The very first book to feature Curious George, this title tells the story of a lonely giraffe who is befriended by George and his eight siblings. This edition includes a 13-page pictorial history of the Reys by Louise Borden. Full color.

Cecily Giraffe is sad. All her family and all her friends are gone, taken to the zoo, and she is all alone. She begins to cry because she wants someone to play with, someone to be her friend.

In another place, Mother Pamplemoose lives with her eight monkey children. They are sad, too, because woodcutters cut down all the trees in their forest. Monkeys need trees to live in, so the nine monkeys go off in search of trees and a new home.

Cecily G sees the monkeys when they come to the bank of a deep river and she makes herself into a bridge to help them cross over the river. She invites Mother Pamplemoose and the eight monkeys [Baby Jinny, Curious George, James, Johnny, Arthur, David, and the twins, Punch and Judy] to stay with her.

Cecily G is happy to have friends. But what will happen when there’s a fire . . . and it is Cecily G’s house that is burning?

Curious George makes his first appearance in the pages of a book in this delightfully funny, playful tale about friendship and teamwork. Young readers are sure to enjoy Curious George’s first adventure and the charming pictures accompanying the story.

Parents [or teachers] can parlay the story into a discussion about animals living in the zoo and/or how we must learn to care for the trees and the planet. But the young reader will enjoy the interactions between the giraffe and the monkeys. And, most importantly, it’s a fun story with a cute song at the end that tells how Cecily Giraffe helped the monkeys.

Recommended. ( )

Cecily Giraffe is alone and George and his family are homeless. They meet and play. Cecily has an idea that George and his family can live with her.

It's a cute story full of whimsy . This is the first story where Curious George appears before he goes off on his own. It's a good story to teach children about pretend and working together to help each other.

At the end of the book is a short biography of the author and his wife. I enjoyed that more. It helps children to learn more of the world and the past. ( )

Summary: Cecily G. and the nine monkeys shows a lonely giraffe and homeless monkeys. Together they are happy and having fun. Cecily lets the monkeys live with her. They live forever happily.

Personal reaction: I liked that they always considered Cecily when they played. It showed the best traits of each monkey.

Extension Ideas: Children could write down there best traits. We could hold a concert like in the book. ( )

Cecily the Giraffe is saddened by her family being captured and brought to a zoo. On the other end of the jungle, a family of monkeys are upset because they lost their home. For the monkeys, it is time to move and they are stopped by a tall vine. Cecily notices the monkey and decides to help them. The giraffe and monkeys start a home together, but it catches on fire. They work as a team to put out the fire. This book shows how important friendship can be and how strangers, different or alike, can become family.

I love this book and would read it to a kindergarten class. It shows friendship and how to lend a helping hand to those who are different. It is not a heavy book, but carries a deep story. Also, this can lead into a beloved series- Curious George. ( )