Review: Getting excited about reading with LeapReader Junior

When Baby Girl got unwell the other week, I called around to cancel all our plans and started thinking of activities to do at home – not something I usually prioritise on lovely summer days.

But I was thrilled when I remembered we had recently received the LeapReader Junior Book Pal with a new Sofia The First: A Princess Thing book to try after helping with a Twitter challenge, and for once, we had time to sit down and connect this fun toy to the computer and download the audio for the book.

Before this, we had read the book several times, but with the Book Pal, which is aimed at children aged between 1-3 years, we could bring the book to life, making it even more fun to read. When Baby Girl holds the Book Pal over the images and text, she can practically read the book on her own, as the text is read out and there are other comments and sounds added too.

We still read the book together, so the text came in the correct order, but she enjoyed it so much we ended up reading this first book a number of times. I also figured she needed one more book to keep us going, and I found another princess book to order on Amazon for her for the next day.

The audio is in American English, and I wish it had been British English, but I like the fact that it’s a fun way of reading books and for days spent at home, this toy can make it easier to keep little ones excited about books for longer. Some of the books designed to be used with the Book Pal are aimed at teaching children categories, colours, numbers and so on, which can be brilliant, but when we were reading together I liked the fact that the Sofia The First board book is a storybook.

I’ll definitely be on the look out for more books like that one to prepare for the next rainy day in the house!

Tags: Activities for toddlers, Books, Disney, LeapFrog, LeapReader Junior, Princess, Reading, Sofia the First, Toys