The creators of Curious George, Margaret and H.A. Rey, who were German Jews, first met in Germany before fleeing the rise of Nazism. They reunited and married in Brazil in 1935, later settling in France. In 1940, as the German army approached, they fled France on homemade bicycles, carrying the unfinished manuscript of Curious George in a duffle bag.
When Houghton Mifflin first published the book in the United States, they advised the couple to credit only H.A. Rey, claiming the children’s book market was already saturated with women writers. This was despite the fact that Margret wrote the stories and Hans illustrated them. Margret later questioned this decision (“After a time, I thought, ‘Why the devil did I do that?”), and subsequent editions rightfully included her name.
Curious George and its six follow-up adventures became instant successes and have remained continuously in print since their initial publication.
- Curious George (1941)
- Curious George Takes a Job (1947)
- Curious George Rides a Bike (1952)
- Curious George Gets a Medal (1957)
- Curious George Flies a Kite (1958)
- Curious George Learns the Alphabet (1963)
- Curious George Goes to the Hospital (1966)
