The Complete Adventures of Curious George

Rating:
Summary: All-time Children's Favorite, but a Whopper of a Volume!
Review: Growing up in the 1960's, "Curious George" was "required reading" for American children, at least in the Northeast, and the original stories gathered in this volume still stand as all-time favorites in American children's literature. Our little ones love these stories the most, just like all the reviewers here say. And this is a beautifully presented collection, including the informative background info on the authors, H.A. & Margret Rey, altogether a wonderful book. So why am I giving it 3 stars, a "medium" score? Because as a parent, and from a "buyer beware" point of view, this edition is really quite a Whopper of a volume to handle for the age group of children it is intended for, similar in bulk to an encyclopedia. Our 3-yr.-old struggles with it a bit, but when our 1-yr-old tries to wrest it from the shelf we go running to prevent it from coming down on her foot. It's the only book on the little ones' shelf of dozens of books, that when it's off the shelf (and it often is), all the other books start to tilt over! I was wondering whether it may have been wiser to go with the original "skinny" volumes with one story in each. Also, very early on with this book a page became detached during normal kids' handling, partly due to its cumbersome weight, or that the binding may not be sturdy enough for a volume of this size. So I'd advise, that if the parents are the ones who would handle the book as they read to their small children, then this really is "The Best of George" in one place. But if your kids like to pick out their own books and read, the thinner editions would be easier for them. For anyone yet unacquainted with these stories, a good place to start would be the special edition of the first story "Curious George" which features H.A. Rey's original watercolor illustrations, which were never published in the original editions due to limitations of the color-separation process. Another great classic children's favorite published the same year as Curious George-1941-is "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey. The little ones never tire of it, and if you like antique cars and angelic policemen you'll get a kick out of it yourself!

Rating:
Summary: children will sit still for this one!
Review: My 3 year old twins (girls) are totally rivited by this book. Yes, the stories are long (allow 15-20 minutes each), but they enjoy it so much, it is well worth it. Hands down, this is their favorite book.

As a parent, however, I think this book could use a little updating. Some references are harmless, like referring to a record player (what's that?!), but others are what we would now consider politically incorrect or stereotypical: "fireman" instead of "firefighter", references to a "fat man", and "pretty nurse". A few characters, including George, smoke a pipe!
All in all, I would not let this stop me from purchasing the book; it's just something to be aware of.

Rating:
Summary: Too much monkey
Review: The Curious George stories are cute in small doses but after awhile they become rather repetitive.

Rating:
Summary: They don't write them like this anymore
Review: This is a review of _The Complete Adventures of Curious George_.

I know that I read (or had read to me) at least some of the Curious George books when I was in grade school. And I remember that I liked them. But that's almost all I remember. So, when we were given this book as a present for our two children, I didn't know what to expect.

I am now in awe of what a wonderful series of stories this is. There are seven stories, published over a series of twenty-five years. By modern publishing standards, that's not a lot of books for a successful series. There's a reason for that: Margaret and H.A. Rey took their time to craft fine stories.

These are stories that are written in a simple, comprehensible way, so my kids have been enjoying them since they were three years old. However, the stories are not "dumbed down" for children. The plots are interesting, with twists and turns. In "Curious George Gets a Medal," George goes from thinking about writing letters, to trying to clean up some spilled ink, to trying to find a pump to clean up some water, to trying to find an animal to drag a pump, to a museum, where he meets the person who had written the letter that started him on his quest (!), to a rocket ride. This description cannot do justice to the natural flow the incidents have in the context of the story.

The illustrations are in a bright, charming, and in what is (now) an immediately recognizable style. Unlike so many children's books, it is obvious that great care has been put into the illustrations. In one picture, George is shown floating over the city, carried aloft by some balloons he had taken. He is the focus, of course, but if we look carefully, we see on the ground the balloon-man, from whom George had taken the balloons (running after George below), the brother and sister who were buying a balloon from him when George took the other balloons, the man with the yellow hat (driving in the same blue car with a tire on the back that will reappear on the next page), and a couple of men who have obviously walked into each other and fallen down because they were looking up in the air at George. Priceless!

