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Curious George Board Books
Curious George's ABCs
Read from A to Z along with George in a condensed version of the clas-sic Curious George Learns the Alphabet.
24 pages, Board Book
First published March 30, 1998
4 people are currently reading
533 people want to read
About the author
Margret Rey
234 books119 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 76 reviews
November 14, 2021
A real dark message here. The man with the yellow hat only appears on one page, not under M for Man or Y for Yellow or H for Hat, but X for X-Ray, examining his results with a doctor. This sad subtle diagnosis is an ignoble end for Curious George's owner, that not even a Zebra Zipping along with Zest can alleviate
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2024
I think I am going to weed this book from my son's collection, given that it portrays firefighters and mail carriers as male professions ("F is a Fireman Fighting a Fire," "M is the Mailman who brings the Mail"). (I had entertained the idea of crossing out Fireman and writing in Firefighter with a sharpie, but I just couldn't bring myself to deface a book like that, no matter the stereotypes contained within.) Some may argue that this specific stereotype would be more harmful to girls than to boys, but I think it's just as harmful for boys to grow up thinking that some professions belong only to them. Also, this board book is apparently a revised version of the 1960's edition, so it's odd that even back in the 1990's when this was published, they wouldn't change the text to reflect the times.
Getting rid of this book, however, makes me think of two questions:
1. Am I going to censure everything objectionable that comes our way when my son is growing up? Probably not, as this is neither feasable nor does it provide good opportunities for conversation and growth. Also, it goes against my instincts as a librarian. I can at most hope to control the types of things he encounters at a young age in his own home. Also, it would make me a hypocrite: many of the books and movies I love deeply have some objectionable content. Peter Pan has a stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans, and The Sound of Music's song "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" is pretty sexist. Will I keep these things from him because of their content? I don't know, but probably not. Instead, we will watch them together and then talk about the objectionable content, accounting for the views of the time period. What makes Curious George's ABCs different? Perhaps because he is too young to have a conversation with, and I don't want one of his first experiences with books to portray a stereotype.
2. If I find content in this book objectionable, should I donate it? Chances are that a lot of people, maybe even most people, would find the use of Firemen and Mailmen in this book pretty benign. And they might be right. I can certainly think of a few worse things to include in a picture book. And otherwise this is a pretty nice alphabet book with good illustrations, and who doesn't love Curious George? On the other hand, if I find it objectionable enough not to keep it in our own library, why would I want to help spread this particular stereotype further? It will fall into the hands of some other little boy or girl who might subconsciously absorb the message that only men can have these professions. But I can't bring myself to throw away an otherwise perfectly good book, and if I did end up throwing it away, then I'm one step closer to the world of Fahrenheit 451.
I am probably overthinking this, and I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea to spend precious minutes of my son's naptime writing this review. But I am delirious with lack of sleep; in fact, I'm not entirely sure that what I'm writing here isn't complete gibberish that only makes sense to my addled brain. But I have been reading a lot of books about gender stereotypes in children lately and I believe that it's never too early to start combating those stereotypes.
Getting rid of this book, however, makes me think of two questions:
1. Am I going to censure everything objectionable that comes our way when my son is growing up? Probably not, as this is neither feasable nor does it provide good opportunities for conversation and growth. Also, it goes against my instincts as a librarian. I can at most hope to control the types of things he encounters at a young age in his own home. Also, it would make me a hypocrite: many of the books and movies I love deeply have some objectionable content. Peter Pan has a stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans, and The Sound of Music's song "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" is pretty sexist. Will I keep these things from him because of their content? I don't know, but probably not. Instead, we will watch them together and then talk about the objectionable content, accounting for the views of the time period. What makes Curious George's ABCs different? Perhaps because he is too young to have a conversation with, and I don't want one of his first experiences with books to portray a stereotype.
2. If I find content in this book objectionable, should I donate it? Chances are that a lot of people, maybe even most people, would find the use of Firemen and Mailmen in this book pretty benign. And they might be right. I can certainly think of a few worse things to include in a picture book. And otherwise this is a pretty nice alphabet book with good illustrations, and who doesn't love Curious George? On the other hand, if I find it objectionable enough not to keep it in our own library, why would I want to help spread this particular stereotype further? It will fall into the hands of some other little boy or girl who might subconsciously absorb the message that only men can have these professions. But I can't bring myself to throw away an otherwise perfectly good book, and if I did end up throwing it away, then I'm one step closer to the world of Fahrenheit 451.
