Curious George's 1 to 10 and Back Again: A Playful Counting Journey for Kids with Everyone's Favorite Curious Monkey

Curious George Board Books

by H.A. Rey, Margret Rey

Help Curious George count ten of his favorite things, first forward and then backward.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Counting, Number

24 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Hans 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.

Reviews

[Sarah Alamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are so proud of you for reading about Curious George! You learned that counting can go forward AND backward - what a fun discovery! Just like George counted things around him, you can practice counting toys, stairs, or snacks at home. Counting helps you understand how many things you have and share them fairly with friends. You did such a wonderful job finishing this book, sweetie. Keep being curious and loving books!

[Emerson and Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This board book teaches counting with a series of vignettes from a variety of curious George classic books. The book counts from 1 to 10 and then back down again. Many of the scenes evoked memories from reading curious George when I was a child. There were several scenes from a book that I can remember where George swallows a piece to a puzzle and has to go to the doctor I remember that he drinks barium and gets a radiograph. He later puts on a puppet show. All very nicely done drawings

[Brittney Dermo]

Curious George's 1-To-10 And Back Again Board Book teaches children about basic concepts. This book introduces young readers their first numbers. This book is a simple yet captivating book for young readers. This book not only teaches counting but also how to count forwards and c=backwards. This is a very relatable book to many children. I would use this book in my classroom to help teach my students numbers.

[Ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curious George's 1 to 10 and Back Again is a beginners children book by H.A Rey. This beginners book teaches the children how to count to ten. It includes very funny illustrations of Curious George being funny and goofy which automatically grabs the students attention. This book includes Curious George using objects to show the students each number. I will use this book in my classroom to help the students learn their numbers.

[Kelsea Breedlove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curious George's 1 to 10 and Back Again book captures young readers attention right from the very beginning. It uses, visual aids, descriptive language, yet simplistic language to help younger readers begin to read as well as count. Curious George's adventures allow for students to start to understand curriculum on their level. I would use this book in my classroom when I first start to introduce counting, as well as introducing different life lessons that come along with these books.

[Terry]

This one is easy to read and the nature of George's counting discoveries allow you to add sound effects or add to the 'story' because the pictures are expansive.

If you're looking for a counting book that potentially does more than catalog objects, this is it.

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[Johannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for the car as the illustrations are busy without being overwhelming. Our toddler can pore over this book for long periods of time, and the illustrations include many objects from everyday life. As his vocabulary grows, this book always has something new to relate to-- clothing, animals, toys, etc.

Also love the fact that George is not getting into trouble in this book.

[Taylor Hainley]

This counting book is a very easy read for beginning students. This book teaching counting to 10 in a fun and creative way. The illustrations in this book are very fun and colorful to grab the students attention. I would use this book in a pre-k classroom. I would also have this book out during stations.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great counting book for George fans, like my nephew. I like how it uses the original artwork instead of art from the new cartoon show. George is in every picture, rather than just items related to George. I also liked how it counted back down from ten, too.

[Alexis Smith-Gaddis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This basic counting children's book teaches students how to count to ten forwards and backwards. This is a fun, creative beginning book. I love the illustrations used to teach numbers one through ten. I would use this book in a pre-kindergarten classroom to teach them basic numbers.

[Alli Eidson]

This book concentrates on number and counting as it uses Curious George to count to 10 and then count down from 10. I would use this book in my pre-k or kindergarten when they are learning their numbers and how to count in order to 10.

[Ashley Cochran]

This book concentrates on number and counting as it uses Curious George to count to 10 and then count down from 10. I would use this book in my pre-k or kindergarten when they are learning their numbers and how to count in order to 10.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter loves seeing what George gets into next.

[Kathrine Rogers]

Counting Week

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of our favorites

[Jessica L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Counting book with classic scenes from Curious George books. Covers from 1-10 then 10-1.

Theme: counting

This can be used in a kindergarten class

[Little Champs]

Number 71

[Amber Bartram]

This is a book of Curious George counting to ten with beach balls. I would use this with pre-k to have them count the balls on each page.