For preschoolers who love books but haven't quite made the leap to reading on their own yet, the Tag Junior from LeapFrog (which we had a preview of earlier this year, along with other upcoming LeapFrog toys) is a terrific toy that allows them to explore and enjoy books on their own, discovering new words, numbers, characters and rhymes along the way. It turns story time into a fully interactive experience.

Using the Tag Junior book pal, which is perfectly shaped for the grip of 2- to 4-year-olds, a child can make Tag Junior board books come alive. The Tag Junior reads aloud the words of a page and identifies animals, colors, and shapes.

LeapFrog's lineup of board books is impressive, including perennial favorites such as "Dr. Seuss's Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?" as well as books featuring popular characters like Winnie the Pooh, Dora the Explorer, and Curious George. Each book focuses on a different learning skill, such as action words, numbers, colors, rhymes, and opposites and has more than 150 audio responses.

My tester, a 3-year-old named Tommy, enjoyed going off into a corner and "reading" the books by himself; it made him feel very independent. He was comfortable immediately with the concept of the Tag Junior--which fit very naturally in his hands--and couldn't wait to explore each page with it. Tommy was impressed that each page had so many opportunities to interact; I could hear him answering all of the book's questions aloud.

The hardest part was loosening the Tag Junior from Tommy's white-knuckle grip at bedtime. He had read three of the books cover to cover and wanted to read two more.

The Tag Junior costs $34.99 direct and includes a sampler book ("If I Were..."). The eight additional titles are available at $10.99 a piece.

Post by Stephanie Chang