H. A. Rey

H. A. Rey, born Hans Augusto Reyersbach, was a German-born American illustrator and author best known for creating the Curious George series of children's books with his wife Margret Rey. Growing up near the Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, Germany, he developed a lifelong love of animals, which influenced his work. The Reys fled Nazi-occupied France on bicycles in 1940, bringing the Curious George manuscript to the United States, where the first book was published in 1941.[1][2][4]