BOSTON – Global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) today launched a dedicated website for its storybook favorite Curious George® as part of a broader plan to develop the iconic children’s book character for a new generation of digital readers. Weaving together learning and entertainment across a range of digital platforms, HMH will offer an extensive set of digital applications, books, and games for today’s curious learners.
The new CuriousGeorge.com website will serve as a hub for teachers and parents to access educational tools and resources online while also providing rich and engaging content for preschool- to kindergarten-aged children. Featuring a range of award-winning Curious George titles, audio e-books, themed activities, and interactive games, CuriousGeorge.com is designed to build a foundation of early literacy, math, and science skills.
Building upon the success of HMH’s ‘Curious George at the Zoo’ app, which was recently inducted into the App Store Hall of Fame, the Company also announced the launch of Curious Reader — a new picture book application linked to the website — as well as plans for six brand-new educational game apps under the ‘Curious About’ moniker that are scheduled to launch over the next several months.
“In many ways, Curious George’s transformation mirrors HMH’s own. We must remain true to what makes George so beloved by our readers, but leverage digital platforms to reach new audiences,” said Cheryl Toto, Senior Vice President of Content and Product Innovation at HMH. “As we continue to evolve as an educational content provider, we want to ensure that our popular titles and well-known characters like Curious George can play a major role in driving real educational solutions.”
Today’s announcement illustrates HMH’s continued focus on creating compelling, educational, and interactive apps, e-readers, and digital books to reach today’s learners. Curious George is the first of the Company’s popular characters to be delivered through a multiplatform approach that ties the company’s well-known storybook assets together with digital solutions from its core education business — a strategy that HMH plans to expand to other popular characters within its stable of brands.
The Curious Reader app for iPad® offers a curated collection of Curious George picture books with synced audio narratives designed to entertain and enhance reading and spelling skills. The free app, which offers access to the games and activities on CuriousGeorge.com as well as a wide range of books for parents and children to purchase, offers a complete Curious George ecosystem for kids to browse safely.
The new ‘Curious About’ app series for iPhone® and iPad will introduce children to shapes, colors, letters, drawing, and the concepts of saving money and journaling. For release in April 2013, the apps will instill critical thinking and motor skills while entertaining children with rewarding gaming principles and high quality graphics.
The new offerings will complement HMH’s bestselling collection of classic and new Curious George books and ebooks, as well as a range of Multi-Touch Digital Storybooks and Activity Series for the iPad that allow children to bring Curious George’s adventures to life through an immersive experience in his world. Through interactive puzzles, mazes, animations, and comprehension questions, readers help Curious George complete activities based on the narrative of the storybook. The apps are available on the iBookstoreSM.
To mark the launch of CuriousGeorge.com, HMH has launched a photo contest in which site visitors can submit photos of George at unique locations for the chance to win a trip to Hollywood, California, and tickets to Universal Studios. To find out more, visit www.curiousgeorge.com or join more than 750,000 fans at Curious George’s dedicated Facebook page. The contest will close on April 22, 2013.
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.
Curious George® is a registered trademark of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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, nonfiction, children's books, and reference works are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.