Although I'm very comfortable with and enjoy using new technology and products, I'm not the kind of person who runs out every time a new product is released. I still don't have an iPad (although the new one about to be released is very tempting). I don't have a Droid or smartphone. I am a Mac user though and will be forever.
All this being said, I am a book lover and, if you can't tell from a visit to Book Dads, I'm just a tad book-obsessed as well. When the Color Nook was released I just wasn't able to resist getting one. However, I wasn't just going to buy one for myself, but also for my daughter Tessa. Although it didn't stop me from buying one, I admit I was a little bit worried about Tessa becoming mesmerized with the Nook, and not wanting to look at her picture books any more. In our particular case and I think for other kids as well, it was a needless worry. If anything, Tessa spends even more time now pouring through the books on her shelf, and has developed an even greater love of books. But I believe that doesn't have anything to do with the Nook --- it has to do with me and my wife continuing to make ourselves available to read to her aloud.
So what makes the Color Nook worth getting for toddlers?
First, what I'm not so crazy about:
* The selection of children's picture books for the Color Nook isn't great (yet). If you're looking for a lot of your favorites (for example, we were looking for Mo Willems books), they're not available yet on the Nook.
* I really like the Read to Me feature which allows a book to be read to the child. It gives me a little break from reading aloud, which is something I sometimes need because I read aloud quite often every day. However, not every book has that feature which, if it's something you really want to have on your Nook books, can even further trim down your selection choices.
Neither of these are really huge deals to me. I've been able to find some good selections at good prices, but I have to spend a lot of time looking. I'm absolutely thrilled to see many Todd Parr books on the Nook and we've purchased a few because he is one of our very favorite children's authors. Plus, his books are available with the Read to Me feature and it sounds like he's the one reading the books!!
Here's what I like about using the Color Nook with my daughter:
* 
The Nook's portability makes it great for traveling. We used it on vacation and having it on the plane was awesome!
* I really think if you have a child who isn't as interested in books and reading, the Nook might be a way to spark an interest in books. Since Tessa was already very interested in books, this wasn't an issue for us.
* One thing I noticed was Tessa's attention was very focused when we read something on the Nook, so I decided to try longer picture books with her and to my surprise it worked out really well. One of the free books which comes on the Nook is a children's story by Rudyard Kipling called How The Elephant Got His Trunk. It's an excellent story, but it's kind of long. If it was in a traditional picture book, there's no way Tessa (21 months at the time) would sit long enough for the whole story. However with the Nook, I find Tessa to be really engaged with the story. I have showed her how to "turn" the pages and she looks forward to doing that herself. I also think this has helped build a better attention span for when we read traditional picture books. Last week Tessa sat through an entire reading of Green Eggs and Ham for the very first time. I was really proud of her for this and was generously rewarded through hearing the word every parent wants to hear their child say when it comes to reading: "Again."
The verdict
All in all, I think using a Color Nook is a great way to either spark an interest in reading or further develop an already keen interest in books. I use the Nook sporadically and only at special times (before bedtime, traveling or out of the house on errands or appointments). I think the consistency in which we use our Nook helps Tessa maintain and even further develop her interest in physical picture books. Although e-readers like the Nook are definitely the wave of the future, I still really enjoy holding a book in my hands and visiting the library is one of our favorite activities. However, I'm happy we've been able to successfully introduce this new technology with our daughter because it will help her in the future. I say if it fits in your budget (the Color Nook is currently priced at $250), definitely don't hesitate to make this purchase.
Either way, print book or Nook, it's obvious by the pictures that Tessa is engaged and loving the gift of reading and books. What more could we ask for?
Yes, Tessa loves her books very much and I'm very thankful and thrilled by it!!
I would love to see a Nook. We received an iPad as a gift and have purchased many Dr.Seuss books. I still haven't invested much money into the ebooks as I see the books currently being passed over by my kids because of the abundance of free learning games we have downloaded. Having a dedicated book reader would certainly differentiate itself as for reading books only.
The Color Nook is great. I'd like an iPad at some point but I'm going to wait until Tessa gets a little older.
Had I only known the Color Nook was coming so fast on the heels of the Nook.
We got ours for Christmas 2009, thinking it would be a way for my husband and I to read when we travel. Perfect for picking books you WANT to read as opposed to having to live with airport bookstore selections on a layover.
My 9YO loves it and actually has pulled some of the free content (original Wizard of Oz) to read. Now there are three of us vying for it. It's hard to say "no" when she wants to read!
I didn't mention it in the post but the Nook comes with Wi-Fi too so it's pretty handy to have when we're out and about as well. It's definitely been worth it!
I'm the opposite: I have an iPad (which I love), but I'm very tempted by the Nook. It would be nice sometimes to hand the kids a device that could be used only for books. Plus then I wouldn't have to share so much.
Holly, I think that's why I ultimately chose the Nook instead of the iPad.
Ahhh...I love the pictures of you with Tessa. SO so cute! I love that you brought up the length issue because that's definitely something I noticed with my youngest and the Color Nook. She too will sit for longer when normally she gets a bit wiggly (she's just turned two).
Oh, and Holly makes a very good point too about it being a "book only" device (for now). That's definitely a positive over the iPad.
And wouldn't that be awesome if the Mo Willems books made it on there as well?! Perfect!
Fantastic post and pictures Chris! Thank you so much for sharing today, it was wonderful to have you participate!
Thanks for asking me to be a part of it!
"I use the Nook sporadically and only at special times (before bedtime, traveling or out of the house on errands or appointments). I think the consistency in which we use our Nook helps Tessa maintain and even further develop her interest in physical picture books."
I find your philosophy so refreshing! If advanced tech is used as a supplement, rather than a replacement, of books-in-print, then what a powerful way to sneak a little more literacy into your child's day. I LOVE how you're limiting your little one to small doses, especially when on the go. That way, it doesn't take a lot of time away from other essential activities and learning tools, like turning the pages of a real book together, visiting the library for a group read-aloud, or a nature walk.
To me, the real power is in the connections we help our children make, and not in the tech itself.
Thanks, Chris!
Thanks Dawn. I don't want Tessa to miss out on simply being a kid. Going outside and exploring nature are already some of her favorite things to do. I love tech stuff but she'll have plenty of time to use that stuff as she gets older. Right now, I want her to be exploring her world through her senses and not just through a tech device.
I am a gadget geek. I think that's how one would describe me. I recently become owner of an iPhone4. I love my MacBook. I adore my Kindle. And, I am now awaiting my iPad. It's my first and it was purchased after a year of wanting the first one. I have an iPhone and the boys have iPod touches. As exposed as they have been to gadgetry of all kids, they are surprising unplugged. I sometimes wonder if it is because it's just all around them, like part of the scenery. Sometimes they will pick up their iPods, but not daily. Not even weekly. The oldest has a Nintendo DS. Every few months it comes out a draw for a few days and then you don't see it. He had it out yesterday for a while, but he also read his Bone book. He's on the fifth one already.
They seem to prefer printed text above all else and they have ample exposure to everything else. I was going to get the Nook, but decided on the iPad because I could still use my Kindle books on it and get Nook books with the B&N application. Since I have an iPhone and we have iPod, I plan to use it mostly as a reader with access to all of the different books and literacy applications.
Thanks Trina. I was considering an iPad but I want to wait a little bit. It's going to be hard for me to resist the new one though. It's so nice to hear that your boys have a nice balance between the tech stuff and books. It's even nicer to see that books seems to win out over everything else