Curious George Indeed

Over the past few days, Robby has developed a passion for Curious George. This started with a recent trip to Barnes and Noble where he eschewed the trains for reading with Mommy (much to Mommy's delight!). We read Curious George Visits the Fire Station, and he was hooked.

Now, when I was pregnant with Robby, I got a hankering early on to start buying baby stuff, but I had not had any showers yet, so I knew enough to wait to see what I would get. So, instead, we started scavenging for cheap children's classic books. We went to used book stores, book sales, and garage sales. As a result, we have many older Curious George books. Over the last few days, we have read them all.

I remember George very fondly from my childhood, but these books had some big surprises in them for me. Such as:

1. In the first Curious George book, the Man with the Yellow Hat smokes a pipe (not entirely shocking)

2. But then, he teaches George to smoke a pipe before bedtime (and this is not one of the naughty things George is guilty of!)

3. In the book two characters are described as the thin man and the fat man (I can't imagine that in today's politically correct world)

4. This one, to me, is the most shocking. In a book from 1985 called Curious George Visits the Zoo, there is a page of people having picnics, and front and center is a dad lounging on a blanket clearly smoking a cigarette.

I am just really unsure of what to make of this development. When Robby asks me what the daddy is doing, will I

a. Tell the truth and use it as a teachable opportunity

b. Go for an evasion tactic and continue to pretend to not see or not know what is going on

c. Tell a white lie

Only time will tell I guess. In the meantime, I have Netflixed the Will Ferrell film. Here's to hoping that the delinquent side of Curious George is left on the sidelines for that one.