On September 16, 1898

Birth of H. A. Rey (1898–1977)

The Illustrator Who Made Curiosity Move

On this day — September 16, 1898 — H. A. Rey was born Hans Augusto Reyersbach in Hamburg, Germany. Long before a small monkey made his name familiar to generations of children, Rey was fascinated by animals, drawing, and the challenge of capturing movement with a few economical lines. Childhood visits to Hamburg’s Hagenbeck Zoo gave him opportunities to observe animals closely, and that attention remained visible in his later illustrations: bodies stretch, climb, tumble, reach, and peer rather than simply sitting still on the page.

With his wife, Margret Rey, he created Curious George, whose first book appeared in the United States in 1941. The character had already appeared under another name in an earlier story, but Curious George established the pattern that would make him enduring: George encounters something unfamiliar, investigates it, creates escalating chaos, and somehow emerges into discovery or another adventure. The books combine remarkably straightforward English with illustrations that carry much of the narrative action, making word and image work together for children still learning how stories—and sometimes language itself—are read.

George’s defining quality is neither strength nor wisdom nor obedience. It is curiosity, and the Reys made that curiosity visible as movement. Doors must be opened, objects examined, mechanisms tested, heights climbed, and unfamiliar worlds explored. That simple narrative engine has allowed the character to cross languages, generations, and media while remaining immediately recognisable. On this day, H. A. Rey’s work reminds us that children’s literature can begin with one of the oldest forms of learning: look closely, wonder what happens, and reach for the thing you do not yet understand.