BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) today announced ‘Curious About Shapes & Colors’ for iPad® and iPhone® – the latest release in its popular series of Curious George® mobile apps, designed to build foundational educational principles for young learners. Part of the new ‘Curious About’ series, ‘Shapes & Colors’ engages children in entertaining games and puzzles with HMH’s playful and beloved Curious George character.
Created in line with the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework, ‘Curious About Shapes & Colors’ teaches pre-kindergarten-aged players about simple and complex shapes and primary and secondary colors, while motivating young learners with fun and engaging games and rewards. With a variety of difficulty levels built in to appeal to a range of learners, the app helps develop fine motor and cognitive skills including pattern recognition and sequencing. Children will be delighted by the game’s vivid, colorful imagery and familiar sounds, including narration by the Man in the Yellow Hat.
“Beyond teaching children concepts that serve as the foundation for classroom learning, high-quality games can communicate valuable principles such as cause and effect, perseverance and critical thinking,” said Mary Cullinane, Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. “HMH is always looking for innovative ways to leverage the popularity of Curious George to teach and entertain children through a variety of platforms.”
Also new to the App Store is ‘Draw with Curious George’ – a fun and interactive pre-K app for iPad which encourages creative expression through a variety of tools including painting, tracing and rewards like stickers and stamps. Connect-the-dots tasks promote fine motor skills needed for writing, while also allowing kids to practice counting and number recognition. Children can create digital artwork which can be saved to a personal art gallery and proudly shared with family via a secure in-app email function.
The apps were designed and developed by the HMH team who created ‘Curious George at the Zoo’ which was recently inducted into the App Store Hall of Fame. ‘Shapes and Colors’ and ‘Draw with Curious George’ are the first in a series of ‘Curious About’ apps, with new additions, including ‘Curious George’s Town’, scheduled to launch in the coming weeks.
The ‘Curious About’ series is the latest launch in the ongoing development of the iconic children’s book character for a new generation of digital readers. In April, HMH announced a new dedicated online portal at CuriousGeorge.com, designed to serve as a hub for parents and teachers to access educational tools for preschool-to-kindergarten-aged children. Featuring interactive games and a range of award-winning Curious George titles, audio e-books and themed activities, CuriousGeorge.com demonstrates HMH’s commitment to delivering entertaining and educational learning solutions for young children across a range of digital platforms.
‘Curious About Shapes & Colors’ is available for iPad and iPhone in the App StoreSM at a special promotional price of $2.99 until June 6, 2013, when it will revert to the standard price of $4.99. ‘Draw with Curious George’, available for iPad, is priced at $1.99.
Visit YouTube to watch a demo of ‘Curious About Shapes & Colors’.
About Curious George
Curious George was first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941 and for over seventy years has been capturing the hearts and minds of readers young and old throughout the world. Books about Curious George, including the seven original stories by Margret and H. A. Rey, have sold over 75 million copies. As one of the most recognizable characters from children’s literature, Curious George has been featured in a Public service advertising literacy campaign and was inducted into the Indie Choice Book Awards Picture Book Hall of Fame. In addition, Curious George stars in the Emmy-winning PBS television series of the same name and has starred in two full-length movies, Curious George and Curious George 2: Follow that Monkey! For more information, visit www.curiousgeorge.com.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global learning company with the mission of changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. Among the world’s largest providers of pre-K–12 education solutions and one of its longest-established publishing houses, HMH combines cutting-edge research, editorial excellence and technological innovation to improve teaching and learning environments and solve complex literacy and education challenges. HMH’s interactive, results-driven education solutions are utilized by 60 million students in 120 countries, and its renowned and awarded novels, non-fiction, children's books and reference works are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.
Curious George®, created by Margret and H. A. Rey, is copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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