Curious George at the Zoo

App review by Jinny Ree, Common Sense Media
Curious George at the Zoo Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 3+

Lovable monkey's fans may enjoy, but activities need work.

iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad Education
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Parents say

age 7+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 8+

Based on 2 reviews

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  • Curious George at the Zoo App: Screenshot #1
  • Curious George at the Zoo App: Screenshot #2
  • Curious George at the Zoo App: Screenshot #3

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this app.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Curious George at the Zoo is a very basic app about animals based on the popular children’s books. Guided by the Man in the Yellow Hat, kids play with hippos, elephants, and parrots in the Sunny Safari, and wash animals in the Safari Showers. Kids can also tilt the device to wake animals up and watch short video clips about each animal in the safari. When kids finish the Sunny Safari (which will not take long), they may want to visit other regions in the app. At the time of this review, one other region was available as an in-app purchase, and two other regions were "Coming Soon."

Community Reviews

Lebron45James6
Lebron45James6 Adult
October 13, 2022
age 2+

Noice meme

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb In the shape of an "L" on her forehead Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running Didn't make sense not to live for fun Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb So much to do, so much to see So what's wrong with taking the back streets? You'll never know if you don't go (GO!) You'll never shine if you don't glow Hey, now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey, now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold It's a cool place and they say it gets colder You're bundled up now wait 'til you get older But the meteor man beg to differ Judging by the hole in the satellite picture The ice we skate is getting pretty thin The water's getting warm so you might as well swim My world's on fire. How about yours? That's the way I like it and I'll never get bored Hey, now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey, now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold Go for the moon Go for the moon Go for the moon Go for the moon Hey, now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey, now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas I need to get myself away from this place I said yep, what a concept I could use a little fuel myself And we could all use a little change Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running Didn't make sense not to live for fun Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb So much to do, so much to see So what's wrong with taking the back streets? You'll never know if you don't go You'll never shine if you don't glow Hey, now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey, now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold
Lebron12James3
Lebron12James3 Adult
December 21, 2021
age 2+

Scary

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 3 parent reviews

What’s It About?

In Curious George at The Zoo kids visit different regions of the zoo to play with animals. In Sunny Safari, kids choose an animal (hippo, parrot, giraffe, lion, or elephant) to clean; they can also watch a video about the animal. In the Safari Showers mini-game, kids pick an animal to hose based on a clue from the Man in the Yellow Hat ("Clean the animal with spots.") Kids earn stickers for a sticker book, and can import a photo from the device as a background. You can buy other regions to explore, such as Deep Freeze and Old McDonald's Farm.

Is It Any Good?

Curious George at the Zoo will entertain fans of the character as they explore the zoo and use features of the device to interact with the animals. But overall, the activities could be further developed to incorporate constructive feedback and accommodate users of different skill levels. Since kids are just repeating the same activity with each animal, the sense of challenge is lost as they master each task.

The one region that comes with the app doesn't feel very substantial, and encouraging kids to buy more regions with such a prominent purchase button is inappropriate for the targeted age. For kids who can't get enough of Curious George, this app may be entertaining, but there's not enough there for kids who aren't diehard fans.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Visit the library with your kid to read up on the featured animals, their natural habitats, how they clean themselves, etc.

  • Visit the zoo and find the animals kids learned about in the app.

  • Read the book Curious George Visits the Zoo. Do any parts of the book seem familiar after playing the app?

App Details

Our Editors Recommend

Themes & Topics

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