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Curious George and the Ice Cream Surprise
George is looking for a way to beat the summer heat. Swimming, running through sprinklers, a glass of lemonade—none can help George cool off! What George really wants is a sweet, cold treat from the ice cream truck, but will he ever catch it?
24 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Margret Rey
255 books122 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 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 18, 2021
So much in keeping with the old Curious George stories that it is not very creative
February 13, 2026
I am thankful for curious George and ice cream trucks!
May 25, 2025
Curious George gives away a small business owner's entire inventory and the townsfolk convince him not to be about it.
The Man in the Yellow Hat says George can buy from the ice cream truck after he eats his real food, but it's gone by then. On another day, George chases the ice cream truck to the park, but when the owner leaves to get change at the bank, George gives free ice cream to everyone in line. The owner is understandably furious, but the mayor (a different one than H.A. Rey drew and also different from the middle-aged black man who's the mayor in two other books) spontaneously decides to pay for all the inventory he lost with taxpayer dollars so George won't get in trouble for his actions. Furthermore, this date every year will be an ice cream social to beat the heat! Hooray!
It's a pretty typical latter day Curious George.
The Man in the Yellow Hat says George can buy from the ice cream truck after he eats his real food, but it's gone by then. On another day, George chases the ice cream truck to the park, but when the owner leaves to get change at the bank, George gives free ice cream to everyone in line. The owner is understandably furious, but the mayor (a different one than H.A. Rey drew and also different from the middle-aged black man who's the mayor in two other books) spontaneously decides to pay for all the inventory he lost with taxpayer dollars so George won't get in trouble for his actions. Furthermore, this date every year will be an ice cream social to beat the heat! Hooray!
It's a pretty typical latter day Curious George.
June 21, 2023
I'm shocked-shocked to see the man with the tall yellow hat wearing old-fashioned bathing attire and a pair of flip-flops. Flip-flops?
Whatever happened to his immense dignity? Also, couldn't he find sunshine yellow flip-flops at the store?
Seriously, you just know that Curious George is going to find a way to cool down. And to also achieve some ice cream.
What George did with the ice cream treats was so outrageous, I laughed long and loudly. Now that's the spirit of Curious George.
SEEMS TO ME
The charm of this character is that he's just like a curious three-year-old human. Only, of course, he looks more like a monkey.
FIVE STARS for this good post-original version of a Curious George adventure.
Whatever happened to his immense dignity? Also, couldn't he find sunshine yellow flip-flops at the store?
Seriously, you just know that Curious George is going to find a way to cool down. And to also achieve some ice cream.
What George did with the ice cream treats was so outrageous, I laughed long and loudly. Now that's the spirit of Curious George.
SEEMS TO ME
The charm of this character is that he's just like a curious three-year-old human. Only, of course, he looks more like a monkey.
FIVE STARS for this good post-original version of a Curious George adventure.
September 19, 2018
George is sad when he misses the ice cream truck. The next time it passes him by he decides to stall the truck while his friend gets money.
He dances on the roof, attracting a crowd. When the ice cream man goes for some change, George starts handing out free ice cream.
The Ice Cream man is furious when he finds half his ice cream missing. But the mayor of the town comes over and says she'll pay for the ice cream and thanks George for turning a regular day into an ice cream party.
He dances on the roof, attracting a crowd. When the ice cream man goes for some change, George starts handing out free ice cream.
The Ice Cream man is furious when he finds half his ice cream missing. But the mayor of the town comes over and says she'll pay for the ice cream and thanks George for turning a regular day into an ice cream party.
October 1, 2025
We're so proud of you for reading about Curious George! You learned something really important—when you want something badly, you need to keep trying and not give up, just like George tried so many ways to catch that ice cream truck. Sometimes you gotta wait and be patient too. Remember this when you're learning something new or waiting for something special. You're becoming such a wonderful reader, sweetie! Keep up the amazing work!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2023
A classic summer tale featuring everyone’s favourite monkey.
Summers here and it’s in full swing, but poor George just can’t seem to cool off. Everything’s going wrong & the ice cream truck is still no where to be found.
Follow along as George inadvertently starts an ice cream social for the whole town.
Summers here and it’s in full swing, but poor George just can’t seem to cool off. Everything’s going wrong & the ice cream truck is still no where to be found.
Follow along as George inadvertently starts an ice cream social for the whole town.
December 14, 2018
Not my favourite Curious George book. In this book George is trying to cool off during a really hot summer and ends up starting an ice cream party.
August 10, 2021
The children were not into this one at all. My group skewed a little young...maybe an older group would enjoy it more?
January 16, 2022
Elliot loves Curious George. This is an older story about George pining after ice cream when he hears the truck roll by his house.
Read aloud recommendation: toddler and up
Read aloud recommendation: toddler and up
June 12, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️: In this tale, George has to navigate a warming world and a myriad of obstacles to cooling himself down.
June 6, 2026
loves curious george and loves ice cream.
March 9, 2019
We love Curious George books!
July 29, 2013
I read this in a storytime about ice cream, though I skipped over some of the text to get through it quicker. Curious George is always fun though, and since we do so many songs about monkeys, it was fun to have a monkey in a book as well. In this book, Curious George is trying to beat the heat, but the pool closes, the sprinklers are turned off, the freezer breaks, and he is having a hard time flagging down the ice cream truck. When the truck passes him by for the second time, George takes off after it, eventually climbing onto the roof. When the ice cream man goes to the bank for more change, Curious George "helps" by continuing to hand out ice cream, but without collecting money. The ice cream man is upset, but the mayor generously offers to pay for everyone's ice cream, as the town could use an ice cream party. In the end, George gets his chocolate covered bananasicle.
September 14, 2016
Curious George and the ice cream surprise by Margret Rey.This book was about a monkey that wants ice cream because it was summer.I liked the book because it's funny and George was going to do everything he can to get ice cream.I would recommend this book to everybody but speciali to my friend's little sister
June 14, 2011
My boys (ages 4 & 8) love reading about Curious George and his adventures. Now that summer is here and the ice cream man is driving through our neighborhood, this was the perfect time for this book!
November 16, 2011
George is looking for a way to beat the summer heat. Swimming, running through sprinklers, a glass of lemonade--none is able to help George cool off! What George really wants is a sweet, cold treat from the ice cream truck! But will he ever catch it?
July 18, 2013
George is wanting to find a way to stay cool. The pool is closed. George hears the ice cream truck. He jumps on top of it, and ends up serving the whole town ice cream. They then have ice cream every summer. This is a cute book for 1-3 grades.
July 26, 2014
He's so curious that he jumps right in the ice cream truck and starts giving everyone ice cream without paying him money. The ice cream man gets so mad that half of his ice cream is gone. He tried to climb out the window but his friend stopped him.
November 13, 2011
now I want ice cream, too.
April 10, 2012
Not written by original author, easier to read. Kiddo liked it.
June 28, 2015
This one seemed very generic to me. There was very little mischief on George's part, and that's the fun of George being curious.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews