Curious George is just like those family friendly little Berenstain Bears, always getting into something and learning a lesson from it. Or rather the children reading the books learn a lesson! My child doesn't really like the laugh-inducing comedies most children's shows are but she loves this little monkey! I was rather surprised when she lugged this extremely big heavy book over and said that was the one she wanted to pick out. It did make for a quiet evening as she read it when she went to bed that night. Hmm maybe I should look up more large collections in one book for her...

This 405 page book has a number of Curious George stories in it. Expect the same language, pictures, and amount of text as in other Curious George storybooks. At the end you will find not only photographs of the author but also a section about Margret and H. A. Rey who created Curious George. If you are thinking of buying this large book for a child who adores Curious George, there is a section to put the child's name "This book belongs to..".

Here are a couple of stories in the book:

"Curious George" tells all about how the monkey met the man. Yes the man is called the man in the story! In this story, the man goes to Africa and captures the curious monkey who can't resist trying on the man's yellow hat. The man plans to take him to the zoo. George manages to get into trouble along the way. First falling off of the boat while trying to catch a seagull then accidentally calling the firemen. The firemen lock him up but he manages to get out and ends up flying away holding onto a bunch of balloons. He lands right in the man's arms and is taken to the zoo where he sits happily in a tree.

"Curious George Takes a Job" tells about how he escaped his cage at the zoo. Stealing the keys away from the zookeeper then hiding behind an elephant, and off he goes to the street outside of the zoo. Children can search the pictures for George just as the zookeeper is looking for him! He rides on top of a bus and looks around in town. Getting a little hungry, he skips into a restaurant and ends up in the middle of a bunch of spilled noodles. The cook did not get mad but George did clean up the mess and do dishes. The cook sent him on to a friend who needed a windowwasher. Wow that is a lot of windows! He washes windows on a skyscraper as he hops from window to window as he did in the jungle trees. Peeking into a window, he sees paints on the floor. George got busy painting a jungle scene on the walls. Then people start chasing him until he is down on the ground with a broken leg...jumping to the pavement was unlike jumping onto the grass. Next we see a sad George laying in a hospital bed with a broken leg. The man saw the story in the newspaper and called right away, he had a great idea for what George could do. Movies! Before the man came, George had gotten into ether which put him to sleep. They put him into the shower to wake him up. The man takes George to the movie studio where he signs a contract to be an actor! Making movies ended up being good for the little monkey as he was too busy to be curious and get into any trouble! The story ends with crowds coming to see George's new movie.

Other Curious George stories in this large book are "Curious George Rides a Bike", "Curious George Gets a Medal", "Curious George Flies a Kite", "Curious George Learns the Alphabet", and "Curious George Goes to the Hospital". They are actually in order so when he is in the hospital from swallowing a puzzle piece in the last story, they speak of the time he was in the hospital with a broken leg in the second story in the book.

Of course the illustrations are classic Curious George pictures....a little faded old-timey look to them while being colorful. All of the animals have facial expressions on their faces but George is the most expressive of all. George wears no clothing except pajamas when he is in bed or the man's yellow hat. I always worry about books giving my daughter ideas on how to get into trouble but I love how the story doesn't end with George getting into something but goes to the conclusion of what happened next. Easy reader text with large type for beginning readers, recommended for ages 4 and up with help from an adult. A book for all seasons and reasons for Curious George collectors or lovers. This would make an extra special gift for Christmas!

What is so good about this children's book?

Curious George stories, large book, kept my child busy!

What is unique about it?

Many stories in one book.

There has to be some bad to it, right?

Curious George oddly smokes in one of the stories.

Any warnings?

See above.

Final verdict:

A book for all seasons and reasons for Curious George collectors or lovers. This would make an extra special gift for Christmas!