Curious George saves the day - and his creators.

• Position: Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey - Museums Today

The impish monkey protagonist of many adventures, Curious George may never have seen the light of day were it not for the determination and courage of his creators: illustrator H.A. Rey (1898-1977) and his wife, author and artist Margret Rey (1906-96). They both were born in Hamburg, Germany, to Jewish families and lived together in Paris from 1935-40. Hours before the Nazis marched into the city in June 1940, the Reys fled on bicycles carrying drawings for their children's stories including one about a mischievous monkey, then named Fifi.

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Not only did they save their animal characters, but the Reys themselves were saved by their illustrations when sympathetic French authorities found them in their belongings and allowed them to leave the country. This may explain why saving the day after a narrow escape became the premise of most of their Curious George stories.

After their fateful escape from Paris and a four-month journey across France, Spain, Portugal, and Brazil, the couple settled in New York in the fall of 1940. In all, the Reys authored and illustrated more than 30 books, most of them for children, with seven of them starring Curious George.

Organized by New York's Jewish Museum, "Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey" offers visitors a rare opportunity to view nearly 80 original drawings and watercolors of Curious George and other characters. Many of these works never have been on display before. Preparatory dummy books, vintage photographs, and documentation related to the Reys' escape from Nazi Europe also are included. One of the exhibition galleries will be transformed into a reading room for visitors of all ages--inspired by the beloved monkeys escapades in Curious George Flies a Kite.

H.A. Ray (Hans Augusto Reyersbach) had no formal art training but, in the early 1920s, he designed and lithographed circus posters in Hamburg. Margret Rey (Margarete Waldstein) studied art and photography at the Bauhaus School and then worked in advertising firms and photographic studios in Germany and England in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Filled with gentle humor and...