One Last Gift Suggestion List: E-Books for Kids
December 7, 2010 by Reader's Connection
Thinking about an e-reader for one of your kids? There are several kinds available appropriate for kids preschool to teen. The trick is figuring out which e-reader is the best for your individual child balanced with how much money you want to spend. It´s important to figure out if the e-reader itself is comfortable, but it is equally important to find out before you buy what kinds of e-books can be viewed on the e-reader. For example, IMCPL carries a lot of e-books you can download free with your library card. Kindle, however, won’t read them. Sad, but true! This could change in the future, but for now, that’s the way it is. These are the kinds of details you want to understand before you buy – where can I get e-books and how much do they cost? Below are descriptions of some e-readers that can be used to view children and teen books. The list starts out with those for preschoolers. Happy shopping!
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Fisher Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning System – designed for kids 4-9 years old th iXL is an e-book reader, game player, notebook, art studio, mP3 player & photo viewer. You can even load it with your own music and photos. There are no cartridges to keep track of. You connect the Fisher Price iXL to your computer with a USB cable (included) and copy the software onto the device from CDs that you buy. Each CD comes with several games, an e-book, art studio add-ons, themed “skins” for your music player and notebook apps. List of Available Titles Some Product Reviews:
_______________________________________________________________________ V-Tech V.Reader Animated E-Book System
(Formally known as the Flip.) – designed for kids 3-7 years old. It uses e-book cartridges that are animated story books. Each e-Book cartridge includes a 20 page e-book, 8 educational activities and a story dictionary. V-Tech says that downloadable content is coming in the future and that you will store it on an SD Memory Card. List of Available Titles
Some Product Reviews:
- TechDad
- Amazon: Buyer Reviews
- NYT Gadgetwise: Review
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Leapfrog’s Leapster Exlorer – designed for kids 4-9 years old the Leapster Explorer can be used for games, e-Books, videos & online play. You can buy cartridges for it or use LeapWorld, a website, to play online or download apps. If you want to buy apps, you buy “leaplet download cards” at retailers or order them online. Some apps cost one download card and some apps cost two. List of Leapster Explorer Game Cartridges
- NOTE: You can’t play games for the original Leapster or Leapster 2 on the Leapster Explorer. You also can’t play Leapster Explorer games on the other two.
Some Product Reviews:
____________________________________________________________________________ If your child is already reading you might consider the 
Nook Color for Kids. Nook is the e-Reader by Barnes & Noble. The NookColor just came out this year and is different from other e-readers like Sony and the Kindle because it has a full-color screen. The other e-readers will probably follow with color screens, but for now, color screens are exclusive to the itouch & iPad (which are not just e-readers) and the NookColor. NOTE: You CAN download library e-books onto the Nook.
- Official Website: Nook Kids
- Nook Kids Article
- Nook Booklist for Kids
Some Product Reviews:
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Sony Reader You need a computer for the Sony Readers – you connect the Sony Reader to your computer with a USB cable to download books. NOTE: You CAN download library e-books onto the Nook.
- Sony Reader Store
- List IMCPL e-Book Fiction for Kids
Some Product Reviews:
- PC Mag Review
- MobileTech Review
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Kindle 3G You purchase e-books for the Kindle online and you download them wirelessly using Wi-Fi or Amazon’s 3G “Whispernet” network. “Whispernet” comes with the Kindle 3G- you don’t pay a monthly fee or need a wireless subscription. This e-book will work for you even if you don’t have an internet subscription at home. List Kindle Store Children’s e-Books NOTE: You CANNOT download library e-books onto a Kindle.
Some Product Reviews:
- Amazon Kindle 3G Review Roundup
- PC Magazine Review
___________________________________________________________________________ iPod Touch 
The Apple iPod Touch and iPad are e-readers and much more. They can be used for the web, e-mail, photos, music, games & video. Many publishers are beginning to publish Apps for children’s books. Here are a few:
Category Gift Suggestions | Tags: E-Books, E-Reading, Gift Suggestions
As far as I’ve been able to determine, only online audio books work with ipod touch. Adobe Digital Editions doesn’t have an app for either. Unless they just came out with one this week.
I haven’t tried this, but there’s an app called the Bluefire Reader that may work.
http://mobiputing.com/2010/11/how-to-read-public-library-ebooks-with-drm-on-an-iphone/
It also sounds like Overdrive may come out with something. At least there’s some chatter that suggests that.
Ok, I have to eat my words. The latest update to overdrive allows library patrons to view ebooks on ipod and ipad. It works pretty well, but may be a little problematic unless you reboot your device after updating. It doesn’t prompt you to do so, but it fixed the errors I was having. Thanks to whoever got this working!
I have the Nook Color that my husband bought me on Black Friday. I have already read over 10 books through the Indy library on my Nook. It is AWESOME!!!! So easy to do as well. I do wish, however, that there were childrens books for the younger ages available for download. My two year old LOVES when I sit and read books with him on my Nook, but I’m not gonna pay $10 through bn.com for them. Hoping the library adds in some younger books like Dr Seuss, Thomas the Train, and just any other picture books for the little readers!! When we are in resturaunts, doctor’s offices, or any other place I need him to be calm, I just get out my Nook and he swipes through the pages of the books.
The review above is misleading with the quote “other e-readers will probably follow with color screens”. Realize that the color screens have a beautiful display, but it is another beast. The reason most of the ereaders are in black and white is because they use ‘e-ink’ technology. e-ink can usually be read in outdoor sunlight where it’s not possible with the color screen models. e-ink compares more to reading a book where color screens compare more with reading a laptop computer.