Curious George Takes a Train

Curious George, the Man in the Yellow Hat, and Mrs. Needleman decide to go on a trip and thus head to the train station. George is soon distracted by the trainmaster posting the train schedules by hand on the board and tries to do the same, but of course his slapdash entries make for thorough confusion. However, George more than redeems himself by later rescuing a small child from falling on to the tracks.

I absolutely love Curious George, and this book did not fail, even though some of it is rather dated. (For instance, most train stations now have electronic boards, so children might not 100% get why/how the trainmaster is moving the arriving and departing times by hand.) As usual, George creates some mischief by trying to do something show more without thinking through the consequences, but he then gains forgiveness by making up for it with a good action. George seems like a very relatable character for children (and honestly for adults as well) in that he means well but sometimes makes mistakes. Rather than being berated for his errors, he learns from them.

The illustrations, billed as "in the style of the H.A. Rey," are quite comparable to the original ones by the series' co-creator. They do a fine job of complementing the story so that children can use them to help them decode the words or to simply follow along as an adult reads aloud to them. show less

Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat visit the train depot to take a trip to the country. While the man heads off to buy tickets, George notices a man working on a big sign, rearranging numbers and letters. Of course, George is curious. Of course, George gets in trouble. He tries to help by moving more numbers and letters around. Unfortunately, the sign is announcing departures and arrivals. Now everyone is mad at George! After he saves a little boy from falling in a train's path, he's a hero and everyone forgives him for changing the sign. Also, George has a new friend.

The books in the Curious George series tend to fall in a pattern: George is curious, George accidentally causes problems, George redeems himself. The writing show more isn't spectacular, but I can see why kids like them so much. George is like a child - he is curious about the world around him, and his inexperience and youth lead him into accidental mistakes. He always means well, though, and his acts of bravery prove that. Plus, the pictures are endearing. On a personal note, my little girl is mad about this monkey, so I foresee many more Curious George titles in my future. show less

Curious George heads to the train station to take a trip with the Man with the Yellow Hat, but when he tries to help out the station master, he gets himself into trouble. George finds himself a hiding place--only to discover that his help is really needed when a little boy's toy train is about to fall onto the tracks.

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 show more 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. show less

More adventures with George who seems to always get into trouble.