John T. Ryan
THERE SEEMS TO be an age old fascination that we humans have with the other members of the Primates branch of the Mammalian family tree. Our "cousins" run the roster from Lemurs, Monkeys and Apes; culminating with the one sitting on the top of the heap. That "King of the Hill" would be and is indeed known as Homo Sapiens Sapiens; which is translated into "Intelligent Man." THIS SERIES DOES capitalize on this fancying of the Jungle dwelling, tree swinging and vegetarian banana eaters. Developed from a book about the character CURIOUS GEORGE, this animated "cartoon" show manages to in effect embellish the character and put the concept to a greater usage and really fine examples of developing the true potential in the reasoning processes in solving problems of everyday life; be they great or small.EVERY EPISODE THAT we've screened is both loaded with cute humor and at the same time is laden with hardcore good sense. The problems that the little starring simian encounters are true to life and down to earth. The gyrations that George goes through in solving the situations are both useful and amusing. THE BEAUTY OF a PBS series like this is that it gives the parents and (us) grandparents a chance to revisit our childhood through the eyes of the new generation. In this case, their paternal Gram (Deanna) and myself (the author) have the pleasure of seeing both Jack and Patrick enjoying every minute.
chelsandmont35
I cannot recommend this show enough. This show uses simple story lines to teach valuable lessons. Unlike a lot of other shows out there that cram learning down your throat this one focuses on learning in real-life situations. I am a 5th grade teacher and some of the kids I have encountered do not understand many of the simple science concepts that are presented in this show. George is able to encounter magnets, simple machines and explore cause and effect. However, as the parent of a 4 year old the most valuable part for me is that I can watch WITH my daughter and have great discussion. This gives my daughter realia that we refer back to every day. For example, recently the water in our town was not working and she looked at me and said "well, you just dig and find more water". Although she has learned simple math and science concepts (not to mention the terrific vocabulary, they don't "simplify" because it's for kids) the reason I recommend this show is because it teaches critical thinking, I cannot stress enough how important that is for kids today. This show is a great jumping off point for any and all types of exploration, we should be watching shows that make our children CURIOUS and encourage them to question the world around them. And I know that parents worry that their child will not be ready for kindergarten if they don't know every letter and sound etc... But I am here to tell you if you read and talk to your child everyday they will be fine but if they don't know how to think critically (which they ABSOLUTELY can do as a toddler)they will struggle. So please use this show to your advantage and listen to their brains clicking away, you will enjoy yourself!
elle ko
the show is constructed around its writing, the writing itself is multi-layered. while george enters into situations in which common sense, math, and science concepts are introduced, the narrator maintains a sympathetic and respectful tone toward his mistakes and lack of understanding. outlandish situations are presented as such, and they are often funny for both the kids and adult audience.by encouraging a sense of wonder about the world through empiricism and experience, this show accomplishes the rare feat among kids shows. adults are depicted as present, involved, non-interfering, sympathetic guides. george is often left to make his own decisions. instead of awkwardly presenting and dissecting social norms and peer relationships, the characters' personalities take their respective courses. george has the ability to chooses between which rules to adhere to, and which to not. as such, this show is a standout among early education television for both parents and children. the show's attitude about the world is mature, tolerant, and positive.the quality of the show is fairly consistent from episode to episode. some episodes have stronger writing and animation quality, some are weaker, but overall, excellent, especially given the quality of the pack it runs with (pbs kids shows.)
milesschlenker
As it is mentioned in the title, this is a very cute and nice show. It's so much better than the other younger kids' shows like "Dragon Tales" or "Sesame Street". Although the design isn't as nice as it was in the movie, it is still pretty good for a small PBS production like this. The voice acting is pretty great, too. They have Frank Welker, the voice god, as George and Jeff Bennet, who is just great, as The Man with the Yellow hat. The best part of this show is the education that it provides. While entertaining kids, this show deals with simple mathematics and science. Even though "Curious George" is targeted towards a much younger audience, I still find it quite interesting. My advice is to give it a try. It's hard to miss; all the PBS channels air it twice a day.