nintendo discovers the classics..

[Worldwalker]

It's got Tom Sawyer, Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, Black Beauty, Huckleberry Finn, Gulliver's Travels, Kim, Journey to the Center of the Earth, King Solomon's Mines, Little Women, Robinson Crusoe, The Jungle Book, and The Secret Garden, all of which I read before I was 10, maybe 12 at the latest. And it's got Macbeth -- is there a better way to introduce a kid to Shakespeare? It's full of the good stuff. I'm not sure why some books are downloadable instead of packed in it, but those include Treasure Island and Just So Stories.

Now, I'm not saying I was an average kid, even before the day of video games and DVDs. But clearly the books aren't totally kid-hostile. If the kids are book-hostile, that's another matter entirely, but it's not the fault of the books.

[Kevin2960]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

its squeezing money out of gutenberg-available material.
just poor.

i use my ds for games only (ie used - its currently broken)

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

Looks like the reason for the sudden promotion is that it's only been available in Europe up to now, and was just released in North America on Monday.

I suspect a lot of those books are going to be beyond a 7-year-old's interests (I was a precocious kid, but even I didn't start on Shakespeare until 8!), but there's plenty of great stuff for the older set. As for the 7-year-old, get him Bookworm!

No not a lot for 7 year olds unless quite advanced readers, if Jules Verne is suitable, Black Beauty, Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Sherlock Holmes, Robinson Crusoe, The Last of the Mohicans, The Three Musketeers,

To name just a few!

It sdepends on the child, but yes 7 may be a bit young for it,

OOPS messed up multiquoting SORRY

[Worldwalker]

Well, I've just been reading The Arabian Nights on my DS Lite. I must say, I'm impressed.

Pro:
The text is very readable. Surprisingly readable, in fact.
Page turning is quick (important, when you figure how small the pages are).
There's a selection of pleasant background music and sound files (beach sounds, etc.).
It has an excellent assortment of books.
There are multiple control options for both the touch screen and buttons.
Re: above, the + pad is perfectly positioned for page turning.
There are a lot of browsing options; I haven't explored many yet, including book search.
This might be the most trivial thing to like that there is, but I like the little page-turning sound.

Con:
I've got a DS Lite. It has a 3" screen. 'Nuff said.
The text is fully justified, which leaves some odd gaps with the small page size.
The interface isn't as intuitive as it could be; I had to RTFM.
Some of the sound files are just weird (airport???)

Will it replace my Sony PRS-505? Of course not. But it will certainly replace hauling around random MM paperbacks. I'm much more willing to risk my $100 DS that I can replace at any GameStop when I go somewhere than I am to risk my nearly irreplaceable 505. Plus it fits neatly into a pocket, while the 505 in its case requires a dedicated carrying bag, or at least space in a backpack. For what it's meant to do, it's awesome.

I'd give it about an 8.5 out of 10.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

It's got Tom Sawyer, Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, Black Beauty, Huckleberry Finn, Gulliver's Travels, Kim, Journey to the Center of the Earth, King Solomon's Mines, Little Women, Robinson Crusoe, The Jungle Book, and The Secret Garden, all of which I read before I was 10, maybe 12 at the latest. And it's got Macbeth -- is there a better way to introduce a kid to Shakespeare? It's full of the good stuff. I'm not sure why some books are downloadable instead of packed in it, but those include Treasure Island and Just So Stories.

Excellent stuff, there. Every one you list is a book that I'd recommend myself.

[Worldwalker]

It also has War & Peace. That's one of the reasons why I got it -- just the incongruity of the notorious giant Russian tome tucked on a chip in my DS.

By the way, the thing's got footnotes. And author info. At this point, I'm in the "holy cow, this is really on nothing more than a DS Lite, and it was really $18.88 at Sam's Club????" phase.

[dsvick]

We'll probably get one and let the two kids share it, it will probably be a year or two for the 7 year old to get into some of them, but sister is old so she can certainly read some.

[RyanMWilliams]

I think it's a good idea. Anything that gets folks reading is good in my view. There might be much better devices but sometimes it's about what device you have at the moment. I first read e-books on a Handspring Visor (before color, the old green/black screens).

It'd be better if they used their DSWare — then Nintendo could become another competitor in the e-book market. They could start doing downloadable e-books too. With the millions of DS consoles sold they could jump in with a big installed base.

[rebarnmom]

I just saw this in the Sunday ads and happened to mention it to my almost 12 yr-old daughter (who got her DS Lite for Christmas), when I overheard her BFF tell her that she was going to get a DS too. Both girls were very excited about the idea of reading books on the DS! Looks like I'll be getting her this for her birthday!

I think that this awesome for kids!

[rebarnmom]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

I doubt it is aimed at kids, if they won't watch films that are older than they are they are not going to read books that are older than their granny.

You'd be surprised!

I remember the day I "caught" my daughter reading "Anne of Green Gables" and trying to hide it from me like it was contraband. And the day she chose "Call of the Wild" as a prize from amongst an assortment of toys. I'm not sure that analogy holds up. I still don't think she'd be interested in watching "old" movies, but books somehow are a different thing altogether for her.

[rebarnmom]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

... marriage isn't just the joining of two people, it's the merging of two libraries

Great quote! Would make a good sig line!