Picture book of the week

Did you know that Curious George is Brazilian?

The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden. Illustrated by Allan Drummond. Hardcover; 80 pages, 2005

ISBN: 0618339248

So that our children will enjoy more fully our family's stargazing sessions this summer, Husband is reading aloud H. A. Rey's Find the Constellations, which we own, courtesy of a Catholic school library discard pile. The kids love H. A. Rey's versions of the Greek myths and are looking forward to starry skies a fortnight from now. The full moon and the upcoming number of rainy days are a bit of an obstacle these days.

To go along with husband's reading selection, I picked this up (again) from the library today: the story of the authors of Curious George is one of these better-than-fiction stories! The Reys escaped wartime Europe bicycling through three countries, and lived in my native Brazil for 12 years-- I always knew that adorable monkey looked familiar. Don't miss it! Drummond's illustrations are a lot of fun too! Author Louise Borden is a great choice for historical-based picture books today, having written gems such as Sea Clocks (on the Longitude prize story), Sleds on Boston Common, The Little Ships and The Greatest Skating Race. Read more about Borden and her books on her site here.

From the publisher:

In 1940, Hans and Margret Rey fled their Paris home as the German army advanced. They began their harrowing journey on bicycles, pedaling to Southern France with children’s book manuscripts among their few possessions.

Louise Borden combed primary resources, including Hans Rey’s pocket diaries, to tell this dramatic true story. Archival materials introduce readers to the world of Hans and Margret Rey while Allan Drummond dramatically and colorfully illustrates their wartime trek to a new home.

Follow the Rey’s amazing story in this unique large format book that resembles a travel journal and includes full-color illustrations, original photos, actual ticket stubs and more. A perfect book for Curious George fans of all ages.