Curious George Haunted Halloween

by H.A. Rey

Hang on to your hats! George gets spooked when he spends his first Halloween in the country and hears the legend of No Noggin—a headless scarecrow that kicks people’s hats off on Halloween! The man with the yellow hat tells George it’s just a legend, but with the help of his friends Allie and Bill, George is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and find out once and for all if No Noggin really exists. This early reader features a festive bonus activity for even more Halloween fun with George!
 
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Genres: Halloween, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Animals

Staple Bound

First published August 26, 2014

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

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Hallowe’en approaches, George keeps hearing people say that he ought to ‘hold onto his hat’ but he has no idea what it means. After learning the story of the Legend of No Noggin, George is on the prowl for any ghosts who may be trying to steal his hat. On Hallowe’en night, George and his friends set a trap, only to have No Noggin strike. However, a little sleuthing reveals that there is more to the Legend than meets the eye. Neo is happy that Hallowe’en is coming, with its candies and dress-up opportunities. However, he is sure to keep an eye open for No Noggin, just in case! He liked reading along with this early reader book and his progress is quite remarkable.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ends differently than the movie

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Curious George as a child, and I was excited to pick a copy of this book up for my Little Free Library. I read it myself first and was flooded with nostalgia. It's a very simple story, but that's always been the thing that makes Curious George so much fun. I look forward to passing this along for a child in my neighborhood to enjoy.

[Lauren Ditmar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre - Mystery

Unique Feature - The book has specific grade level and reading levels listed. It also has directions in the back of the book for making your own pumpkin head so it would be a fun book to read around Halloween with your students.

Grades - 1-2

[Christy Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this out from the library. I found the graphics and pictures adorable and cute. The story was also good. Curious George sets out to find out about No Noggin and why people say hold onto your hats around Halloween.

[Annie ⚜️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one of our favorite episodes of Curious George. The book doesn't capture all the fun that's had but it's a great little Halloween read nonetheless.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet book.

[Sheron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curious George hears about the "No-Noggin- headless scarecrow" and is scared. He along with his friends try to figure out the mystery behind the legend.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Curious George. He's so cute. My favourite monkey!

[Hannah Ogilvie]

One of the better Curious George books, like how there is a "scary" factor and shows a mystery. Would use in a class

[Alexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt a little all over the place. Random characters, random squirrels, very little Man With the Yellow Hat ... The new Curious George books have nothing on the old ones.

[Rene' Hurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this book to my grandsons They enjoy it.

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A headless scarecrow that kicks people's hats off?
As a kid that would have certainly creeped me out ;-)

[Nicolas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too scary for young kids.

[Emerson and Theodore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recycled spook story similar to a Scooby Doo.

[Kerrikoala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll give this an extra half star (so a 3.5) for the awesome picture of an angry Jumpy Squirrel on page 21. There's just so much going on in his expression.

Anyway, this is based on the movie Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest. I adore the movie, despite the fact that I don't like some of the songs, plus at one point the man with the yellow hat takes a nasty spill down the stairs, which could've resulted in serious injury or death. (It's okay, though; since it's a cartoon, he's totally FINE.) I like that they build up the mystery, then sort of disprove it, then realize it is still a mystery, and then it turns out to be a SQUIRREL. You don't quite get all of that from this book. I'm sure it's because this is an easy reader for young people who might be intimidated by the size that the book would have to be to include everything, but I just felt let down by it.

[Mallory Grissom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally think that Curious George books are so cute for little kids. These are not books that offer information to children, but are just for fun to read. I think that this book is really fun and that lots of kids would love to read this book around Halloween time. It is about a little monkey named George who was outside when a neighbor told him to make sure to hold onto his hat! George did not know why Mrs. Renkin told them this, but they had to find out! This book is something that many kids would love to read because i'ts about an animal and it is mysterious!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curious George couldn't figure out why everyone was saying, Hang onto your hat!" He found out there was a legend about no noggin that kicked off everyone's hat. So they looked for no noggin and a friend offered his hat and when it was kicked off, They followed the hat and guess who was stealing the hats?

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an alright book. I liked how they solved the mystery of the old legend and the illustrations looked just like the TV show, but in book form. I don't know if I would read this book to preschoolers though. I wasn't a fan of the beginning.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My guy LOVES the movie this goes with, and this is a shorted reader version. Pretty good.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun bedtime story. My Curious George lovers had fun with this book!
No Noggin!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

19709-jer rey holiday(Halloween)

[Little Champs]

H 39.05

[Ericka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little read. Nothing spectacular though.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

All my kiddos have loved Curious George, whether it be on tv or reading a book together. Haunted Halloween is a must around my house during the spooky season.

[Rommel Sison]

6-year-old daughter: 5 stars
4-year-old daughter: