Product: Write & Learn Letter Book™
Category: Educational Toy
Age: 3-6 years of age
Grade Level: Preschool, Kindergarten
Company: Vtech www.vtechkids.com
Price: $19.99
Where to buy: Amazon, most major department stores
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Write & Learn Letter Book Description

Interactive talking story book focusing on phonics, spelling, reading, and letter writing, with 5 different modes of play and 17 different educational activities.

Review

Brightly colored with a blue cover, orange base and yellow internal casing, the Write & Learn Letter Book is sure to catch any young child’s attention. The front cover has a place for personalization with the child’s name, creating a book that is special for each child. When the book is closed, there's a convenient handle making it easy for young children to tote from room to room. The inside features pages filled with colorful illustrations, and bright, easy to push alphabet buttons fill the area above and below the pages. In the top corner, there's a volume control, on/off button and a repeat/hint button for a little extra help.

Kids with VTech Write & Learn Letter Book Upon opening the book, our test group of preschoolers were delighted as the pages jammed full of colorful images were revealed. Then, the music played and a pleasant voice began to read a story using the letter sounds corresponding to the letters on the page. The story continues as each page is automatically recognized when turned. There are five modes of play per page. The alphabet pages include Letters & Words, Letter Writing, Find It, Letter Order, and Spelling. There are five additional modes of play for the letters and music pages.

Each page contains interactive touch “hot spots”. In the beginning, the younger preschoolers were trying to point to the objects on the page rather than using the sensitive hot spots. However, it didn’t take long for the preschoolers to discover the hotspots and the fun began! This magical book captivated the early learners as they learned animal names and sounds, numbers, counting, phonics, spelling, letter order and letter names. One of the biggest hits was being able to compose music and play it back!

The most unique features is the letter writing mode, encouraging the tracing of letters with your fingers. Each page shows and describes the proper letter strokes and steps for handwriting. The only problem encountered is that some of the pages would slide up as the child would trace the letters. Someone such as a parent may want to help with this activity, which can turn a great learning experience into memorable bonding.

The Bottom Line

The Vtech Write & Learn Letter Book is filled with interactive pages that teach letters, numbers, vocabulary and writing skills while providing hours of fun. With everything from letter and number recognition to reading and spelling, the Write & Learn Letter Book is geared to grow with your child as his or her skills develop. It's a great choice for preschoolers and early-readers.

Pros

Educational – teaches vocabulary, numbers, counting, phonics, spelling, letter order, letter names, basic music composition, and writing skills.
Unique letter writing mode that encourages tracing letters with fingers
Fun - the children were having fun as they learned.
With over twenty interactive pages and five modes of play, the book will grow as your child’s skills develop.
Child Friendly – large buttons, easy to turn pages, repeat/hint button for extra help.
Handle makes it easy for child to carry from room to room.
Auto shut-off saves battery life.

Cons

The sensitive hotspots were a little confusing to younger preschoolers at first.
The pages slip sometimes during the letter writing mode.