Curious George and Friends

by H. A. Rey

  "We'd love to," cried all the monkeys at once.

  "Good!" said Cecily, and she smiled for the first time that day. "Now it is bedtime. I'll show you your room, and tomorrow we'll have some lovely games." So she tucked all the nine monkeys into one giraffe bed, and in a few minutes they were fast asleep.

  Next morning, after a good night's sleep and a big breakfast, Cecily G. said, "Now let's play see-saw! James, you sit on my back. (James was a very good monkey and usually had first turn.) George, you climb on my head, and you, Johnny, sit on my hind feet. That's the way!"

  "Now," they cried, "off we go!" Cecily stood up on her front legs. Up-down, up-down, up-down, went the see-saw.

  After a while Cecily stopped and took on another load. Everyone had a turn; but baby Jinny got so excited that Mother Pamplemoose was afraid she would fall off. She had to climb down and give her place to James, who got an extra ride. Jinny cried a little, but Arthur, who was very kind, dried her tears and told her that he had an idea for another game that she could play better.

  So Arthur whispered something to all the other monkeys. They rushed into the house where they had left their belongings and in a minute they were back with their skis.

  "But there isn't any snow for skis," said Cecily G.

  "Please," said George, "be so kind as to stretch your neck so I can tie your head to the top of that palm tree over there."

  "I'll be glad to," said Cecily, and she did.

  Then all the monkeys put on their skis, climbed the tree, and slid down Cecily's back, over and over again. Brave Johnny even did stunts. When he jumped he seemed to be flying.

  After a while Cecily's neck got tired, but she was having such a good time that she hardly noticed. "You are a wonderful skier, Johnny," she said.

  Johnny was so pleased he tried a specially high jump and—bump—down he fell, flat on his nose.

  Mother Pamplemoose ran to pick him up. "I think it is time to play something else," she said. "Let's find a game that Cecily can play too."

  "Yes, yes," cried all the monkeys.

  Johnny thought very hard because he was such a good monkey that he wanted Cecily to be sure and have fun, too. All at once he had a wonderful idea. "We'll make some stilts for Cecily G.," he cried.

  Johnny and David, who was a very strong monkey, cut down two palm trees. The twins, Punch and Judy, did the sawing.

  James hammered the nails.

  George watched and gave advice. When the stilts were done, he proudly carried them to Cecily G. and showed her how to use them.

  Cecily Giraffe was terribly excited.

  All the monkeys helped and—up—UP—UP—she went—right into the sky—

  so high the page isn't big enough to show all of her.

  It was very hot the next day and they all thought it would be just the thing to go to the seashore.

  After a short walk, they came to the beach and Mother Pamplemoose thought it would be nice to have a swim before lunch. But Johnny had been thinking. He asked Cecily to put down her head so that he could whisper in her ear.

  Can you guess what he said? He wanted Cecily to be a—

  SAILBOAT! And so Cecily made herself into a sailboat. Johnny was Captain. He shouted orders and

  pulled the ropes. "Not so hard, not so hard!" cried Cecily. But she was too late—

  over they went, into the water.

  "Quick, quick, climb on my back," called Cecily Giraffe, when Johnny cried for help.

  In a minute they were safe on the beach, but Cecily was so wet and cold, they decided to take off her skin and hang it in the sun to dry.

  "It is quite complicated to be a giraffe," said Punch to Judy as they brought Cecily the clothespins.

  Cecily Giraffe had hardly gotten her skin back on again when a big black cloud came up and hid the sun.

  "Oh—oh—it's going to rain—" cried the monkeys.

  Off they rushed, and back they came, one-two, one-two, carrying their umbrellas on their shoulders.

  But the rain didn't start at once and James thought it would be fun to use the umbrellas for a new game. He called it "Parachute-jumping."

  Each monkey, one at a time, climbed up on Cecily's head, opened his umbrella and jumped off.

  Down they floated. It was such fun they did it hundreds of times.

  All went well until, all of a sudden, Curious George tipped his umbrella sideways to see something and—thump—down he fell. When he looked at his broken umbrella, he sat down on the ground to cry. And, just at that moment, the rain started. Poor George! Great splashing drops began to fall all around him.

  "Quick, quick, climb up my neck, George," said Cecily.

  George climbed up and up until he was in the sunshine again, high above the rain cloud.

  All week long Cecily and her new friends had great fun. When Sunday came, Cecily was so happy she decided to give a concert to celebrate. The monkeys thought it a splendid idea. Arthur made up a nice song for them all to sing together and George promised to play on the harp.

  At last they were ready and George was just starting them off when someone cried—

  "Fire! Fire! Cecily's house is burning!"

