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Curious George Goes to the Beach
Curious George at the Beach is a sunny summer story based on H. A. and Margret Rey’s popular primate and painted in the original watercolor and charcoal style. Once shore-side, Curious George plays ball, pretends to be a lifeguard, and discovers some very hungry seagulls! Can George help his friend Betsy overcome her fear of the ocean while saving the day? We all know the answer. Surf’s up!For more monkey fun, investigate www.curiousgeorge.com and discover all the latest on Curious George books, promotions, games, activities, and more!
24 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
26 people are currently reading
716 people want to read
About the author
Margret Rey
234 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 61 reviews
October 17, 2016
January 13, 2013:
I've had this book for decades, and just now decided to read it. I have no recollection of reading it previously. I've always liked Curious George. Nothing like a mischievous monkey. After reading "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston last year, it was a nice reprieve to have a friendly monkey story instead of a story about a pack of disease-ridden primates ready to tear your face off. No Ebola nightmare in this book! Well, George was at it again. George and the man with the yellow hat (whatever his name is) decided to visit the beach. And, while there, George wanted to play volleyball... to no avail. Everyone got mad at him for grabbing the volleyball and stopping the play of the game. Bad George! Or is it sad George? Of course, he was a little broken. But George went on his way and ended up saving a kid from falling through a hole in a pier. George is now a hero! He went from being an annoyance to being a hero. So, the grandmother of the saved kid decided that George and the man with the yellow hat should join them for lunch on their beach blanket. The best line of the book: "A hero deserves a good meal". And George agreed. And so does the author of this little review.
October 17, 2016:
Read this book again without realizing that I've already read it. Second time reading it was about the same as the first: an annoying, problem causing little primate turns into a hero. Will we ever learn to never leave George alone?
I've had this book for decades, and just now decided to read it. I have no recollection of reading it previously. I've always liked Curious George. Nothing like a mischievous monkey. After reading "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston last year, it was a nice reprieve to have a friendly monkey story instead of a story about a pack of disease-ridden primates ready to tear your face off. No Ebola nightmare in this book! Well, George was at it again. George and the man with the yellow hat (whatever his name is) decided to visit the beach. And, while there, George wanted to play volleyball... to no avail. Everyone got mad at him for grabbing the volleyball and stopping the play of the game. Bad George! Or is it sad George? Of course, he was a little broken. But George went on his way and ended up saving a kid from falling through a hole in a pier. George is now a hero! He went from being an annoyance to being a hero. So, the grandmother of the saved kid decided that George and the man with the yellow hat should join them for lunch on their beach blanket. The best line of the book: "A hero deserves a good meal". And George agreed. And so does the author of this little review.
October 17, 2016:
Read this book again without realizing that I've already read it. Second time reading it was about the same as the first: an annoying, problem causing little primate turns into a hero. Will we ever learn to never leave George alone?
September 16, 2015
My 3 year old loves Curious George. He watches all TV shows on all 6 seasons on Netflix. He watches many reruns on TV. Recently I bought him about 15 different books. He learns a lot from it. Great series, books and TV shows. He enjoys this book tonight. I read him 5 curious George books a night. He likes me to read and re-read them for him.
August 13, 2018
Super cute and enjoyable read. Not too long or too short, perfect for reading to little ones. Highly recommend. -Zoe
August 15, 2013
Our family loves Curious George and we picked this one up at a library sale for .25 cents. Probably only a level 1 reading book, but still a fun read. Not much detail to this plot by still an exciting read for my 5 yr old when George saves the day. A great addition to any C.G. collection.
September 29, 2025
We're so proud of you for reading about Curious George! What a fun adventure at the beach. You learned that being curious and trying new things is wonderful, even if we make little mistakes along the way. Just like George, you can explore the world around you and ask questions. Remember, every time you wonder "why?" or "how?" you're being brave and smart. Keep reading and discovering new things, sweetheart. You're doing an amazing job!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2018
This is a good story George the monkey with wonderfully drawn art work about his day at the beach. This involves his troubles with the volleyball players and his life guard duties. It teaches people to be kind and play well with others.
September 26, 2018
This is a good illustration and colorful book. Children who never have been to the beach can learn a lot with this book. Children can learn how to meet new friends in summer. They can also become curious about going to the beach, and have fun.
September 24, 2018
I like this book because Curious George had lots of fun, but he sneaks into the lifeguard chair. He looks into the binoculars and sees the lifeguard and the lifeguard says "that's no place for a monkey!"
