The Journey That Saved Curious George

This 70-page children’s book tells the amazing story of how Margret and H. A. Rey, the creators of Curious George, escaped Paris in 1940 just as the German army was approaching the city. Margret and H. A. Rey, who were Jewish, escaped on bicycle, carrying with them several children’s book manuscripts, including what would become the children’s picture book Curious George.

The story of the Reys and their escape is told with a combination of text and a great many illustrations, including photographs. The book is divided into two sections: Part I, Two Artists and Part II, Escape from Paris. The first part covers the childhoods of the Reys in Germany through their years in Brazil and their early years as a married couple living in Paris. The second part covers their frantic escape from Paris through the time, four months later on October 14, 1940, when they arrived in New York City.

The book is nicely designed, with ample white space, an attractive and easy-to-read typeface, and a variety of illustrations on every page. These include historic photographs of Margret and H. A. Rey, wartime photographs, artwork from the Rey’s children’s books (including such characters as Curious George, Whiteblack the Penguin, and Cecily G.), photographs of personal mementos, such as diary and calendar entries and manuscripts, and illustrations by Alan Drummond. Drummond uses lively watercolor sketches to portray the Reys and their experiences.

In her page-long essay Finding the Story, the book’s author, Louise Borden, describes the research she did to discover the details of the Rey’s escape from Paris. In After the Escape, an essay at the end of the book, Borden provides information about the Rey’s lives after arriving in the United States and the publication of their books, including Curious George. There is also a one-page partial bibliography of the Rey’s books.

While I recommend the book for children 9-14, I also recommend it for all older fans of Margret and H. A. Rey and Curious George. In addition to the fascinating story of the Rey’s escape, you’ll learn all kinds of interesting tidbits about the Reys and their children’s picture books. For example, did you know that H. A. Rey originally gave the name of “Fifi” to the little monkey that we know as Curious George? The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H. A. Rey was published by the Houghton Mifflin Company in 2005 (ISBN: 9780618339242).