I wasn't introduced to the notion of children's books until I was a Dad. I cannot wax poetic about the stories and characters that charmed my childhood because frankly there weren't any.
My father, still attending night school when I was a kid, had his head buried in the exciting books of Chartered Accountancy. And my mother, corralling three kids less than 4 years apart in age, was too tired at the end of the day to crack open a children's book. Which in hindsight and through the eyes of a spendthrift CPA-to be, were inordinately expensive.
"It's 29 pages long, most of them are pictures and they want $5.99 for the book, getouttahere."
Nevertheless, I do remember some books that left an impact.
Maybe I saw them in kindergarten class. One was Curious George and The Man with Yellow Hat. I hadn't thought much about CG, my daughters's were more fond of the Hungry Caterpillar, Max and the Wild Things and Zundel the Tailor. That is until I came across an interesting piece on the authors.
Turns out the Jewish couple, Marget and Hans Rey, have quite a story of their own. Living in Paris in 1940, they had heard of the German advancement and the French army's decision not to resist the oncoming Nazi onslaught. So Hans got his Jewish ass working and fashioned a tandem bike together using spare parts purchased from a local shop.
With the rickety bike working, the young couple packed their belongings, including the manuscript for Curious George, and hightailed it for southern France, then Spain, then Portugal, then Rio de Janiero and finally landing in New York.
The rest is history.
It's a fascinating story shaped by world events at the time. And made even more fascinating when you take a closer look at George.
Do you see it?
How about now?
Can't see it?
Of course you can't because it's a trick question. Monkeys have tails, a strong appendage used for mobility, climbing and a host of other functions. George doesn't.
Mmmm, that's curious.
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