Editorial Review

Created with the guidance of top educational experts, the award-winning, interactive LeapPad learning system helps children develop language, reading, and other critical skills, all through books and a special touch pen. Just place a LeapPad book onto the player, insert the accompanying cartridge, and touch any page with the pen to hear letters, words, phrases, dialog, definitions, and music. Narrated by Stan Lee, and outfitted in blue and red plastic, this Amazing Spider-Man edition features characters and storylines from the classic comic book. A decorative web extends from a tiny speaker at the top. Included are Spider-Man stickers and an additional learning book covering spelling, states and capitals, the human body, musical instruments, marine life, and more. --Andy Boynton ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great educational toy for every kid
Our daughter is 3 years old and we baught leap pad for her b'day and this is first book which she is enjoying. She really enjoys playing with it. Good thig is she is learning all the sounds also while playing. I recommend this book for every kid. She is able to play alone without any help from us.

Boring, boring, boring.
My son loves his Leap Pad and we have bought some really good books for it, unfortunately this is not one of them. This activity book is not fun at all, and it is hardcore learning there is nothing engaging about this book. Usually my son will sit and go through a whole book, but with this one, the few times he has chosen it he has only done a page at a time. Your kids will learn from this book, but it will take a lot of time because there is nothing really to engage them.

confusing labeling by Leap Frog
Apparently the Leap Frog company keeps changing the titles of their products. This lead me to some confusion about which products to buy. Sometimes both old and new are still on the marketplace, I guess until they sell out. The content of this book was previously published under the title "Kindergarten--Learning Letters and Sounds".

This product, if you look at the larger image, is confusing in that it states "Leap Pad Phonics Program Activity Book--more practice for lesson 1--I know my letters and letter sounds". First off, apparently at first there was something called "Leap 1--Phonics" but they did away with the "Leap 1" phonics line and renamed it "LeapPad Phonics Program". Second, ..., there is no longer a "lesson 1" so this title confused me, in that it says "more practice for lesson 1".

The manufacturer also does not do a good job of providing descriptions for their products, even on their own website. It was unclear to me if we must buy each of the "phonics books" of which there are 10, then the 4 "activity books". Fortunately at the back of this book there is a better guidebook than is available on the Leap Frog website. In the end it is apparent that to cover all the phonics lessons and have readers to coorespond we must buy all 10 readers. For more fun practice we must buy the 4 activity books. Yikes, that adds up to a big expense.

Here is the breakdown as provided inside this book:
a. Phonics Activity book 1 is to be used with Phonics lesson 1 "alphabet adventures". Phonics activity book 2 is to be used with readers: 2-Tad's Good Night, 3-A Day at Moss...and 4-The Day Leap Ate Olives. Phonics activity book 3 is to be used with reader #5-Lost and found. Phonics activity book 4 is to be used with reader books: 6- cake and mice cream, 7-mole's huge nose, and 8-Rainy Day Play. Lesson 9-A Bark in the Dark and Lesson 10-A Fisherman's Tale stand on their own as "more phonics fun".

... Page 2 of the book gives the parent an overview of the ontents which is very detailed and excellent. (Unfortunately this is unavailable for browing online or at the store, you must buy it and cut the plastic wrap to read this.) This book covers letter recognition for all 26 letters in the upper case and lower case format. There are games and activities to learn with, this is not a story book reader. There is an activity to match the lower case with the upper case of It covers consonent sounds and the short form of the vowel sounds. For long vowel sounds you must buy a different book in the series.

Make learning to read, fun.
This book is just another example of the quality educational learning tools that LeapPad have learned to expect. This book has so many different ways to learn with games. Just touch a word to hear it sounded out and you can hear letter sounds as well. My daughter repeats every sound as she decides which letter she wants to hear next. It's wonderful to watch a child be able to enjoy learning all on her own. ... Read more

Features

• Can be used as a pull-toy
• Illuminated keyboard
• 2 play modes include musical notes and animal sounds

Reviews (1)

Outstanding
When I bought the Leap Pad I thought it was a bummer because it did not come with this book although it was shown on the cover of the box. However, once I learned that this book was available I purchased it.

My just turned five year old pre-schooler has not put it down since I bought it two weeks ago. He works hours at it. Never tires. His progress has been spectacular. My wife who taught phonics for 30 years is very pleased not only with the book but the way it teaches phonics. My pre-schooler has not only learned his phonics but he is beginning to read.

I have had difficulty getting him interested in other Leap Pad learning books but not with this one. He thirsts for knowledge and this Leap Pad product has really turned him on.

I would highly recommend it for children who have already learned their alphabet and are beginning to write. The only drawback is that it way too expensive. ... Read more

Editorial Review

From Wumps to Mr. Gump to Zeds to flying kites in bed, Dr. Seuss's One Fish, Two Fish is probably one of the more well-worn books in any child's bookcase. And now 21st Century kids can move one step beyond reading this classic…to interacting with it! LeapPad's microphone-enhanced book and cartridge allows first-grade readers to practice word building, phonics, rhyming, and reading fluency, all to a musical accompaniment. This abridged version of Seuss's picture book fits into most LeapPad portable units. Youngsters use the "magic pen" to point to words and pictures to make them come to life, or to initiate games and activities, including some that allow them to hear themselves reading aloud! Kids will have so much fun, they won't even realize they're learning a thing or two! --Emilie Coulter ... Read more