I always take it as a good sign when my three-year-old son wants to keep playing with a toy, and chooses to go back to it again and again. That was the case with the new Vtech Bugsby reading system. 

Jay immediately grabbed “The Wonder Pets Save The Chimp” book and there was only a small tussel as my one-year-old Chris walked away from the table clutching the Bugsby character pen in his hand.  I cajoled it away, popped in the cartridge that goes with the story, and sat down with Jay to check it out.

He wasn’t too interested in reading the story, but wanted to jump straight to the games.  He loved answering the questions and I liked watching him get so excited when he was able to follow the instructions, rhyme words and find the correct pictures.  It was very age-appropriate and kept his attention for a while.  He also wanted to play it again after dinner, and again the next day.  He was pretty sad when I passed along the books and Bugsby pen to our neighbors to let them test it out.

Lauren and Bella are both five.  It was interesting to see how they interacted with it. Both immediately used the “read along” function, touching the pen to the words of the story.  And both read all three books, “Save the Chimp,” “Bugsby and the Magical Museum,” and “Bugsby’s Amazing Search” the first night they had them.

Image provided by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

My friend’s six-year-old son Quentin is not a huge reader.  He went straight to the “Save the Chimp” book and pressed the “Read the whole story” button.  He went through a few pages, listening to the audiobook, until he got to the page with all the animals.  Then he switched over to the game function.  He really liked the rhyming word game on the pages that followed.  He played with the Bugsby system for about 5 minutes, and then was ready to turn it over to his three-year-old brother for a turn.

The age guidelines on the books were very accurate.  The “Bugsby and the Magical Museum” book was definitely for older kids, and the level 2 games were too complicated for my five-and six-year-old testers. I think they would be appropriate for kids in first or second grades, though.

So what’s the final verdict?  Lauren summed it up best. “It’s neat.”

The Bugsby reading system pen and starter book costs $29.99 and additional books, some featuring well-known characters like Dora and Scooby Doo, cost $12.99.  You can find them at most major retailers.

You can also go online to create your own Bugsby story and become eligible to win prizes, including free books and products. For more information, click here.