ETC: The Complete Adventures of Curious George

Where it all begins.

We all know Curious George. He's the creation of Margret and H. A. Rey and has been loved since the first book was published in 1941. Along with that first book, the couple wrote many other adventures for the curious little monkey, and there are seven of them in this volume. 
Curious George
Curious George Takes a Job
Curious George Rides a Bike
Curious George Gets a Medal
Curious George Flies a Kite
Curious George Learns the Alphabet
Curious George Goes to the Hospital.
All of the stories are good and all have been read many times at our house. I find it interesting how much certain things have changed since the books are written. In the first story George settles down for a nice pipe smoke after dinner and later on moves into the Zoo, which is assumed to be about the happiest place a monkey can live. In the second one George's curiosity leads him to experiment with Ether and end up passed out on the floor. At that end of that book the man in the yellow hat celebrates with a cigar as he profits from George's blossoming acting career. In fact, all of the first five stories have someone smoking in them, usually a pipe. I can't imagine submitting a book today where the main character, one that children are supposed to love, sits down for a nice smoke before bed. Older books are fun.
The book also contains an introduction that tells about the Rey's life as German Jew's who managed to leave Germany in the 30's and then to escape France just ahead of the German army on June 14, 1940. They led a fascinating life of travel and art and literature and periodically writing stories of their most popular legacy, Curious George.