about any grade level. I think that the monkey as the main character could interest and entertain a child more. It brings out that sort of cartoon side mixed with reality. Such as the George's actions and the way he reacts to catching fish. After all, all kids are curious.
April 8, 2014
Curious George is a very curious monkey. He is always getting himself into trouble and exploring the world. My son loves to watch the curious George show on PBS. This book is about George learning how to fish and enjoying the outside. It starts by him following a man that is going fishing. He studies the man and when the man catches the fish George gets very happy. He gets so happy that he takes the man’s fish wire and runs away with it. George tried to make his own fishing rod using a map, hook, wire, and cheese as bait. George goes fishing but all the fish just eat the bait and none of the fish are caught. George thinks he can catch a fish with his bare hands but he just ends up falling into the lake. George gets out of the lake to find his friend Bill flying a kite. Instead of George trying to fish, he helps Bill fly his kite.
March 14, 2024
Who doesn’t love George? With a curious mind, George finds a man walking to the lake. As the man puts some food on a hook that’s fastened on a pole, George is fascinated when the man catches a fish! George wants to do that too! Off George goes to make his own fishing pole.
Finding a mop, string, some cake, and a hook, George creates his own fishing pole. Fishing doesn’t come easy for George but that’s okay, as George does have fun. What’s this? Bill comes by with something that looks more interesting than fishing and it looks like it will be more fun too! So much for fishing, as George is now going to see what Bill is up to. A fast-paced book with short sentences and cute illustrations. 5 stars
Finding a mop, string, some cake, and a hook, George creates his own fishing pole. Fishing doesn’t come easy for George but that’s okay, as George does have fun. What’s this? Bill comes by with something that looks more interesting than fishing and it looks like it will be more fun too! So much for fishing, as George is now going to see what Bill is up to. A fast-paced book with short sentences and cute illustrations. 5 stars
March 13, 2015
Synopsis: "Inspired by a vignette in the classic Curious George Flies a Kite, this amusing episode shows George at his curious best trying to catch a fish."
My Review: This was an interesting Curious George book, it wasn't exactly what I expected. He attempted to copy a fisherman but didn't quite work out how to catch the fish. I do like how he decided to play with a line instead. Munchkin found it interesting and now wants to go fishing and fly a kite.
My Review: This was an interesting Curious George book, it wasn't exactly what I expected. He attempted to copy a fisherman but didn't quite work out how to catch the fish. I do like how he decided to play with a line instead. Munchkin found it interesting and now wants to go fishing and fly a kite.
February 2, 2009
The runs of iambic trimeter make this especially fun to read. Plus it teaches children not to lean too far off the dock. Or to use cake as fish bait, which almost never works, except for the very fattest fish.
July 14, 2017
Curious George is funny because he, um, does stuff like, um, he got some cake and when he put it up the cake was just gone. The fish wasn't there. And he reached a hand in and SPLASH! He went in. I like the pictures.
April 21, 2010
fish like cake
March 12, 2008
I learned how NOT to fish.
August 1, 2008
the text doesn't move along as nicely as I would like, especially for a board book, but the children love it anyway, just because it's curious george!
July 28, 2011
A super board book.
November 21, 2011
George tries his hand and foot at fishing with some hilarious results!
April 3, 2012
I'm trying to read it so I can post a review on the book.
Read
August 21, 2012June 2012
May 10, 2013
How can you go wrong with Curious George?
Read
December 26, 2015A fine children's book I read to my family!
Read
April 3, 2016Jaws
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2016
Rey, M. (2001). Curious George goes fishing. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
May 26, 2016
Sometimes a successful fishing trip means swimming with the fish and flying a kite instead. A sweet story about Curious George.
August 31, 2016
Never a dull moment with George!
November 4, 2018
Meh. Random ending.
April 13, 2019
We love Curious George books!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews