The Journey That Saved Curious George

The Journey That Saved Curious George:  The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H. A. Rey by Louise Borden and illustrated by Allan Drummond

We all know the story of Curious George:  the Man with the Yellow Hat found George in Africa and brought him home, thus beginning the monkey's adventures.  But did you know that George was originally called "Fifi", and there was a journey fraught with danger that the Reys undertook to save both the manuscript and their lives? 

Hans Augusto Reyersbach and Margarete Waldstein were both born Jews in Germany.  Hans moved to Brazil after World War One where he watched monkeys in the Amazon while wearing a broad hat (yellow hat, anyone?).  There he met Margarete and they married, living in an apartment with two pet marmosets -- very mischevious monkeys.  At this time the Reys changed their name to be something easier for the Brazilians to pronounce, and Margaret and H. A. Rey were born.

The Reys moved to Paris and began writing and illustrating books for children, and in 1939 began a new manuscript about a monkey named Fifi, who was very curious and always getting into trouble.  World War Two began, and being Jews in Europe, the Reys fled to save their lives.  They packed what they could onto their backs (including the Fifi manuscript) and started a journey on bikes south to Lisbon, Portugal, alternating biking and train rides.   From there they made it safely to America, and Curious George was published in 1941.

Much is to be learned from the primary sources in this book, including photographs, diary exerpts and passports.  My daughter particularly enjoyed following the Rey's journeys on the maps inside the covers of the books.  For Curious George lovers of all ages.

Learn More:

• Lesson plans from the publisher to go along with the book and a list of all Curious George books

• Did you know that the H. A. Rey also published two books on constellation identification?  He drew the constellations so they actually look like what they're supposed to resemble.  You'll never have problems identifying the constellations again!  The Stars:  A New Way to See Them and Find the Constellations can both be found in my store (link on left hand side).

• "Curious George" is now an animated tv-show on PBS that teaches math and science skills.  We LOVE it at our house!! 

• World War II for elementary students from the eMints National Center (University of Missouri College of Education).  Included is a link to:  Children of WWII, where you can find out what it was like for children to live during the war

The Rainbow and You

The Rainbow and You by E.C. Krupp and illustrated by Robin Rector Krupp

My daughter, like every little girl, is crazy about rainbows.  She even dressed up for one as Halloween!  (Rainbow striped dress, crown in the shape of sun rays, carrying a cloud shield with blue water beads hanging from it.)   I now have a member of the rainbow patrol living in my house because of this book!

Dr. Krupp is an authority on ancient and prehistoric astronomy, as well as the Director of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.  It should be no surprise then that this book starts with the importance of rainbows in ancient cultures.  We learn that Isaac Newton (yes, the laws of gravity guy) was also the first to show that sunlight is made up of the rainbow's colors using a prism, and how raindrops bend light.

It then encourages you to become a rainbow reporter, noticing as many details as you can, and explains how you can make your own rainbow.  My rainbow-crazy daughter especially liked the last page:  "Since no one sees exactly the same rainbow, that rainbow you see belongs to you."  Pure magic for rainbow lovers!!

Learn More:

• 3-D Rainbow Paper Craft:  A simple paper craft that results in a 3D ornament you can hang in the room.   http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/rainbows/m3drainbow.htm  Another Rainbow Mobile!   More rainbow craft projects can be found here.

• Plant a rainbow in your garden!  Read Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
  

• KinderKorner's "A Rainbow of Colors" is full of activities, books, songs and poems about rainbows.  Aimed towards kinder-aged kiddos. http://www.kinderkorner.com/colors.html
  

• "The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow" is available in both a video and a book based on the video.  

• Prism's Rainbow Teacher's Guide is written for kinder based on Texas state standards.  It's 40 pages long and has a lot of information in it!   http://centerforeducation.rice.edu/SST/resources/Bridging/Module1/Grade_K/1%20Rainbows.pdf

The Black Book of Colors

The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and illustrated by Rosana Faria, translated by Elisa Amado

Try explaining to a sighted child what it's like to be blind.  How do they comprehend colors without their sense of sight?  It's a bit tricky, isn't it?  How do they read?  That's a little easier to answer, but not necessarily easier to do at all.  This innovative book uses a combination of embossed etchings and Braille to answer those questions, including a full braille alphabet at the end of the book.

What is red?  "Red is sour like unripe strawberries and as sweet as watermelon.  It hurts when he finds it on his scraped knee."  You don't even need to close your eyes to visualize that statement, as the book is black.  All black -- except for the white text, which is translated into braille above it.  On the opposite page is a black embossed picture of a strawberry, begging you to run your hands over it and feel the smoothness of the leaves in contrast with the bumpiness of the fruit.


Learn More:

• Braille Bug is a site for children (grades 3-6) that teaches braille, including it's creation by Louis Braille and it's use by Helen Keller, and learning to recognize braille letters and numbers using puzzles and games.   http://www.afb.org/BrailleBug/ 

• Alphabet Braille Blocks are colorful wooden blocks for all children with a raised letter to trace and the letter in braille as well.  http://www.lssproducts.com/product/4112/childrens-products 

• You've Got Braille:  Arthur's friend Marina is blind, and she shares five fun facts about communication for the blind and a braille translator.  http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/braille/index.html  Also check out Arthur's Communication Adventure Lesson Plans at http://pbskids.org/arthur/parentsteachers/lesson/communication/index.html  for teacher's guides, activity sheets, and online activities for 2nd-3rd graders.  Recordings of the episodes are available for check-out at many public libraries or for viewing online at YouTube.  Episodes to search for are "Prunella's Special Edition" and "Prunella Sees the Light".