BOSTON – Global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) today announced ‘Curious George’s Town’ for iPad® and iPhone®. Developed for preschool-to-kindergarten-aged children, ‘Curious George’s Town’ teaches smart saving and spending habits while engaging kids in creating a virtual world complete with rollercoasters, dinosaurs and farm animals, as well as neighborhood staples such as the pet store, bakery and fire station. By accomplishing real-world and in-app challenges, children earn virtual coins they can use to purchase a variety of items to create their very own town. Based on the principle of deferred gratification, the app introduces the concepts of strategic planning and careful spending in order to accomplish a goal. The app features a unique reward chart that parents and caregivers can customize by assigning a specific coin value to a list of real-world tasks – such as cleaning up toys – incentivizing children to complete real-life responsibilities. Kids can also supplement their stockpile of virtual savings by tackling in-app educational games such as alphabetizing books at Curious George’s library and collecting the correct items at the grocery store. Guided and narrated by the convivial Man with the Yellow Hat, the fun and engaging app also reinforces concepts like spelling, reading and matching. “Digital games are an effective way to build foundational cognitive skills by introducing concepts such as saving, planning and goal setting,” said Mary Cullinane, Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. “Additionally, by bridging real-life tasks and ideas with digital rewards, apps like ‘Curious George’s Town’ fuel and inspire a sense of achievement and confidence that are important to a child’s overall development.” ‘Curious George’s Town’ is the latest release in a series of mobile apps featuring HMH’s iconic Curious George character. Part of the new ‘Curious About’ series, ‘Town’ was preceded by ‘Curious About Shapes & Colors’ – this month’s Children’s Technology Review Editors’ Pick - and ‘Draw with Curious George.’ The series was created by the same HMH team that developed ‘Curious George at the Zoo’, which was recently inducted into the App Store Hall of Fame. ‘Curious George’s Town’ is available for iPad and iPhone in the App StoreSM for a special promotional price of $2.99 until August 1, when it will revert to the standard price of $3.99. Visit Vimeo to watch a demo of ‘Curious George’s Town.’
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! HMH regularly publishes dozens of new Curious George adventures in both digital and a wide range of print formats, with new titles released almost every month. 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.
Apple, the Apple logo, iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
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