  The concert stopped almost before it started, but no one knew what to do to put out the fire.

  "If only we had a ladder, we could throw water on the flames," cried Mother Pamplemoose.

  "I know what to do," said James. "There's a pump near the house, and a hose, and Cecily can be the ladder."

  Punch and Judy worked the pump and—

  George climbed up to turn the hose on the fire. James stood on Cecily's back to guide the hose up to George.

  In a minute the fire was out and Cecily's house was saved.

  Cecily looked at the wet little monkeys and said, "Dear new friends, I don't know how to thank you.... Would you like to stay with me always? It would make me very happy."

  "Oh, Cecily G.," cried Mother Pamplemoose, baby Jinny, curious George, brave Johnny, good little James, kind Arthur, strong David, and the twins, Punch and Judy, all together, "We'll stay with you for ever and ever.... And now let's finish our concert."

  So they took hold of hands, danced round in a ring

  and sang Arthur's song as loud as they could sing.

  Nine lit-tle monks were we home-less and

  in di-is - may till Ce-ci - ly Gi-

  raff' had us a - long t-o stay

  so here in a ri-ing we'll all dance and si-ing

  Cec'-ly Cec'-ly we will ne-ver go a-way.

  ELIZABITE

  ADVENTURES OF

  A CARNIVOROUS PLANT

  by

  H. A. REY

  YOU would not think that plants like meat. Well, some plants do. They catch and eat Small insects, such as flies and ants, And they are called

  CARNIVOROUS PLANTS.

  One of them came to world-wide fame; ELIZABITE, that was her name.

  Elizabite smiles at the sky

  While a mosquito passes by.

  Right in the middle of its flight

  She captures it with great delight.

  Elizabite smiles at the sky ...

  There comes another passer-by.

  It's Doctor White, a scientist,

  And well-known as a botanist.

  "This plant is very rare indeed!

  I'll take her home and get the seed."

  "She's caught me—Ouch!" cries Doctor White,

  "I did not know this plant could bite."

  He now tries out a safer way,

  And he succeeds without delay.

  Victorious he leaves the place,

  A smile of triumph on his face.

  Here in the doctor's laboratory

  Continues the amazing story.

  The plant, for once, behaves all right.

  She gets a drink from Doctor White,

  And even, as a special treat,

  Frankfurters, for she's fond of meat.

  But Scotty thinks with jealousy,

  Frankfurters
should belong to ME!

  Alas, it never pays to steal!

  Elizabite will spoil his meal.

  A sudden snap—a cry—a wail—

  And there goes Scotty minus tail!

  Mary, the maid, comes with her broom

  To tidy up the messy room

  And, unsuspecting, turns her back:

  A tempting aim for an attack!

  Elizabite's bad deeds require

  A solid fence of strong barbed wire.

  And Doctor White reports the case

  Now to Professor Appleface.

  But Appleface declares, "I doubt it

  Till I myself find out about it."

  He soon obtains the evidence

  Despite the new barbed wire fence.

  "We have to keep Elizabite

  Chained to the kennel now," says White.

  This burglar does not realize

  The danger of his enterprise ...

  Next morning White perceives with fright

  Someone inside Elizabite!

  "How brave of her to catch this man!

  Let's put him in the prison van."

  Of course, Elizabite can't stay

  With White. She now is on her way

  To a new home, the nearby Zoo.

  Here she became—and this is true—

  At once the most outstanding sight.

  Surrounded by her children bright

  She lived in happiness and glory

  Up to this day...

  Here ends the story.

  Margret Rey

  Pretzel

  With Pictures by H. A. Rey

  One morning in May

  five little dachshunds were born.

  One of them was Pretzel.

  They grew up the way puppies do, and they

  all looked exactly alike the first few weeks.

  Pretzel

  Paul

  Patricia

  Priscilla

  Percival

  But after nine weeks Pretzel suddenly

  started growing—

  and growing—

  and growing.

  He grew much longer than

  any of his brothers and sisters.

  And when he was fully grown

  he had become the longest

  dachshund in all the world.

  Pretzel was very pleased with

  himself because it is very distinguished

  for a dachshund to be so long.

  When he was one year old (a dachshund is

  grown up at that age) he won the Blue Ribbon

  at the Dog Show which means that everybody

  considered him the best looking dog of all.

  All the dogs admired him.

  And all the people admired him.

  Only Greta didn't.

  Greta was the little dachshund from

  across the street. Pretzel was in love

  with her and wanted to marry her.

  But Greta just laughed at him.

  "I don't care for long dogs," she said.

  "But it is very distinguished for a dachshund to be so long and I won the Blue Ribbon at the Dog Show," said Pretzel.

  "I still don't care," said Greta. Pretzel was hurt but he did not show it.

