I'm not a fan of electronic reading books if I'm honest, but I'm gradually coming round to them being a rather good way to develop a love of books in children - especially those who may be a little reluctant to start with .

Toys R Us are selling this Leapfrog Tag Reading System for half price - £14.99 instead of £29.99

• Click HERE to take a look at the Leapfrog Tag Reading System

Did you watch the fairly recent series on TV 'Gareth Malone's Extraordinary School for Boys'?  He was looking at why boys are so far behind in their reading abilities and set out to change the way they're taught to bring them more in-line with girls  (I adore Gareth Malone and the way he gets the best out of people).  I must admit I was shocked at the reading statistics, it's a disgrace that our young boys are being allowed to get so far behind.

So whilst I might not feel very warm towards electronic reading books like this Leapfrog Tag reading system, if it sparks an interest in reading then it can only be a good thing!

Happy electronic reading

There's a buy one get one free (BOGOF) offer on all LeapFrog software at Toys R Us at the moment. Have a look if you've got any LeapFrog devices. For example, this would be a saving of £19.99 if you have a Leapster.

• Click here for LeapFrog software at Toys R Us

All you have to do is select two LeapFrog items. When you checkout, the cost of the lowest priced item will be deducted. This deal ends on the 28th of January.

Many of the software cartridges were out of stock for home delivery when I checked, although you could still get them using the Click and Collect option. That's only useful if you're able to get to a store though.

However, there were programs like Ben 10 for the Tag Reader and Dora the Explorer still available for delivery as well as collection. These titles cost £12.97 each so that's a good saving.

Thanks to Jas10 at HUKD!

My daughter is 21 months old now, and really developing a taste for books. While I normally sit and read with her, I do like her to sometimes entertain herself, and for that reason, I thought the Tag Junior would be a great plaything.

The Tag Junior is a base handset onto which you can load any of the Leapfrog Tag Junior books, of which there are 28 books and games.  With the Tag Reader, you receive a free book and preloaded software, and a USB cable for connecting to a computer.

Setting up an account is simple, downloading the books are equally simple. You can also personalise the Tag so that it says your child’s name when it is switched on or off.  I put the wrong name in, accidentally and found it almost impossible to change it back to the right name, or even reset it so there’s no name at all, which was annoying, but it might just be me being daft.

That’s honestly been the only annoyance so far, however, and I think it’s a fantastic system. It reads the story to the child, and adds extra bits as you hold the Tag Reader over different pictures in the books, making sounds , like a lion’s roar, to go with the images on the page – even if they technically have nothing to do with the story.

There’s also an educational element, for example on the final page of the Cars book there are all the different shapes discussed in the book. Hold the Reader over the circle and it tells your child to find another circle in the book. When they do, it heartily congratulates them.

While there is a ‘learning path’ that parents can follow online, I think my daughter is too young for that, as I navigate the Reader a lot of the time, but as she gets older that’ll be a great function.

Leapfrog don’t recommend reusable batteries, which are a bit of a landfill problem, in my opinion (and have used anyway as that’s all we have), so our way around that is to use them till they no longer work, then move them into our lullaby toy which drains them in a week or two before recharging them.

We love the Leapfrog Tag Junior Reading System and I think we’ll have a lot of fun with it as my daughter grows with it.

The Leapfrog Tag Junior Reading System has been around for quite a while now but it's still rather an expensive little item, so £10.57 off the price is pretty good, I think.

• Get reading with the LeapFrog Tag Junior Reading System

According to the Amazon blurb, the Tag Junior Book Pal “encourages toddlers to explore while helping build confidence with books.”

Each Tag Junior book introduces a different preschool skill such as the alphabet, counting or social play through 24 book-based activities and more than 130 audio responses. Open-ended questions and fun sound effects encourage children to take charge, as they touch any part of any page to bring words, pictures or activities to life.

This green Tag Junior Book Pal comes with the book “If I Were” included, as well as a USB cable and a parent guide. Whether or not this is a little OTT (over the top) for something aimed at kids aged 0 – 4 or not, I can't quite decides, but after your child has played, you can connect the Tag Junior Book Pal to the online LeapFrog Learning Path to see your child’s progress and get printable activities to expand the learning.

This one comes in green, and you can have it in under two days.

Leapfrog Tag seems to be on sale everywhere, and once again these are some of the best prices we've seen them at. Asda have a clearance sale on a bunch of titles, and on the pink Tag Reader system – and it seems most of them are up to 50% off.

• Click here for Leapfrog Tag Books and Reading System at great prices

The LeapFrog Tag Reading System: Pink is £14.68 instead of £29.35

The titles on offer from £12.70 now £6.35 are:

• LeapFrog Tag Disney Fairies
• LeapFrog Tag Disney Up
• LeapFrog Tag Ben 10
• LeapFrog Tag Spiderman

There's also the LeapFrog Tag Junior Reading System, which is now £14.68 compared to the original £29.35.

Titles for the Tag Junior Reading System include:

• LeapFrog Tag Junior ABC Animal Orchestra which was £9.77 and is n ow £4.88.
  
• LeapFrog Tag Junior Dora The Explorer which is £3.67 instead of £7.33

Asda's standard delivery is £2.95 and takes around three working days.

Thanks to Shadow1 at HUKD

The Cat in the Hat Special Edition Leapfrog Tag Reading System is on sale at the Leapfrog store for £14.99, which is 50% off.

• Leap into learning with the Leapfrog Tag Reading System

We reviewed the Leapfrog Tag Reading System a while ago, and it continues to be a lovely and educational toy.