May 6, 2019
The pictures in every Curious George books are so entertaining and illustrates the narrative well. Reading this to my daycare kids was great, too, they enjoyed it as much as I did. It's not too long or too short of a read.
Reading Level:
LEXILE - 230L
ATOS - 2.9
Traits:
Voice
Reading Level:
LEXILE - 230L
ATOS - 2.9
Traits:
Voice
August 15, 2019
Curious George is all heart and open to chance as always in this beach adventure. All picnic baskets described made my mouth water while his antics made my nephew interested in knowing how it was all going to end. :)
November 20, 2021
George and the man with the yellow hat send the day at the beach. George sees his friend Betsy there also. George is curious as to what it is like to be a lifeguard. Before the day is over, George gets a chance to find out.
November 27, 2025
I didn't care for this particular knockoff of the brilliant originals, since George barely gets into any trouble (just letting a picnic basket wash out with the tide after trying to eat a bit early and a seagull taking his snacks).
August 28, 2017
I enjoyed this book because it teaches the readers a lesson that even when we make mistakes, good can still come out of them.
February 25, 2020
A fun day at the beach with friends and family!
February 19, 2021
Adorable books!
April 24, 2021
Got this to prep my kids for a fun time at the beach. It was fun.
September 8, 2021
A perfect book to read before our day trip to the beach during our Oregon trip!
May 1, 2019
One of the more enjoyable of the Curious Georges. May lead to a sorely inaccurate idea of seagulls being benign creatures, but otherwise acceptable.
February 27, 2017
If i ever have children, you bet i'll read these to them.
I really enjoyed them as a child when my siblings would read them to me.
I really enjoyed them as a child when my siblings would read them to me.
July 10, 2008
My kids love Curious George. This is one of thier favorites.
It's not really one of mine, although I will admit that its pretty good in comparison to most of the Curious George books not actually written by Margret and H.A. Rey. It also has the advantage of being shorter than the originals, making it perhaps a better before bed book when the kids are dwaddling.
The story is formulaic Curious George.
George goes somewhere with his friend 'the Man in the Yellow Hat'. George is abandoned with the caution that he should be good. He quickly forgets to be good and gets into some sort of trouble, but in the end he somehow manages to make everything come out right.
Into that formula insert - 'beach', 'feeds lunch to sea gulls', and 'helps girl be brave'.
The book is probably most notable for the presence of Betty, the sad and fearful girl from 'Curious George Visits the Hospital'. The portrayal of Betty is very faithful to the character, and it's good to see Betty recovering from her illness. That bumps this otherwise forgetable knockoff up to two stars and makes the book a little less painful to read to your toddlers than many of the other licensed books in this product line.
It's not really one of mine, although I will admit that its pretty good in comparison to most of the Curious George books not actually written by Margret and H.A. Rey. It also has the advantage of being shorter than the originals, making it perhaps a better before bed book when the kids are dwaddling.
The story is formulaic Curious George.
George goes somewhere with his friend 'the Man in the Yellow Hat'. George is abandoned with the caution that he should be good. He quickly forgets to be good and gets into some sort of trouble, but in the end he somehow manages to make everything come out right.
Into that formula insert - 'beach', 'feeds lunch to sea gulls', and 'helps girl be brave'.
The book is probably most notable for the presence of Betty, the sad and fearful girl from 'Curious George Visits the Hospital'. The portrayal of Betty is very faithful to the character, and it's good to see Betty recovering from her illness. That bumps this otherwise forgetable knockoff up to two stars and makes the book a little less painful to read to your toddlers than many of the other licensed books in this product line.
March 2, 2013
Curious George Goes to the Beach is a cute classic picture book that has a lot of variety to it. Not only does it have good illustrations but the story in the book goes along with the pictures so well. They work together!
In this story, Curious George and his friend with the yellow hat take a trip to the beach and indulge on so many fun activities. They meet a grandmother and her granddaughter who is afraid to get into the water but luckily Curious is there to help. Also, Curious feeds seagulls and accidentally loses his picnic basket when it floats out into the ocean. He ends up "rescuing" it however there is no food left in the basket. The grandmother is nice enough to let Curious have a picnic with them so the story ends up happy.
i would give this book a 4 out 5 stars because the illustrations are colorful and bright and the story had a moral to it. I would probably read this to preschoolers because the pictures and story work together. There are many lesson plans that could tie into this book like talking about the ocean or beach activities.
