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Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George
Today is Thanksgiving and George is so excited! He loves everything about the holiday—from the parade with music, jugglers, and big balloons to the delicious turkey shared with family and friends. But even on Thanksgiving the curious little monkey manages to stir up some trouble! Follow George through his Thanksgiving adventures with the short poems in this board book. The fun, tabbed pages are perfect for little fingers!
14 pages, Board book
First published September 20, 2010
About the author
H.A. Rey
597 books222 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 4, 2017
Nostalgic book that brings back lots of great memories...getting ready for good food with good friends.
November 14, 2017
Nice book about celebrating Thanksgiving. I appreciate that the parade is part of this book. I feel like that is a cornerstone for Thanksgiving.
The art is very curious George and it's a cute book the kids enjoy.
The art is very curious George and it's a cute book the kids enjoy.
October 16, 2012
We read this as library book on the overdrive READS system through my Kindle Fire. I think physically it would be a board book like the Halloween one we have. I love this book of themes poems. I wouldn't mind the real thing.
Read
November 4, 2012very nice read about modern thanksgiving from Georges point of view
July 18, 2013
Hard to read on the Kindle, but still a great library book for Thanksgiving.
November 14, 2014
Great book for my son!
November 24, 2014
I don't super enjoy these "short story" books." There is too much text to the pictures so my child loses interest quickly. Maybe we will have to try this out again when she is older.
August 5, 2017
The rhyme in this is fantastic... The story is adorable, as only Curios George can be. I even like the little flaps on the side of the book.
November 24, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George breaks down the different parts of the holiday as George helps prepare dinner, watch the parade and set the table. The tabs on the side of the book also help young readers guess what George is going to do next.
December 10, 2012
This was a Thanksgiving gift from Aunt Jackie along with a stuffed Curious George Sasha loves!
November 1, 2014
Charlotte's (18 months) favorite page is the parade.
November 23, 2014
Teo received in 2013 for Thanksgiving from Nana. He still enjoyed it. Very cute book about Thanksgiving and what is important.
April 20, 2015
19709-board book (rey)
September 22, 2024
A rhyming book about getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. It ends with everyone going around the table saying what they’re thankful for.
November 29, 2025
This new Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George book is absolutely delightful! It brought back so many wonderful memories from my own childhood, and I loved how it culminates with a warm family meal where everyone shares what they’re thankful for. The story captures the spirit of gratitude and togetherness in a way that both kids and parents can enjoy. I highly recommend it for families with young children—it’s a perfect read to celebrate the Thanksgiving season!
November 4, 2015
Curious George and the man in the yellow hat are preparing for Thanksgiving: they are cooking and cleaning and setting the table, everything described in rhyme. At the end it introduces the idea of thankfulness and all of the things you can be thankful for.
It would be a nice read-aloud for toddlers.
I saw this at the book store yesterday and as I read I realized for the first time the uncanny resemblance between George and my younger brother.
It would be a nice read-aloud for toddlers.
I saw this at the book store yesterday and as I read I realized for the first time the uncanny resemblance between George and my younger brother.
November 5, 2015
This is a boardbook storybook. It's written like the basic Curious George books but sometimes like rhyming poems. Still a good story and brings to heart the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
November 16, 2016
Too long for storytime next week, but I'll use it for display.
November 2, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this with the three year old I care for. He has a very short attention span, so I was surprised when he sat and listened to this one from beginning to end. I like that each page is a different poem. I think the meter the writing forces this book to be read in and the rhyming words were helpful in keeping his interest. I think book is best read aloud for that reason also. Reading it out loud makes you read it in correct tempo that may be missed if it is not read aloud. I also appreciated that this book makes no mention of Pilgrims or Native Americans. We see George making "hats with buckles" on them, but there is no direct mention of either group. I appreciated the focus being on just being thankful for those around us and what we have. A lot of books give inconsiderate and just wrong representation to these groups and this book just avoided it. I think this book is a good introduction to the holiday and parents or care givers can expand upon why we celebrate if they want to.
November 27, 2020
Curious George in a thick board book with tabs and each page has a lovely rhyming poem about a different Thanksgiving tradition. It is really quite a perfect book for creating excitement about the American holiday wedged between Halloween and Christmas, that often gets over-shadowed.
November 16, 2017
George thankful he not a Trini, boy.
June 5, 2018
Cute board book. Each two page spread is a rhyming poem about some part of Thanksgiving. They are about the traditions and being thankful for friends and family. Great for the season.
November 24, 2020
#112 of 2020
The Vooks version is just wonderful!
The Vooks version is just wonderful!
September 18, 2021
Very cute loved this one!!
November 22, 2022
Very cute, and I love the tabs to divide it up into toddler-sized chunks.
November 12, 2021
Curious George celebrates Thanksgiving.
Each tab of this board book features a poem about what Curious George does for a particular aspect of Thanksgiving.
Each tab of this board book features a poem about what Curious George does for a particular aspect of Thanksgiving.
November 10, 2013
I requested this book to try and better explain Thanksgiving to my almost 2 and half year old daughter.
It held her interest as long as I told her to show mommy something like the yellow hat and monkey.
I however really enjoyed the words even though they were too long and winded for her poor attention span.
It held her interest as long as I told her to show mommy something like the yellow hat and monkey.
I however really enjoyed the words even though they were too long and winded for her poor attention span.
November 27, 2013
Curious George books are beginning to become some of my favorite. This book inparticular discusses the different aspects of the holiday Thanksgiving. Very informational and perfect to share with children to teach them about the fun aspects of the holiday.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews