'I DON'T WANT THIS FEELING TO GO AWAY'

I've always wanted to meet Curious George. Ever since I was a child.

This (the image in the photo) is me in late February 2015 holding a Curious George doll while attending a magnificent exhibit at the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, http://www.dallasholocaustmuseum.org​.

I was there in my capacity as staff reporter for the Texas Jewish Post out of Dallas.  I was covering "The Wartime Escape: Margret and H. A. Rey’s Journey from France." This traveling exhibit is based on the eponymous book by author Louise Borden with illustrations by Allan Drummond. (Houghton Mifflin Company, New York).

This special exhibit runs through June 20 at the Dallas Holocaust Museum, located at 211 North Record Street #100.

Believe it or not,  Curious George — the central character in children’s books and animated episodes shown on PBS — almost didn’t come into existence. 

CG's creators, husband-wife team Margret and H.A. Rey, were German-Jews who fled from Paris to America to escape Adolf Hitler's death camps.

I was fortunate enough to invited to the museum in February to attend this exhibit's official debut in the D-FW area.

It was a delight to be able to interview author Louise Borden there. She provided much insight into this harrowing journey. She said it was fraught with "suspenseful twists" and "near misses."

As they fled the Axis, (initially only on bicycles) Margret and H.A. Rey carried with them to America the then-unpublished manuscript for this mischievous, magnificent monkey who eventually would evolve into Curious George. 

A topic of discuss between Borden and I was the 2006 Curious George movie, which contained a very catchy theme song by Jack Johnson titled "Upside Down." 

Louise Borden said she and her grandchildren are all big fans of the song, which you can hear on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqUdI4AIDF0

"I have it on my phone and I have little grandkids andI turn it on all the time," she told me.

As I stated in my story for the Texas Jewish Post (http://tjpnews.com)  Jack Johnson's lyrics really say it all when it comes to the wonder and awe inspired by H.A. and Margret Rey's long-lasting literary creation:

"I want to turn the whole thing upside down

I'll find the things they say just can't be found

I'll share this love I find with everyone

We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs

I don't want this feeling to go away."

Indeed.