  "Please marry me," he said,

  "and I will do anything for you!"

  "Prove it!" said Greta and went away.

  So Pretzel set out to prove it. First he brought Greta a nice big bone.

  "Thanks for the bone," said Greta, "but I won't marry you for that. I don't care for long dogs." And she ate the bone and forgot about Pretzel.

  Pretzel had to try something else. He gave her the lovely green rubber ball he had been given for his birthday.

  "Thank you," said Greta, "but I still

  won't marry you because I don't care for long dogs. Besides, everybody can give presents!" And she ran away with the ball.

  "Look what I can do! Nobody except me can do THAT!" said Pretzel when they met again.

  And this is what he did:

  "Not bad," said Greta. "Your name certainly fits you. But I like the pretzels at the baker's better, and I still don't care for long dogs." Pretzel was very unhappy.

  Some weeks had passed and Greta hadn't even spoken to Pretzel. One day while she was playing with her green ball it bounced away. Greta tried to catch it and boomps! they both landed in a hole.

  Greta tried to get out of the hole, but she couldn't. It was much too deep. She was terribly scared. If nobody came to save her she might never, never ... Just then Pretzel's face appeared over the edge of the hole.

  "I'll get you out of there!" he shouted. (He had watched Greta all the time

  and now had rushed to help her.) How good that Pretzel was so long!

  "I believe you saved my life. You are wonderful!" said Greta with a sigh.

  "Will you marry me now?" asked Pretzel.

  "I will," said Greta, "but not for your length!" So they kissed each other,

  and got married,

  and one morning in May five little dachshunds were born...

  Emmy Payne

  Katy No-Pocket

  Pictures by H. A. Rey

  Big tears rolled down Katy Kangaroo's brown face. Poor Katy was crying because she didn't have a pocket like other mother kangaroos. Freddy was Katy Kangaroo's little boy and he needed a pocket to ride in. All grown-up kangaroos take awfully big hops and little kangaroos, like Freddy, get left far behind unless their mothers have nice pockets to carry them in.

  And poor Katy didn't have any pocket at all.

  Katy Kangaroo cried just thinking about it, and Freddy cried, too.

  Then, all of a sudden, Katy had a wonderful idea! It was so wonderful she jumped six feet up in the air.

  The idea was this. Other animal mothers had children and they didn't have any pockets. She'd go and ask one of them how they carried their babies!

  Freddy looked all around to see whom to ask and Katy looked all around to see, too. And what they both saw were two bubbles rising up from the river right beside them.

  "Mrs. Crocodile!" said Katy, feeling lots better already. "She hasn't any pocket. Let's ask her!"

  A lot of big muddy bubbles came up through the water and

  then Mrs. Crocodile stuck her head up and opened her enormous mouth and smiled.

  "Why, Katy Kangaroo! What can I do for you today?"

  "Please, Mrs. Crocodile, I am so sad," said Katy. "I have no pocket and Freddy has to walk wherever we go and he gets so tired. Oh dear, oh dear!"

  And she started to cry again.

  The crocodile began to cry, too, and then she said, "B-b-but—What—what can I do?"

  "You can tell me how to carry Freddy," said Katy. "How do you carry little Catherine Crocodile? Oh, do please tell me."

  "Why, I carry her on my back, of course!" said Mrs. Crocodile.

  She was so surprised that anyone shouldn't know that she forgot to cry any more.

  Why on my back, of course!

  Katy was pleased. She said, "Thank you," and as soon as she got to a good squatting-down place, she squatted and said, "Now, Freddy, climb on my back. After this it will be so simple—no trouble at all."

  But it wasn't simple. In the first place, Freddy could not crawl up onto her back because his knees stuck out. He couldn't hang on because his front legs were too short. And when he did manage to hang on for a few minutes and Katy gave a long hop, he fell off—bump, bang—with a terrific thump.

  So Katy saw that she couldn't carry her baby on her back.

  Katy and Freddy sat down again and thought and thought.

  "I know! I'll ask Mrs. Monkey. I'm sure she can help me."

  So Katy and Freddy set off for the forest and very soon they found Mrs. Monkey. She had her young son, Jocko, with her and Katy Kangaroo hurried so to catch up with them that she was almost out of breath. But, finally, she managed to squeak, "Please, Mrs. Monkey, how do you carry Jocko?"

  "Why, in my arms
, of course," said Mrs. Monkey. "How else would any sensible animal carry anything?" And she whisked away through the trees.

  "Oh dear," said Katy, and a great big tear ran across her long nose.

  "I can't carry anything in these short little arms, oh dear! She wasn't any help at all. What are we going to do?" And she just sat down and cried harder than ever.