Curious
George History
Hans 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 both
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 where Margret
had gone to escape 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, but 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. Ragi et les 9 singes (Cecily G. and the
Nine Monkeys in English) was the result, and marked
the debut of a mischievous monkey named Curious George.
After Ragi et les 9 singes 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 1930?s 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 the city. 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 pre-dawn
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. 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, where they began a whole new life as
children?s book authors.
Curious George was published by Houghton
Mifflin in 1941, and for sixty years he has 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 over
25 million copies. So popular that his original story
has never been out of print, George has become one
of the most beloved and most recognizable characters
from 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. Another area
of giving centers around community outreach that emphasizes
the importance of family, from counseling to peer
support groups that help strengthen ties to keep family
units strong.
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