Rey, H. A., 1898–1977, German-American writer and illustrator of children's books, b. Hamburg as Hans Augusto Reyersbach. He and his wife, Margret Rey, 1906–1996, b. Hamburg as Margarete Elisabeth Waldstein, both German Jews, were living in Paris, writing and illustrating children's books, when the Germans invaded in 1940. The Reys assembled bicycles from spare parts, packed them with artwork and manuscripts, and fled to Spain; they ultimately settled in the United States. Their Curious George (1941), the story of a mischievous monkey who belongs to a human character known only as “the man with the yellow hat,” proved a success. With Margret working mainly as author (originally uncredited) and H. A. as illustrator, they published seven books about the little monkey from the 1940s to 60s.
See L. Borden and A. Drummond, The Journey that Saved Curious George (2010).
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