Curious George Makes Pancakes - Hardcover

Hans Augusto Rey was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1898. As a child, he spent much of his free time in that city's famous Hagenbeck Zoo drawing animals. After serving in the army during World War I, he studied philology and natural science at the University of Hamburg. He then married Margret Rey and they moved to Montmartre for four years. The manuscript for the first Curious George books was one of the few items the Reys carried with them on their bicycles when they escaped from Paris in 1940. Eventually, they made their way to the United States, and Curious George was published in 1941. Curious George has been published in many languages, including French, German, Japanese, Afrikaans, and Norwegian. Additional Curious George books followed, as well as such other favorites as CECILY G. AND THE NINE MONKEYS and FIND THE CONSTELLATIONS.

PreSchool-Grade 3-It's time for one of George's favorite events, the annual pancake breakfast fundraiser for the children's hospital. When George begins adding blueberries to the pancakes, the line becomes so long that the man making the pancakes has to go for more help. When the man discovers that a monkey is making his pancakes, George leads him on an action filled romp through the event, ending with George raising so much money at the dunk tank that he is given the honor of presenting the money to the president of the hospital. Reader Joe Fox captures all of the precociousness that is Curious George, while adopting a variety of voices to give life to the various characters George encounters. Sounds such as the chirping of birds and the mumbling of crowds create an outdoor ambiance that nicely enhances the story. The background music, driven by saxophone and keyboards, is meant to underscore the activity, but many times almost overwhelms the story. Younger children may have difficulty discerning the page-turn signal from the music. A nice feature before the story begins is the narrator telling readers what page to begin on by describing the illustration on that page. A fine addition to collections for primary graders.
Veronica Schwartz, Des Plaines Public Library, IL
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