The house has an expressive face of windows and doors, and even the feelings of a person, so she’s sad when she’s surrounded by the dirty, noisy city’s hustle and bustle: “She missed the field of daisies / and the apple trees dancing in the moonlight.” Fortunately, there’s a happy ending, as the house is taken back to the country where she belongs.

    One day a great expanse of gray steel, which also shines a bright light into the fog and darkness, is built over it. The little red lighthouse feels insignificant and useless in comparison but soon learns that . . . small can be mighty!

    and the Nine Monkeys was the first book to feature Curious George, as well as being Hans and Margret Rey’s first book for children. In this initial effort, about a lonely giraffe befriended by George and his eight siblings, we see all the hallmarks of Curious George’s signature style: humor, adventure, playfulness, and the episodic storytelling that later characterized classic George set pieces like the flyaway balloons, the rocket ship, and the bunny escape.