LeapFrog® Tag Reading System (16 MB)

There was an article about this toy before it came out in Wired Magazine. It basically interviewed the inventor and peaked my curiosity. So I purchased it. It is an impressive device by any modern day standards. Basically it's a camera that recognizes words and images on specialized paper (the limited series of books that you purchase). Once recognized it plays sound bites or reads the word(s) on the page that you are passing the pen over. It's smartly designed and a child quickly understands how to operate it.At first it's a game and your child will just want to click on everything to hear the sound bites. As time goes by they start exploring the less than obvious features like read back and games. Before you know it you have a totally transfixed kid. It's great for a long drive and it certainly beats the pants off a dvd. I do believe that this device is positively contributing to my child's learning. I will say that the books vary in quality. I am writing reviews on most of them ; ) so you can follow along if you wish. To start with get Sponge Bob as it is the best of the bunch followed by Kung Fu Panda or Cars.Last thought if you're still with me. This is a wonderful invention. I do recommend it especially for parent's that are looking for an alternative to TV. I just wish to caution that it is not a substitute for quality reading time with your child so make sure to read to them as well. Overall a great investment.I hope this review helps.

My oldest (5 1/2) got the Tag reading system for Christmas. I was a little skeptical at first thinking this would be another flash in the pan gadget for our child that she would quickly get bored with. Granted, she doesn't play/use it EVERY single day, but she has used it enough for us to buy two more books to go along with it.She truly loves using it. Even though she can't read yet she seems to be "getting it" more now that she's been using the Tag for the past month and occasionally reading out a word that she's figured out on her own. The best thing about it is that after your child is bored with the "reading" part they discover the interactive games built into the books. It opens a whole new world. The games test reading (listening) comprehension by asking to "tag" things in the pictures that relate to the story.I have not yet uploaded the tag pen to my computer to watch the progress...I feel it's too soon to really see much progress. Besides, I can tell just by spending time reading with my daughter how far she's progressed. If you don't have that kind of time with your child, I would imagine the online progress tracker would be a good tool to have.Even my 2 year old loves the tag! We even bought her a book. She doesn't grasp the concept quite yet, but she does understand she can touch the pen to different words and pictures and hear the word read out loud. It entertains her for nearly as long as it does out older child. Had I known about the Tag system, I would have gotten it for our oldest much earlier.

it looked used, I was too embarassed togive it as a gift

I swear, I blew $[...] on the Tag Reading System along with five or six books. I did this based on all the rave reviews here at amazon.com. This happened circa October 2008. It's now September 2009. The Tag Reading System has, over the past year, gotten very little attention from either of my children, now aged six and 4.5, approximately. It's been quite a disappointment.The truth is, it's a great product. You upload a bunch of books onto the green-and-white pen. Then you take the pen and run it over each word in a book. The pen says each word. You then take the pen and put it on something in a picture, the pen makes a noise or one of the characters says something. Click a button and the pen will read the entire story to you. Great. Brilliant. Works well. Kudos to Leapfrog.But neither one of my children gives a hoot about the Tag Reading System. Both of my children are bright, but all attempts to engage them with this product have failed. You cart out the stuff, nobody touches it. You try to use it with them, they would rather play something else with you.If this product and the books that go with it were A LOT cheaper, I would wholeheartedly recommend it, but 50 big ones for the reader is a bit much to pay, particularly since the books go for 12 to 15 smackers each. I mean, if you get it and your child uses it great, but don't count on it.Get your children a LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System - Green instead. My kids use their Leapsters far more than they use the Tag Reading System. The Leapster games provide a nice mix of education and entertainment and are much more engaging than the Tag Reading System.*** UPDATE on May 12, 2010 ***My daughter--now in kindergarten and 6 years old--has finally started using this product, so all hope is not lost. So, it took a year and a half, but she's finally taken an interest in it.