In this story, Curious George and his friend with the yellow hat take a trip to the beach and indulge on so many fun activities. They meet a grandmother and her granddaughter who is afraid to get into the water but luckily Curious is there to help. Also, Curious feeds seagulls and accidentally loses his picnic basket when it floats out into the ocean. He ends up "rescuing" it however there is no food left in the basket. The grandmother is nice enough to let Curious have a picnic with them so the story ends up happy.
i would give this book a 4 out 5 stars because the illustrations are colorful and bright and the story had a moral to it. I would probably read this to preschoolers because the pictures and story work together. There are many lesson plans that could tie into this book like talking about the ocean or beach activities.
September 9, 2015
In this book, Curious George and the man in the yellow hat go to the beach as detailed in the title. The illustrations of the book had very vibrant colors and kind of made me nostalgic as I thought about myself reading Curious George books as a child along with the illustration style being quite ubiquitous when I was a kid. The colors were bright rather than dark to set the tone for a happy day at the beach. While George gets involved in some antics throughout the book, the main arch of the story seems to be Betsy being fearful of the ocean. However, once George must rescue the picnic basket, Betsy realizes there is nothing to fear, and she joins him in the water. The language and repetition used would be beneficial for children reading/listening to this, aiding with comprehension and understanding. Plus, the pictures paired with the text makes it provides a vivid depiction of all the events taking place, allowing children to make inferences about the story as well.
March 30, 2014
Curious George is a classic! In this saga, George and the man in the yellow hat goes to the beach. George is not called Curious George for nothing. He explores the role of a lifeguard, feeds seagulls, and even encourages a friend to swim. A fun-loving, entertaining book!
The Curious George series has been celebrated for decades. The series has a timeless quality that children enjoy. This story will attract children ages 5-8 years because of its fun story line, cute, simplistic drawings, and let's not forget the mischievous monkey! The clothing is dated but it remains the constant in all Curious George books. The content is appropriate for young children but is also a great read aloud that adults will enjoy reading and reminiscing about.
January 24, 2025
I have a fondness for Curious George, as I read these books as a child. This beach book has the perfect amount of George’s mischief combined with a fun introduction to the beach for toddlers and preschoolers.
This book is featured in my list, Beach Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers That Are Both Cute and Engaging.
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This book is featured in my list, Beach Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers That Are Both Cute and Engaging.
_________________
Connect with me for more coastal inspiration!
Blog • Instagram • Pinterest
October 3, 2012
Curious George Goes to the Beach is story about a monkey named George who goes to the beach. While having fun feeding the sea gulls, they take over. George has to rescue the picnic basket and at the same time, helps his friend overcome her fear of water. H.A. Rey and Vinpah Interactive depict each part of the storyline very well. Unlike some other Curious George books, the reader could know exactly what was happening without reading any text. The illustrations are lively and full of color. Curious George Goes the to the Beach would be an exciting book to use with younger elementary students.
August 10, 2012
If we're going to be negative (see CG & the Dinosaur), we feel the need to post about our favorite George book. Nolan says "all of them" but Sean and I agree that Curious George at the Beach is our favorite.
We love his curiosity about the life guard's chair and whistle, the sneaky way the seagulls get some (or all) of their lunch, and how his antics lead a friend to overcome her fear of the water. Sweet book and great illustrations.
We love his curiosity about the life guard's chair and whistle, the sneaky way the seagulls get some (or all) of their lunch, and how his antics lead a friend to overcome her fear of the water. Sweet book and great illustrations.
November 3, 2012
This book would be good for young readers. The reading is simple and short in order to keep the readers attention. The illustrations are active as well which allow the readers to visualize what is happening, while reading it. I also really liked how the story had a meaning. This would be good for kids to read and learn what is right and what is wrong. They would see what George did and see that things like that are good. I would use this for a lesson on behavior within my own classroom.
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December 6, 2013This book was full of adventure. Curious George is a monkey that is always curious about everything around him. I'm this story he goes to the beach and has a picnic but instead he trails off and starts exploring and ends up on the lifeguard tower and gets in trouble. But at the end he shows one of his friends how to swim and not to be afraid I the water.
August 17, 2015
Classic George. He and the Man in the Yellow Hat go to the beach to have fun. George ends up feeding their lunch to hungry seagulls and the basket floats out to sea. He rescues the basket, but finds it empty. Their friends on the beach offer to share their lunch with George and the Man in the Yellow Hat, so all ends well.
Good for preschool storytimes.
Good for preschool storytimes.
November 30, 2015
Entertaining read! George always brings it home to where young children can relate....they're all curious and at that stage of exploration. George is having a fun day at the beach and thinks it'd be a good idea to share his food with the hungry seagulls. Distracted by the seagulls, he didn't realize the tide came in a took his picnic basked out to sea.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews