VTech V.Reader Review & Giveaway – Gift Guide Pick

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The VTech V.Reader is described as an “interactive reading system” for children 3-7  but our nearly 6 year old ‘reviewer’ thinks it is a fun toy  that tells him stories and lets him draw cool pictures that he can save.

It looks just like a book and even has a cover that protects the screen and buttons when not in use.  It is light and durable as we found out after dropping it on our first day.

It is ready to use right out of the box but does take 4 AA batteries.  (I think it would have been nice if this could have been something that recharged.) 

The reader talks you through everything in a nice clear voice and has a colorful touch screen.  It is easy to maneuver your way through the included story, interactive writing, coloring book and art studio either with your finger or included stylus.  

We started with the writing since we needed to practice for school.  The system first said the letter, then drew it, then had you do it.  Our reviewer thought it was fun but wanted to move on quickly to something else.

We next hit the art studio and coloring book.  He liked saving his works of art  because he could go back to them later to show everyone and we could even email one of them to his grandmother. The coloring book only has a limited number of pictures to color though.

Finally we went to read a book.  The story and animation held our nearly 6 year old reviewer’s attention and the little extras on each page were fun to find.  I liked that it had  highlighted words that could be further explained.  The book also included extra games to play once you finished the story.

The Vtech V.Reader itself retails at $59.99. 

Additional story cartridges have to be purchased separately.  Retail price of them is about $19.99.  You can also download books and games from online.  It looks like there are a lot of stories out there to purchase but we found the online ones a little lacking.  The system comes with 3 free downloadable books from the Learning Lodge Navigator, and you will need an SD card to do this.  It took us a while to figure this out, it helps to read the fine print on the box and the manual!  The V.Reader does come with a USB cable.  Downloading books is a bit of a hassle, because you have to do several steps before you can even begin.

Overall the V.Reader is more of a game for our reviewer instead of a real learning tool.  He is on the higher end of the age range and is very precocious so from our point of view it may be better suited for the under five crowd because the system will likely grow with them more than with an older child.

To learn more about VTech’s V.Reader visit their website at www.vtechkids.com.

 

One reader will win a VTech V.Reader of their own.

To enter the giveaway visit www.vtechkids.com and under software browse the Story Titles and let me know in the Rafflecopter form below which book your child would like most.

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