I am probably overthinking this, and I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea to spend precious minutes of my son's naptime writing this review. But I am delirious with lack of sleep; in fact, I'm not entirely sure that what I'm writing here isn't complete gibberish that only makes sense to my addled brain. But I have been reading a lot of books about gender stereotypes in children lately and I believe that it's never too early to start combating those stereotypes.
December 6, 2023
A childhood classic. I love that the pages use the shape of the letters in the photos portraying them.
July 17, 2018
Absolutely wonderful ABC book. This one has something other than the stand A is for Apple and X is for Xylophone. And all of the letters are repeated and the pictures correspond with the letters.
October 21, 2019
A cute little classic that I read to my daughter.
February 28, 2023
Curious george learns the alphabet. He is taught to recognize and remember letters based on what they look like. An “A” looks like the mouth of an alligator. A little “a” looks like half and apple. So not only does this book teach both the uppercase and lowercase letters, but it pairs it with an appropriate object (except with the uppercase “i” which is written without the lines at the bottom and top and therefore looks like a little “L” and is also paired with an icicle instead of an igloo or something more phonetically appropriate). It also follows each picture with a sentence or two that include words that either begin with the letter or contain it within their word. Each letter is highlighted for emphasis.
Furthermore, George’s friend takes breaks in his teaching and offers George the opportunity to practice making words. With ABCDE george learns he can spell “cab” for example. Moreover, the breaks throughout the story provide time for George to play, which is of course, important. It hints to parents that they too should take a break and let what they have just taught sink in.
I think it’s a fabulous book and a really interesting way to teach the alphabet.
Furthermore, George’s friend takes breaks in his teaching and offers George the opportunity to practice making words. With ABCDE george learns he can spell “cab” for example. Moreover, the breaks throughout the story provide time for George to play, which is of course, important. It hints to parents that they too should take a break and let what they have just taught sink in.
I think it’s a fabulous book and a really interesting way to teach the alphabet.
September 1, 2021
I think this book is educational because it can introduce your ABCs to you if you have not begun to memorize them in the classroom. This will always be one of my favorite books because it would be a fun way to teaching their ABC in class. I will be reading this book to the students in my classroom because it is a fun creative way to learn the alphabet along with the letters being drawn at the top of the animal shape. For example, A stand for Apple and B stands for Blueberry are examples of how it is set up in the book. I recommend this book to any teachers, parents, or students that are in the process of learning the alphabet.
September 23, 2019
This will always be a favorite when teaching them their ABC in class! The colors and illustrations are fun! You can never go wrong with a silly monkey! Love that each animal they draw the letter over top so you can see the shape in the animal! And it is great that is a hard book because it can be very durable for many years with many different kids!
February 25, 2020
I read this to help a kindergartener learn his alphabet. He was excited to read it because it was Curious George. We mainly pointed at the illustrations and said the words. Overall, the book was entertaining to him.
October 22, 2022
Already memorized this book. Started reading this to my daughter at 1 year 3/ 4 months. We trace the letters by hand. She's familiar and memorized the alphabet and phonetics thanks also to this book. A good alphabet book
April 15, 2020
I have always been a big fan of Curious George. This is a very fun book to. read to children, to teach them the alphabet. I recommend this book.
Read
April 1, 2023I must have read this one as a child. The B page looks very familiar.
August 10, 2023
A solid ABC book.
April 30, 2024
I’ve read many an ABC book this past year and this one hits. Whether it’s nostalgia or the comfort of being led by a docile primate through literacy? Who knows, I have no desire to discern.
Read
May 15, 2024sweet
December 22, 2024
Nephew loved it, but was a bit long as the reader
February 11, 2017
Title: Curious George’s ABCs
Author: H.A. Rey
Illustrator: H. A. Rey
Genre: Alphabet Book, Concept Book
Theme(s): Monkey, Alphabet, Curious George, Alliteration
Opening line/sentence: “A is an Alligator with its mouth wide open”
Brief Book Summary:
Uppercase letters of the alphabet are represented as objects or animals, for instance “D is for Dinosaur”. Similarly, each letter blends in with the objects or animals it is describing, so the reader must look for the letter within the picture. This book also helps children learn about alliteration.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Children’s Literature - Marilyn Courtot
“Curious George has been around for quite a while now H.A. Rey’s work has been transformed into Curious George’s ABCs, a new board book. It is a whimsical offering with the capital letter incorporated into the animal or object depicted. Each time the letter appears in the text it is highlighted, and the text uses lots of words beginning with the featured letter – “F is a Fireman Fighting a Fire.”
