Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Cruelty-Free Book
Review: This is a clever, witty, and ultimately cheerful book about how a Giraffe and nine monkeys unexpectedly help each other. Published in 1946, it's the first book featuring "Curious George." George was eventually taken from his habitat by the kind man in the yellow hat, but here we see George with his Mother and seven siblings. The book is filled with both verbal and visual humor (the nine monkeys all sleep together in a gigantically long giraffe bed). The giraffe helps the monkeys play by volunteering to play as a slide, a teeter-totter, and a sailboat. In all of these scenarios, the giraffe volunteers to play, is asked nicely to play, or looks pleased. There's one funny scene where the monkeys make a pair of stilts for Cecily, who is described as "terribly excited" (not coerced). In some deft self-referential humor, Rey draws the giraffe on the stilts "so high the page isn't big enough to show all of her."

There is only one slightly dissonant note in the book, when the monkeys have tied strings between Cecily's head and outstretched legs to make a harp. For some reason, Cecily's smile looks forced, and the array of strings make her look tied up. Moreover, while Cecily does not object, neither does she explicitly give her permission for this activity. Other than this possibly flawed scene (given the tone of the book, undoubtedly inadvertent), I see only mutual support and friendship. It is also possible that a young reader who is familiar only with the later Curious George books may be upset to know that Curious George apparently left a rather large family behind (I don't know how--or even whether--the author dealt with this in some later book), but you can judge whether this will be troublesome for your audience. Here, however, George and family happily make a new home with the giraffe (after saving her house), and the formerly lonely giraffe has a house full of new friends. This is a creative (but apparently overlooked) book that shows how imagination (and a long neck) can bridge the distance between strangers and lead to fun and mutual help.

Rating:
Summary: Attractive illustrations but utterly weird
Review: Attractice illustrations combined with Curious G, pulled my 4yr old's attention to this book. WHen we read it, I just could not digest the story. Cecily will just do whatever the monkeys ask her to, even if it is dangerous to her and she is not enjoying it. This utter compliance (which is wrong) made me point out to my son that you really cannot tie someone's neck to a tree or slide down their back with a pointed ski poles. I don't know what the author was thinking, it is almost sadistic.

Rating:
Summary: Can Curious George Go Back to the Jungle???
Review: Cecily loves her new family of monkey children and tries to make them as happy as she can. It's fun seeing how happy Curious George was before he was kidnapped by the man with the yellow hat and carted off from the jungle to New York. He had a wonderful large family, of which he was a beloved member. When I read this to my second grade class, they were upset that he had been taken from them. I reminded them that anyone of them can write the book that takes George home again. And that's what's great about imagination! I like this book quite a bit, even though the giraffe is a bit too accomodating about what she will allow the monkey to do. But what they think up, and what she does, are very imaginative and warm.

Rating:
Summary: The first introduction of Curious George
Review: This book has charming illustrations of Curious George and his siblings. It's actually the first book George ever appeared in. I think it can be enjoyed simply for that, keeping in mind it was written in simpler times before childrens' books were analyzed for political correctness. A previous review slashed this book saying the monkeys were cruel to the giraffe....I've never seen it that way, nor have the kids who I've read it to. See for yourself. If you're a fan of Curious George you'll enjoy seeing his debut.