Amazon unveils Kindle e-reader for children

Amazon.com has unveiled a new version of its Kindle e-reader, one designed specifically for children for the first time.

The new Kindle Kids Edition includes a protective case and a one-year free subscription to a special child-friendly version of its Kindle book store, the company said.

The device also comes with a two-year “worry-free guarantee”, which means owners can replace the device any time during that period free of charge should it be lost or damaged.

It also includes parental controls for adults to monitor their children’s activities.

The expansion to e-readers follows Amazon’s successful line of Kids Edition Fire tablets, which come with similar protective cases and access to child-friendly content through the company’s Fire For Kids Unlimited subscription service.

Kindle e-readers remain one of Amazon’s most popular and well-known devices, offering several weeks of battery life and access to thousands of books in one place.

Vocabulary skills

The technology giant said the new Kids Edition will also include features to encourage children to build their reading and vocabulary skills, including achievement badges for reaching reading goals, a Word Wise simple definition tool, and a Vocabulary Builder, which automatically adds looked-up words to a library and creates a dedicated flashcard of it for future review and learning.

The device, priced at US$110, will go on sale on 30 October.

Amazon’s head of devices in the EU, Eric Saarnio, said: “Kindle Kids Edition makes reading fun with achievement badges to help motivate readers to complete the next chapter, plus features like Word Wise and Vocabulary Builder are designed to help early readers build their reading and comprehension skills.

“With unlimited access to over a thousand new and popular books in Fire For Kids Unlimited, kids can easily find books to match their interests and can bring a library of books with them wherever they go.

“We build kids’ products from the ground up, with three ideas in mind: first, kids want a device experience designed just for them; second, parents don’t want to worry about the content their kids are viewing; and third, parents want tools they can trust to help manage their kids’ device usage.”

Alongside the new e-reader, Amazon has also announced a new edition to its tablet range aimed at children. The Fire HD 10 Kids Edition is the largest tablet for children the company has made, Amazon said.