Too often we misunderstand hi-tech toys to include "screen time". You only have to watch kids zone out in front of Smartphones, Tablets and TVs to worry about what all that screen time is doing to their brains.
Leapfrog has done a good job through the years of adopting a diverse approach to the realm of "smart toys". Yes, some use TVs or tablets, but others such as the LeapStart use a book paradigm, and I think that is a very good thing.
There are two models of the LeapStart, one for preschoolers and kindergarteners and the other (with a more hip style) for 1st and 2nd graders.
The LeapStart basic set includes the plastic clamshell that houses the smarts, speaker, and stylus. Special spiral bound books are placed into the opened case. Using specially encoded paper gives the platform awareness of what page and where on the page a child is pointing with the stylus. As with the best toys, there is a sprinkle of magic and discovery as kids learn that they can bring the books to (audio) life by using the chunky stylus.
A wide variety of books is available for kids 2 to 4 covering the topics you'd expect (ABCs, 123, Reading) and a few you might not (Geography, Space and Science, First Day of School). The idea that books can be a source of fun and information may seem like second nature to you, but for many children in the digital age it may come as a delightful surprise. These books give an opportunity to practice, learn, and master skills and information in a supportive environtment.
One thing I would have liked to have seen are story books by important authors. Leapfrog has done this in the past, but the new software is primarily activity centered and not about great stories.
