The Poingo is mightier

My kids love to read, but it's not practical to bring a stack of books with us whenever we travel. Poingo gives early readers a bit of independence and a great interactive learning experience. The system is easy to use: When kids touch the Poingo pen to pages in a Poingo book, the pen's scanner "reads" hidden symbols in the text and pictures, and words, music, and sounds play through the pen's built-in speakers. The books feature characters from commercial hits like "Finding Nemo," "Cinderella," and "Cars"; you can download content for additional books. The starter pack, which includes two books, costs about $35 (additional books are about $10) at Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys R Us stores, and online at www.mypoingo .com.

LYLAH M. ALPHONSE