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Karin Snelson – Children’s and YA Editor
"A is an alligator with its mouth wide open, B is a big blue bird, C is a crab with two clamping claws...." You get the idea. It's never too early to get your babies chewing on books and ruminating on the alphabet, and children of all ages enjoy the company of H.A. Rey's intrepid monkey, Curious George. In this board book, the letter itself mimics the shape of the animal or object in question. The A is actually the gaping jaw of the alligator, the B is the head and body of the big blue bird, and so on. In most of the pictures--not-so-curiously, 26 in all--youngsters will delight in finding a tiny Curious George, just about to get into mischief, no doubt. Adult Curious George fans will get a kick out of sharing their long-time monkey friend with their favorite little chimps, and preschoolers will enjoy the comical illustrations that offer just the right amount of detail to keep things interesting.”
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviewers mention how appealing this book is when teaching children the ABCs. The intricate way that H.A. Rey’s incorporates the uppercase letters into the illustrations is very unique and appealing to children. This provides a fun way of learning for the children reading about the alphabet. Like most classics, Curious George is a book that all children enjoy, especially when learning new concepts.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The book uses bright and colorful illustrations to appeal to the young reader. The pictures have child friendly objects, animals and people that have a simplistic look to them. The style of the book is set up so all the uppercase letters are written in bold red font to stand out to the reader. The setting varies on every page as each letter describes a different object or animal. Lastly, the alliteration used in the book helps the reader pronounce each letter.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
After reading this book, I would write the upper case letters on toy cars and label different parts of the room with a word that has the uppercase letter in it. I would have the children drive the cars to the correct part of the room, so their letter matches the word. Another activity could be having the children try to sound out or spell out their names, and then see which uppercase letter is in each of their names. Then, you could trace their names lightly, so the children could write on top on it, as though they wrote their own name.
Author: H.A. Rey
Illustrator: H. A. Rey
Genre: Alphabet Book, Concept Book
Theme(s): Monkey, Alphabet, Curious George, Alliteration
Opening line/sentence: “A is an Alligator with its mouth wide open”
Brief Book Summary:
Uppercase letters of the alphabet are represented as objects or animals, for instance “D is for Dinosaur”. Similarly, each letter blends in with the objects or animals it is describing, so the reader must look for the letter within the picture. This book also helps children learn about alliteration.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Children’s Literature - Marilyn Courtot
“Curious George has been around for quite a while now H.A. Rey’s work has been transformed into Curious George’s ABCs, a new board book. It is a whimsical offering with the capital letter incorporated into the animal or object depicted. Each time the letter appears in the text it is highlighted, and the text uses lots of words beginning with the featured letter – “F is a Fireman Fighting a Fire.”
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Karin Snelson – Children’s and YA Editor
"A is an alligator with its mouth wide open, B is a big blue bird, C is a crab with two clamping claws...." You get the idea. It's never too early to get your babies chewing on books and ruminating on the alphabet, and children of all ages enjoy the company of H.A. Rey's intrepid monkey, Curious George. In this board book, the letter itself mimics the shape of the animal or object in question. The A is actually the gaping jaw of the alligator, the B is the head and body of the big blue bird, and so on. In most of the pictures--not-so-curiously, 26 in all--youngsters will delight in finding a tiny Curious George, just about to get into mischief, no doubt. Adult Curious George fans will get a kick out of sharing their long-time monkey friend with their favorite little chimps, and preschoolers will enjoy the comical illustrations that offer just the right amount of detail to keep things interesting.”
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviewers mention how appealing this book is when teaching children the ABCs. The intricate way that H.A. Rey’s incorporates the uppercase letters into the illustrations is very unique and appealing to children. This provides a fun way of learning for the children reading about the alphabet. Like most classics, Curious George is a book that all children enjoy, especially when learning new concepts.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The book uses bright and colorful illustrations to appeal to the young reader. The pictures have child friendly objects, animals and people that have a simplistic look to them. The style of the book is set up so all the uppercase letters are written in bold red font to stand out to the reader. The setting varies on every page as each letter describes a different object or animal. Lastly, the alliteration used in the book helps the reader pronounce each letter.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
After reading this book, I would write the upper case letters on toy cars and label different parts of the room with a word that has the uppercase letter in it. I would have the children drive the cars to the correct part of the room, so their letter matches the word. Another activity could be having the children try to sound out or spell out their names, and then see which uppercase letter is in each of their names. Then, you could trace their names lightly, so the children could write on top on it, as though they wrote their own name.
February 16, 2016
Title: Curious George’s ABC
Author: H.A. Rey
Illustrator: H.A. Rey
Genre: Picture Book/ABC Book
Themes: Animals/Everyday things
Opening line/sentence: “A is for Alligators with its mouth wide open.”