The only entry in this collection that is not up to the general high standard is "Curious George Learns the Alphabet." This is really not a story at all, but an introduction to the letters, showing how each resembles something that starts with that letter. It's fine for what it is, but it pales in comparison with the rich stories around it.

You can really appreciate how outstanding these stories are when you compare them to contemporary efforts to continue the series, like "Curious George and the Dumptruck" (published, thank goodness, separately). This story has none of the sparkle of the authentic, original Curious George.

In this era of political correctness, some parents, librarians and teachers may be concerned about certain aspects of some stories. George smokes a pipe before bed in one; in another he opens a bottle of ether, sniffs it, and goes into a woozy state before passing out. George also lives in a world in which there seem to be almost no people of color.

So supplement your children's reading of Curious George with other books that reflect the diversity of the world, and add your own little glosses to parts of the book that show behavior that concerns you ("Oh, George shouldn't open a medicine bottle should he? You wouldn't do that, would you?"). But do read to your children, and encourage them to read, Curious George.

Rating:
Summary: Simple, Fun,Long Stories
Review: This is an excellent collection of stories if your child likes Curious George. The first story was released in 1941 and is still in print. The other stories were published in the 1950's and 60's.
George is a good monkey, but his big down fall is that he is too curious. His tales have him going from one situation to another, and the stories are simple yet suprisingly long. The pages are illistrated and not loaded with words, but each story goes on for many pages. The size of this book's pages are larger compared to the individual volumes. If you read these with a sense of humor, you may find yourself laughing at Curious George's situations, and your Kids will only find the stories more amusing if you are laughing too. My daughter cannot get enough Curious George.
This hard bound collection is a nice gift for any child. If your child likes George, they may like this collection to read the stories over and over.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Crunk Gift Idea
Review: This is the ultimate compendium for all Curious George enthusiasts. I nearly cried when the Man In The Yellow Hat forgave George after another one of his ruckuses. George is quite the rapscallion, I must say. We can all learn something from the young monkey who always gets into trouble. Can he even be compared to Heathcliff, that wacky, tricky cat?! Perhaps the two should engage in a battle of the wills. All in all, this was an incredible read. A very crunk book, especially for those of you who love yellow hats.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect under the tree!
Review: This makes a great gift. Curious George is a very fun character, who gets into really interesting situations. There's a lot of "story" here, and hours of reading fun.

I like this one as it's become a cherished book for my kids. They read it together, and have lots of fun with it.

Rating:
Summary: Classic stories bound in a cheap binding
Review: What can be added to classic stories like these? The content of this collection is unimpeachable, so I'll pass and skip onto what downgraded the collection.

In short, this is a very shoddily constructed book. My wife and I carefully handled it when reading to our son, but within a couple days the page bundles were separating from the binding in two spots. This has progressed at such a rate that the whole book is threatening to come apart.

This is inexcusable, particularly given the thickness of the book. If you make a collection like this that will be heavily used and will certainly be handled less than gingerly by children, you better make it strong. That ours got wonky while being read from by two responsible adults makes it worse. Shame on Houghton Mifflin for producing such a poorly made book!

We purchased "The Complete Adventures of Curious George" in the hopes of saving a few dollars over purchasing all seven of the included stories separately. In light of the poor quality, though, it has proven itself to be a terrible value. Check out other options rather than purchasing a book sure to self-destruct.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book to Read at Bedtime
Review: When I was a child, curious George was one of my favorites, and now this fine book allows me to pass along George's adventures to my own children. Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it contains so many curious George stories. You could read a different story each night for several nights. My children have quickly become as fond of George as I was when I was a child. The accompanying illustrations are very colorful and they definitely grab a young child's attention. I highly recommend this fine children's book. It is a great book to share with your children and perhaps serve as a reminder to your own childhood.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book to Read at Bedtime
Review: When I was a child, curious George was one of my favorites, and now this fine book allows me to pass along George's adventures to my own children. Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it contains so many curious George stories. You could read a different story each night for several nights. My children have quickly become as fond of George as I was when I was a child. The accompanying illustrations are very colorful and they definitely grab a young child's attention. I highly recommend this fine children's book. It is a great book to share with your children and perhaps serve as a reminder to your own childhood.