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Curious George Harvest Hoedown
In this new 8x8 based on the Emmy Award-winning PBS show, Curious George, the man with the yellow hat can’t wait to join the Uptown Bluegrass Band for a good old-fashioned country hoedown. When George accidentally ruins the man’s guitar while trying to clean it, George and Allie decide to make a new guitar! With a shoestring, rubber band, fishing wire, and yoyo, George and Allie's creation has a truly unique sound! Bonus activities help reinforce the concepts in the story, including instructions for building your very own homemade string instrument!
24 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2017
About the author
H.A. Rey
598 books220 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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 23, 2019
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle
Honestly, this one just kind of stressed me out.
I'll start by saying I'm not the biggest fan of Curious George. Growing up, I always hated the old-school books where George would mess everything up and not get in trouble (or sometimes even be rewarded for his bad behavior). Even as a child, all of his messes gave me anxiety.
I've found a few of the newer books based on the show to be a little better such as Curious George Good Night, Zoo (I check out a decent amount of them from the library because I work with a young George fan). This one, not so much.
In this book, George and his friend Allie break the man with the yellow hat's guitar. Stress levels are rising already. The solution? Making a new guitar. I understand the idea of it, but they still broke the guitar and don't even apologize. Also, I'm all about upcycling, but in the process of making the new guitar, they just break a bunch of other stuff. At the end, everyone is happy and no one mentions the fact that two kids just went around taking things without asking and breaking them while not even being told by any adult that maybe next time they should ask or go to an adult when they accidentally break something. I feel like there was a learning opportunity that was completely ignored.
Cute pictures based on the show. The writing was fine, just not the biggest fan of the actual story and the subtle messages that come across.
At the end of the book is a little activity for making your own upcycled instrument, which is a cute idea and I like that it ties into the story (although I was definitely not a fan of the story).
Honestly, this one just kind of stressed me out.
I'll start by saying I'm not the biggest fan of Curious George. Growing up, I always hated the old-school books where George would mess everything up and not get in trouble (or sometimes even be rewarded for his bad behavior). Even as a child, all of his messes gave me anxiety.
I've found a few of the newer books based on the show to be a little better such as Curious George Good Night, Zoo (I check out a decent amount of them from the library because I work with a young George fan). This one, not so much.
In this book, George and his friend Allie break the man with the yellow hat's guitar. Stress levels are rising already. The solution? Making a new guitar. I understand the idea of it, but they still broke the guitar and don't even apologize. Also, I'm all about upcycling, but in the process of making the new guitar, they just break a bunch of other stuff. At the end, everyone is happy and no one mentions the fact that two kids just went around taking things without asking and breaking them while not even being told by any adult that maybe next time they should ask or go to an adult when they accidentally break something. I feel like there was a learning opportunity that was completely ignored.
Cute pictures based on the show. The writing was fine, just not the biggest fan of the actual story and the subtle messages that come across.
At the end of the book is a little activity for making your own upcycled instrument, which is a cute idea and I like that it ties into the story (although I was definitely not a fan of the story).
May 12, 2022
5/12/22 Read with Julia and Andres
June 21, 2023
This is my first reading of any Curious George book in some 25 years. Back then I enjoyed reading our one book of this series to my son. Yet today I have checked out many of these bright-yellow-covered titles from the library. Exciting!
Especially interesting to me, with all of these Curious George books? That will be the theme of curiosity. I have never met a three-year-old who isn't curious. As for my fellow Goodreaders, I'll bet that curiosity is one thing all of us have in common.
WELCOME TO A HOEDOWN
Unlike Curious George and his friend Allie, I've never been to a hoedown, not yet. Nor have I read about one before.
According to Mr. Renkins, one of the hosts for this event, a hoedown was a big party with hayrides and square dancing.
"And the best part is the live bluegrass music!" he added.
"Bluegrass is lightning-fast, foot-stompin' music that'll make you want to jig. It's a hoot!"
AN EDUCATIONAL ADVENTURE FOLLOWS, JUST AS PROMISED
Lots of educational info follows, made easier to learn because of the illustrations. My favorite thing that I was to learn from this book: Don't try to clean your guitar by dunking it in a bubble bath.
Delightful! I'd call this book a FIVE STAR read.
Especially interesting to me, with all of these Curious George books? That will be the theme of curiosity. I have never met a three-year-old who isn't curious. As for my fellow Goodreaders, I'll bet that curiosity is one thing all of us have in common.
WELCOME TO A HOEDOWN
Unlike Curious George and his friend Allie, I've never been to a hoedown, not yet. Nor have I read about one before.
According to Mr. Renkins, one of the hosts for this event, a hoedown was a big party with hayrides and square dancing.
"And the best part is the live bluegrass music!" he added.
"Bluegrass is lightning-fast, foot-stompin' music that'll make you want to jig. It's a hoot!"
AN EDUCATIONAL ADVENTURE FOLLOWS, JUST AS PROMISED
Lots of educational info follows, made easier to learn because of the illustrations. My favorite thing that I was to learn from this book: Don't try to clean your guitar by dunking it in a bubble bath.
Delightful! I'd call this book a FIVE STAR read.
December 19, 2017
George and his friends are going to a hoedown but what happens when the man in the yello hats guitar gets ruined? Preschool and up
November 12, 2022
Educational, but I wonder if kids like to read it multiple times. I wouldn’t. 2.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews