Curious George Gets a Medal
 First edition | |
| Author |
H. A. Rey Margret Rey |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Curious George |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
Publication date | 1957 |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | Curious George Rides a Bike |
| Followed by | Curious George Flies a Kite |
Curious George Gets a Medal is a children's book written and illustrated by Margret Rey and H. A. Rey and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1957. It is the fourth book in the original Curious George series, and tells the story of George's flight into space. The story was published only weeks before the Soviets launched Sputnik II and Rey wanted to share his interests in space travel with children.[1]
Plot
George makes a mess with ink and a fountain pen and tries to wash it away with the garden hose, but the room fills with water and he rushes to a nearby farm to get a portable pump. He is chased by the farmer but eludes him by hiding in a shirt on a clothes line then jumping in a truck headed for the museum. He makes another mess in the museum with a dinosaur display and Professor Wiseman proceeds to take George to the zoo. Professor Wiseman wants him to go up in a space ship and then bail out. George agrees and is given a tiny space suit. At the critical moment, it is uncertain whether George will jump or not, but he does and the experiment is a success. George is carried to Earth by a parachute and is awarded a medal.
Notes
- ↑ Rey 2001, unpaged Introduction
See also
- Ham the Chimp, the chimpanzee who became the first higher primate in space in a similar mission in 1961.
References
- Rey, H. A. and Margaret Rey (2001). The Complete Adventures of Curious George. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-547-39100-7.