Brief Book Summary: The book goes through the alphabet and uses animals and everyday things that start with the same letter to describe it.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Curious George has been around for quite a while and now H. A. Rey's work has been transformed into Curious George’s ABCs, a new board book. It is a whimsical offering with the capital letter incorporated into the animal or object depicted. Each time the letter appears in the text it is highlighted, and the text uses lots of words beginning with the featured letter--"F is a Fireman Fighting a Fire." 1998 (orig. 1963), Houghton, $5.95. Ages 2 to 5.
(PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Boston:), PUBLISHED: c1998.)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: "A is an alligator with its mouth wide open, B is a big blue bird, C is a crab with two clamping claws...." You get the idea. It's never too early to get your babies chewing on books and ruminating on the alphabet, and children of all ages enjoy the company of H.A. Rey's intrepid monkey, Curious George. In this board book, the letter itself mimics the shape of the animal or object in question. The A is actually the gaping jaw of the alligator, the B is the head and body of the big blue bird, and so on. In most of the pictures--not-so-curiously, 26 in all--youngsters will delight in finding a tiny Curious George, just about to get into mischief, no doubt. Adult Curious George fans will get a kick out of sharing their long-time monkey friend with their favorite little chimps, and preschoolers will enjoy the comical illustrations that offer just the right amount of detail to keep things interesting.”
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with both professional reviews. Curious George is very popular in young children and even some adults. I think that this book uses the letters very well to illustrate the words that start with the corresponding letter.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This book uses the popular Curious George to introduce the alphabet. I think it is interesting and helpful that they made the letters into the characters that are illustrated.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book can be used to teach the alphabet along with animals and different everyday things or professions. I think that this book is good because it can keep the kids attention because it is colorful and based on something they most likely enjoy (Curious George).
December 4, 2012
Even though this is only an ABC book written and illustrated by H.A Rey, it is still a Curious George book and that's what matters to me most. I love the Curious George series because of it's simplicity yet complexity at the same time. There is nothing simple about a monkey name George who acts like a regular human but the things George does are very easy for anyone to understand. This ABC book was not the best i've ever seen nor was it a good representation of the Curious George series. There's no way you can even make a bad ABC book because it's just our alphabet letters in a row with an example word on each page. Your average 1st grader could probably create a fully functioning ABC book in all reality. Sure their words wouldn't be the biggest but at least it makes them think of at least one letter per page. Curious George's ABC book was good for what it was but it might be one of the worst that I have ever come across. Wouldn't suggest for kids.
September 6, 2012
Curious George's ABCs is a children's reader intended to teach the letters of the alphabet corresponding with animals that start with the same letter. For example: "A is an Alligator with its mouth wide open" or "J is a Jaguar in the Jungle." The animals in the book take the shape of the letter being introduced. The alligator for the letter A has his mouth wide open and "A" is placed inside the mouth of the gator. The illustrations in the book are kept simple but interesting and even a little humorous to keep young readers attention. This book doesn't have much text which reinforces the importance of the bold letter presented on each page. Each page does a good job of highlighting the letter that is trying to be reinforced and taught in big, bold, capitalized, red letters. This book would be recommended for children 0-3 who are just learning to understand the alphabet.
September 7, 2012
Curious George has always been interesting books to read. I think this is an awesome book to read. It teaches children not only the alphabet but also words that start with them such as "Alligator." When children read this books they will be able to hear the word "Alligator" and remember how to spell it because they had read it in the Curious George book. I like this book more than the Dr. Seuss' ABC book because in Dr. Seuss' book there were a lot of words that were too difficult for kids to pronounce and ones that I believe do not even exist. When I heard someone reading the book to me earlier they even had trouble reading it because there were many tongue twisters that I think are too difficult for young kids. This is why I like this book more because it helps children read normal words first and then they can progress into more difficult texts.
December 3, 2013
This is an educational/informational book for children in the younger grade levels. This book brought more enjoyment to me because it involves the teaching of the alphabet but in a more fun way because a monkey named George is involved. I would incorporate this book into a preschool or kindergarten lesson because Curious George is perfect for grabbing a child's attention and making them want to learn their ABCs. In the book George takes his readers on an adventure while crossing paths with each letter of the alphabet. Each letter happens to be associated with an animal, for example A is for Alligator, and so on. This book includes a great source of symbolism. Also it makes it easier for children in preschool or kindergarten to remember their letters because they are linked to familiar animals.
