Living in Qatar is not the best locale for avid readers. Ross is a walking, talking library of knowledge and if he had is own way he would spend 24/7 on a comfy chair with a drink, cat and a really good book. Both he and I learned to read quite easily and tend to prefer a book over and above a movie. Naturally, the Kid has similar tendencies and quickly made short work of our children's book collection. Without an appropriate library (suitable for a bookworm) we had to find a solution.
The solution to book access came to us on an expensive plate when we found her reading Ross's Kindle (his copy of Shirley Hughes's, My Naughty Little Sister that he had been reading out loud to her) in the back bedroom. Naturally, as readers ourselves, we jumped on her keenness and within two weeks she was reading from her own Kindle!
So, what is my opinion of the Kindle for a kid? Absolutely fabulous. We made it kid friendly by getting a lighted cover (Amazon) and a cute sticker surround. I have the categories set up as it is easy for her to use: books I am reading, books I have finished, and new "samples" on the home page. Importantly, I have the wireless turned off so that I have no unwanted purchases! I also love that her Audio books are on the same gadget so it all fits into her own little library.
As for the Kindle model; we purchasedthe Kindle touch with WiFi. To reduce the price, I selected the one that comes with adverts and have no problems or annoyances with it (I have a Kindle also), mind you we had to get it via our US address to get the low price.
Overall, the Kindle has been superb for our family situation where we have access to the UK Kindle shop, a careful child, and an avid independent reader. However, I have to say that if we lived back in NZ and we did not travel so much, I seriously doubt she would have one. Our local library would give access to the "real" book and that is all she really needs at the moment.
Location:Meshrif St,Doha,Qatar
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