We have probably read every Curious George book at least once at our house. Some nights all we read before bed time is Curious George. But, while Isaac loves all of them, he does have particular favorites which are pulled off the shelf over and over again. Curious George and the Chocolate Factory is one of them.
How could anyone not love this book? The idea of going to a chocolate store, sneaking into the behind-the-scenes tour and helping himself to as many sweets as he can eat is probably every child's dream, as well as some adults. Well, it's mine anyway. Of course, George gets into mischief but manages to save the day in the end.
The books are formulaic, and boy do they get repetitive to read (Isaac can recite the first line of every book -- This is George. George was a good little monkey and always very curious). But the familiar pattern is part of the appeal for children. They know what to expect and they know that everything will turn out all right in the end. It is comforting for them to know that, even though George causes trouble, The Man With The Yellow Hat still loves him and accepts him. My boy appeciates this message, as I am sure do many others.
Matt and I do have one BIG pet peeve with the book, though. You might have noticed that George is an APE, not a monkey. Monkeys have tails. George does not have a tail. Isaac gets annoyed when we change the words while reading it to reflect the appropriate species. He'll live, and he will know the difference when he gets older.
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