July 27, 2014
Category: ABC Book
Publication date: 1998
Annotation is posted above via GoodReads
Themes: ABC, alliteration, animals
Ways to Use Book:
* This is such a sweet board book for teaching ABC's. I especially like how many of the pages contained more than one word using that letter and how each of the actual letter were part of the picture. For instance, the "F" was a firefighter holding a hose and the "C" was red and had claws for "crab".
* Read it to students and have them play, "Where's Curious George?"
* Have students create their own letters in the shape of something that starts with that letter, such as a spotted "J" with whiskers for "jaguar".
Other information:
The pages are bright and colorful and the sturdy board book format is perfect for toddlers and young students who tend to manhandle their books.
Publication date: 1998
Annotation is posted above via GoodReads
Themes: ABC, alliteration, animals
Ways to Use Book:
* This is such a sweet board book for teaching ABC's. I especially like how many of the pages contained more than one word using that letter and how each of the actual letter were part of the picture. For instance, the "F" was a firefighter holding a hose and the "C" was red and had claws for "crab".
* Read it to students and have them play, "Where's Curious George?"
* Have students create their own letters in the shape of something that starts with that letter, such as a spotted "J" with whiskers for "jaguar".
Other information:
The pages are bright and colorful and the sturdy board book format is perfect for toddlers and young students who tend to manhandle their books.
Read
November 28, 2015This book stars the always mischievous George and focuses on the alphabet. Each page includes a letter plus something that starts with that letter. For example, "B is for big, blue bird". The letters on each page mimics the animal or object that is being discussed, which is a great visual for kids. George can be found in most of the pictures in the book. Children will enjoy this fun book that gives them letter practice, while providing interesting illustrations that will grab their attention.
Activity: Students could be assigned a letter or two and have to draw a picture. In the picture, they will have to draw an object or animal that starts with their assigned letter and try to make it mimic the actual assigned letter. Students will have fun drawing illustrations similar to those in the book.
Activity: Students could be assigned a letter or two and have to draw a picture. In the picture, they will have to draw an object or animal that starts with their assigned letter and try to make it mimic the actual assigned letter. Students will have fun drawing illustrations similar to those in the book.
March 14, 2013
H. A. Rey, Curious George's ABCs (Houghton Mifflin, 1998)
Purists beware: Curious George's ABCs, the Houghton Mifflin board book, is “based on” Rey's 1963 book Curious George Learns the Alphabet. Most of the text has been removed, as well as all of the lowercase letters. Still, as an early primer on letters, it's useful enough, and the capital-letter illustrations are the originals, so you still get some—just not all—of that Rey magic. ** ½
Purists beware: Curious George's ABCs, the Houghton Mifflin board book, is “based on” Rey's 1963 book Curious George Learns the Alphabet. Most of the text has been removed, as well as all of the lowercase letters. Still, as an early primer on letters, it's useful enough, and the capital-letter illustrations are the originals, so you still get some—just not all—of that Rey magic. ** ½
November 5, 2015
Curious George’s ABCs is about different animals or object George sees related to a specific letter in the alphabet. This would be a good book to read to younger children to introduce the alphabet, for children older children struggling with the letters, or a child that love curious George. Have the older children that are struggling to draw their own ABC book related to what they see at home or in the classroom, after reading this book.
November 30, 2015
This book main charector is the monkey George and focuses on the alphabet. Each page includes a letter plus something that starts with that letter. For example, "B is for big, blue bird". To help wth the visual of the letter each animal mimcs the sound of the animal. Children will enjoy this fun book that gives them letter practice, while providing interesting illustrations that will grab their attention.
July 18, 2012
We like this book. It holds his attention and we can get through the entire alphabet in a little board book--very good!
The art is clever: it shows the letter imbedded, if you will, in the item it is representing. And it uses alliteration to teach the letter with multiple words: Mister Melvin Mailman and then the M is part of the Mailman's body.
The art is clever: it shows the letter imbedded, if you will, in the item it is representing. And it uses alliteration to teach the letter with multiple words: Mister Melvin Mailman and then the M is part of the Mailman's body.
April 9, 2014
This books best illustrates the English alphabet. Each letter of the alphabet is used to create an illustration of something that begins with that letter. For example, on the cover of the book it shows the letter "A" and has a picture of an alligator. This text creates phonemic awareness for those who are unfamiliar with the English language or struggles with identifying letters in a word.
November 23, 2015
This book is simple and yet complex. It is a great ABC book that includes great illustrations. Each letter is formed into a part of the picture. For example the C was used for crab claws. This would be fun for children to read and look at. You could play the game where is George and have the children guess where he is.
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