Welcome to Tried and True, a monthly feature where cool products are put through the ringer -- from our family to yours.

It's back to school season, and we can't think of a better time for checking out a new learning toy.

From LeapFrog's website: "The Tag Reading System revolutionizes the reading experience for children ages 4 to 8 by bringing storybooks to life. As children explore books with the Tag Reader, they encounter well-loved characters and leveled learning activities that adjust automatically to their own pace, helping their confidence and love of reading bloom."

I have to say, the Tag Reading System did not disappoint. As a mother of a toddler with emerging literary skills, this system blew away my expectations. We were previously users of the LeapFrog LittleTouch LeapPad, and while I enjoyed the premise of the system, the size was rather bulky (so much so, that we couldn't use it for travel. It took up too much room in my bag, and packing space in the diaper bag is a HOT COMMODITY, you know.)

The new Tag system involves average-sized books and a simple pen. That's it. Although, this is not a normal pen by any means! It reads the pages to your child (one word at a time), engages your child in games and keeps track of your little one's reading progress. Simply point the infrared pen at the book and voila, it comes to life.

I've had the chance to play around with four of the books, and they all are educational and super fun. However, for parents of children younger than the recommended age (4-8), I would highly recommend I Spy. My two-year-old loved pointing out different objects, repeating the names, and is now spelling some of the shorter words out loud when asked.

The system is very intuitive - when you purchase new books for the reader, you need to download the audio file to your computer and sync the pen with the included USB cable. Otherwise, just press the power button on the pen and let your child's imagination roam.

All in all, I highly recommend this product as a supplement to your child's reading program or an educational toy for younger pre-readers. Check out the Tried and True gallery for photos of the Tag Reader in action.

Learn more about the Tag Reading System here.