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Title: Curious George's Dream
ISBN: 0395919118
Author:
H. A. Rey
Margret Rey
Publicate Date: 1998-10-26
Publish: 1998-10-26
List Price: $3.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $0.56
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
Amazon Merchant Price: $3.95
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Good
Good book. It's one of the older George stories and drawings, not one of the newer George stories and drawings.
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2: Curious George without the magic
This is part of a series of Curious George spin-offs "in the style of H.A. Rey by Vipah Interactive", which tells you about everything you need to know. This is Curious George By Committee, earnestly lumbering through a Very Special Story that is designed to Teach A Life Lesson, and you can just hear the capital letters resonating through the board-room as the "authors" consulted with Childhood Educator Specialists and prepared George's Corporate Vision.
I will say that the illustrations are well done, and really do look like the original. The problem with this series is the stories -- for two reasons. First, the stories are dull. A simple, linear story is carefully walked through, one plodding step after another. There's no digression, no unexpected moments, no charming diversions or sidetracks, no spontaneity. You can predict the entire story from the first sentence. Compare to the real Curious George -- each of those books has many sub-plots, as George springs from one monkey thought to another. (In Curious George Rides a Bike, yes, he rides a bike, but he also delivers newspapers, makes newspaper boats, joins a circus, nearly kills an ostrich, rescues a baby bear, and performs in the animal show while playing a bugle. Now that's action!)
What's more, the stories in these corporate George books are so insipid and watered-down that there's no real "lesson" to be learned. George screws up, in some tiny and trivial way, and then everything turns out fine for no particular reason, even though it's presented as being something George did. Again, in the real books, George does something wrong (offers a bugle to the ostrich) and suffers real consequences (the ostrich chokes and has to be saved; George is stripped of his bugle and uniform and can't perform in the circus); but then he does something genuinely good, not merely accidental (climbs a tree to save the baby bear) and is appropriately rewarded. Again, classic stories, classic plots, and classic lessons. Here in these corporate George books, the stories are presented in the form of moral lessons, but they are not; George never actually suffers the consequences of his carelessness, and ends up being rewarded for no particular reason. Sure, we love our kids and want them to be reassured, but are these really lessons, or wish-fulfillment?
My children occasionally ask for these books, but are never very interested. I myself dislike reading them because they're so boring. We usually end up hunting down the real Curious George series instead, and re-reading them for the 50th time.
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3: Curious George
I love all the curious George books. Who Doesn't?
author of "Hobo Finds A Home"
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4: George Wishes He Were Taller--But Then Realizes He's Just the Right Size!
At some point, a child will confront the fact that he is too small or too short for *something*. This is evident at amusement parks, where there are height minimums required in order to ride.
In fact, we were at a local amusement park several years ago, and my son was very disappointed that he wasn't tall enough to ride the bumper cards (but WAS tall enough to ride roller coasters...go figure!)
This past weekend we visited a bookstore and my son wanted not one, but SEVEN Curious George books to add to his collection (he already had several at home). Curious George's Dream was one of the books we bought.
This 24-page book illustrated by Vipah Interactive begins with an exhausted George entering his house. He just spent the entire day at the amusement park with the Man With the Yellow Hat.
As George sits down for dinner, he reflects on the fact that he was too small for many of the rides and activities during the day. After dinner, TMWTYH puts in a movie (from the TV shot, it looks like King Kong) and George falls asleep while he's watching.
George then dreams that he is HUGE (so it was probably King Kong after all!)--certainly big enough to ride the rides. However, he cannot fit into the roller coaster seat--and he's too big too hold the rabbits. He even scares some of the people!
TMWTYH wakens George. George was thrilled that it was just a dream--and he leaps into his friend's arms. As the man with the yellow hat tucks him in, George is happy to be in his little bed. "It was not very big, he thought. But he fit in perfectly. George was just the right size."
This wonderful tale encourages children to accept their limitations--and shows that all shapes, sizes and physical traits can have both advantages and DISadvantages in life. Many children face obstacles resulting from being too short or too young, so this is an encouraging story for ALL children.
This book is geared towards children ages 4-8, so it's a good book for beginner/intermediate readers--and makes a great bedtime story!
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5: A very clever book...we can always relate to George!
I am partial, but we like most all of Curious George's adventures. Children hear it all of the time..."sorry sweetheart we'll do that when you are a bit older, or "sorry sweetheart that's for when you are a bit bigger". After a frustrating day, George drifts off to sleep while watching what looks to be KING KONG and dreams of being big. As he wakes he realizes that he is perfect just the way he was created and that he is loved and cared for by his friend. Life is good!
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