By Margret & H.A. Rey
Quite possibly my favorite timeless classic children’s book, Curious George Goes to the Hospital follows the latest adventures of everyone’s favorite mischievous monkey. This time, George has swallowed a large puzzle piece, prompting an emergency visit to the hospital. Oh my! The book is sure to make children of all ages laugh with joy as doctors are able to save the day, first pointing out the puzzle piece in an X-ray. After all, George is able to make a little girl at the hospital laugh for the first time in her life!
“Maybe it WAS candy. Maybe he could eat it. George put the piece in his mouth – and before he knew, he had swallowed it.”
In addition to the hilarious scenes (George flying and crashing through the hospital in a wheelchair had me on the ground in fits of laughter), children are able to learn valuable lessons about the hospital: through George’s eyes, young children are able to see that not all hospital experiences have to be scary, and that doctors and nurses are nice and caring people!
The Curious George series is recommended for children aged Kindergarten and up, and I would consider this book from 1966 to be a lively and enlightening read for parents and their young children alike. After assigning my 7 year-old sister the task of reading Curious George Goes to the Hospital, here is her verdict:
“I always think Curious George is very funny, and he is especially funny in this book when he eats the puzzle piece. He makes everybody in the hospital laugh a lot, which is nice because the hospital can sometimes be a not fun place to be.”
Even the reputable Kirkus Reviews agrees with her, stating,
“While beginning readers are convinced that they are enjoying themselves with George, their supervising adults are equally sure that they are learning something. Both are absolutely right.”
While I am the first to admit my uncanny obsession with the character of Curious George due to our sharing of a name (see the picture of my room at school below), I highly recommend this book to beginning readers and adults alike for a rewarding mix of humor and sentimentality and free of any sort of bias!
Happy Reading!
– (Curious) George
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