This Cat in the Hat Special Edition is pink, and has a 32MB memory. It has an easy grip, non slip, ergonomic design, allowing children to hold the pen more easily. The Tag Reader also comes with a volume control and a headphone socket.

While this Tag reader comes with the Cat in the Hat book, it also works with the other books in the range, including Disney Cars, Disney Toy Story 3, Penguins of Madagascar, Paddington Bear, Ben 10, Disney Princesses, Dora the Explorer, Scooby Doo and more. In total there are more than 24 books to choose from.

Throughout the Leapfrog Tag books are 17 fun learn-to-read activities and games, which introduce a variety of skills such as word building, reading comprehension and vocabulary. In addition children can unlock extra content online in the form of games, printable activities and certificates.

Parents can also see their child's learning progress through the use of a unique online tool called the LeapFrog Learning Path.

The Tag tool is for children aged four and up and standard postage is £2.00

Thanks to mrs_double_u at HUKD

Toys R Us have a BOGOF offer on Leapster Tag software, essentially making them half price.

• Leap to Toys R Us for this great deal

We reviewed the fabby interactive Leapfrog Tag reading system here at PlayPennies HQ last month and pretty much loved it.

Toys R Us have a great range of 'books' for the Tag system, including: Disney Princesses, Dora the Explorer, Scooby Doo, Ben 10, Disney Cars, Disney Fairies, Toy Story 3, Spongebob Squarepants and the Disney Pixar Book.

If you buy any two of the books for £12.97, which is a great price for hours upon hours of entertainment.

Quoting from our review, “It’s a great use of technology, educational to the nth degree, and well worth every penny spent in entertaining the kids at home on cold afternoons, or long trips away over Christmas. As a Christmas present it really does sit at the top of the pile for genius. “

Toys R Us offers delivery for £4.95, but orders over £50.00 are delivered free of charge, so it may be worth checking the offers section too.

*Remember you'll need the Leapfrog Tag System to operate these!

Leapfrog's Tag Activity Storybook range brings stories to life by providing interactive reading, questions and games, all through an infrared camera which recognises letters, words and symbols on the page of a Tag book.

When we asked PlayPennies mum-of-one Tara if she'd like to review the Leapfrog Tag Activity Book, she was really excited. She had played around with one at an expo before and thought the whole idea was just brilliant.

We sent her the Scooby Doo Halloween book, for children aged 5-8 and this is what she had to say:

"I love Scooby Doo and this was as much a treat for me as for my tot. The voices are spot on too! Every single page can take anything from 10-20 minutes depending on what you feel like doing (or your child feels like doing). You can read each word, you can get the tag to read the page for you, you can play games, or you can touch the tag to almost every image on the page and it makes a noise/names it."

Tara found the Tag system to be a really good educational tool too. She told us that she used it after school to help her daughter with her letters and with learning how to read by using the tag to read each individual word instead of just letting it read the whole story.

As much as she loved the Leapfrog Tag system, she did have a few fiddly moments. “Firstly”, says Tara, “a problem we had was that my tot didn’t quite grasp that if she touched the tag to something while it was reading out a story, it would stop reading. Also, some of the puzzles were hard. Even I struggled to keep up with the game on the last page where you have to touch different parts of the castle to get Scooby home safely.”

Other problems Tara pointed out were the battery life – she recommends using rechargeable batteries as they will work out much cheaper in the long run, and wonders why a USB charger is not included. “It would be a great way to save money/environment/pennies while still keeping it an ace toy,” says our mum.

Another negative is the initial process to get started. Tara tells us that it takes a long time to load your book and set the system up. “You have to use your PC and it demands that you create an account, download this update and that update, which took me about 30 mins from first inserting it all the way to finally downloading and activating the book. You have to download the voices into the Tag after you’ve bought the book, you see so it is a bit tedious. You have to have a PC on hand to get started.”

So what is Tara's overall impression of the Leapster Tag?

“Overall I would give the book 8/10 for pure Scoobiness and the tag system 7/10 for awesome use of technology. Brilliant educational fun.”

And finally...

The Tag system which costs £39.99, comes with the Tag and a book titled Ozzie and Mack, but additional books based on characters from Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon channels such as Go! Diego, Go! and Sponge Bob Square Pants can also be purchased.

It's a great use of technology, educational to the nth degree, and well worth every penny spent in entertaining the kids at home on cold afternoons, or long trips away over Christmas. As a Christmas present it really does sit at the top of the pile for genius.

I'm not usually a fan of electronic books, but I'm softening towards the Leapfrog Tag reading systems and the Early Learning Centre are currently selling them at half price.

• Click HERE to Leapfrog over to the Early Learning Centre

I've always loved books so I find it quite difficult to understand why anyone wouldn't!

All of my kids have a huge fondness for books (yes, both of the boys too) and all without the help of things like the Leapfrog Tag Reading System books.

I was shocked by the reading and literacy statistics among boys which were highlighted in the recent series on TV 'Gareth Malone's Extraordinary School for Boys' (I adore Gareth Malone and the way he gets the best out of people), HOW are boys being allowed to get so far behind?!

So, anything that sets up a happy childhood relationship with books and reading can only be a good thing, whether they are interactive electronic books like the Leapfrog Tag Reading System ones, or your more traditional books that don't require batteries.

There are two different Leapfrog Tag Readers available - ones aimed at little kids (aged over two) and those for slightly older kids (aged over four); the Tag Readers can store up to five books and are usually £30 but currently £15 with the half price deal.

The actual books themselves vary but by way of example, The Cat in the Hat was £12.99 but is now £6.50.

Standard delivery is £4.50.

Thanks to Kayleigh1986 over at HUKD!