Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is hoping its 72-year-old signature monkey can learn new smartphone tricks — and help teach pre-schoolers to boot. Image taken from HMH website. iphone External battery Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has a long history in textbooks and literature, and in 1941, it published a children’s book starring a monkey named Curious George. As times have changed, the company has looked to technology to augment and evolve its text-book and educational business. In its latest effort, the publisher has developed a new Curious George teaching app series for iPads and iPhones. The first apps in the series debuted just about a year ago, and now the company is unveiling additional releases. One new app is called “Curious About Shapes & Colors,” and it seeks to teach pre-kindergarten-aged children about simple and complex shapes and primary and secondary colors. Games and reward are used to motivate young learners, the company also known as HMH said. A brief video that HMH created to explain and promote the new app is embedded below. “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,” HMH chief content officer Mary Cullinane said in a statement. “HMH is always looking for innovative ways to leverage the popularity of Curious George to teach and entertain children through a variety of platforms.” ‘Curious About Shapes & Colors’ is available for iPad and iPhone in the App Store at a special promotional price of $2.99 until June 6, when it will change to the standard price of $4.99, HMH said