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E-ink is the screen technology that many reading devices employ. Nook Color doesn't, Kindle and Sony do. E-ink isn't readable in the dark without a light of some kind, but they do sell covers with booklights for just that purpose.
For durability there's not too big of a difference between models, but due to the nature of the screen all of them are somewhat fragile. I can't speak for other devices but I know that on a Sony it would be difficult for a kid pushing buttons to accidentally delete things. (However, it's always good to keep a backup of your book files on your computer!) You want to try to keep any reader away from really young children, though.
For which reader to get, you might want to look at what sort of books are available. The readers read different filetypes, so a Nook can't read books made for a Kindle, and vice versa. (A handy place of reference for which readers read which type, and for technical specs in general, is the mobileread wiki linked up at the top of the page.) Look at major bookselling websites (consider not just the retailer linked with the device but also places like BooksonBoard and Smashwords) and see which has a bigger selection of the sort of things you like to read. If you want to read classics, be advised that many of those are available for free from Project Gutenberg, in a variety of formats!
Also consider - do you planning on borrowing ebooks from your local library? If so be aware that the Kindle will not be able to read them if they are ePub or PDFs with Adobe's DRM.
It can also be really helpful to go to an actual store, hold the reader in your hands, and see how each one feels to use. You might find that you really prefer one over the others! Happy reading!
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