Hat Monkey

Title: Hat Monkey 
Author: Chris Haughton 
Illustrator: Chris Haughton 
Developed By: Fox and Sheep GmbH
Version: 1.5
Updated: November 6th, 2014 

• Size: 89.6 MB
• Price: $2.99
• App Rating: 4+
• Made for ages 5 and under
• Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Genre/Format: Fiction/Book App
iTunes Description: Hat Monkey is a small monkey with a hat who needs our help around the house. Young children will find the objectives satisfying as they help Monkey do everyday things they cannot yet do themselves, like turning off lights, opening the door for him, turning the pages of his bedtime book or sending text messages. They can also speak with him on the phone, and play music or simple games like hide and seek. The beautiful simplified graphics and interactions allow even the youngest children to identify what Monkey wants, to empathize with him, and learn how they can help him. 

Chris Haughton’s award-winning books ‘A Bit Lost’, ‘Oh No, George!’ and ‘SHH!, We Have a Plan’ have been translated into over 20 languages around the world. Instead of adapting his books, Hat Monkey was conceived and designed from the start as a stand alone app with engaging interaction at its core. 

• Languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

What I Think: Both of my kids adore Hat Monkey. It's so fun to see a book app that both my 4- and 7-year-old  giggle over together. They go back to it on their own and together and think it’s hysterical. There is something about the sweet little monkey on the screen and how they can interact with him. He never uses real words, he just makes noises and again - it has my kids both erupting in giggles. They love to interact with the app. After reading parts of Chris Haughton’s other books in the app, they begged me to get the books from the library. Their love of the book app led to wanting to read the physical books. In my mind Hat Monkey has huge kid appeal, the artwork is great, and the interactivity is wonderful. 
     In high school, I remember doing an activity where two people had to act out a scene but they could only use the words "Yes" and "No". It was all about intonation and body language. when you take the actual words out, it's amazing how much information can still be conveyed. I wonder if this might be an activity to connect with Hat Monkey. How we can still infer information from him even though he isn't speaking actual words. I also love that there is an element of hide and seek and talking on the phone in this app.
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 1 
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 1 
Read With: Shh! We Have a Plan, Little Owl Lost, and Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton 
Writing Prompts: Write out step by step directions to explain your favorite game to Hat Monkey.

I *heart* It:

Please note that information shared here was current as of time of post. 

Be sure to visit the iTunes store for any updated information!