The Piccolo interactive center is a fabulous electronic learning pad platform similar to Vtech's popular Leap Pad. Designed for preschoolers, this pad allows kids to interact with storybooks using a touch-sensitive pen.
After opening the pad, children place one of the toy's special books onto the surface and insert the corresponding cartridge, then get set to learn as they play. Kids must press their pen on a star or similar icon in order to activate each new page spread, effectively "telling" the toy which page they are on. Often little kids will forget this step and get mixed-up responses (which can be fun too!).
The package comes with a Sampler book featuring pages pulled from the add-on books that are currently available for the toy. These include an alphabet maze, Spanish options, music with Elliott Moose, seasons of the year with Franklin, a spread devoted to ocean animals, and a sound memory game. Additional books, as well as a puzzle set, are sold separately.
Generally, each book features a few modes of play options. A simple naming mode is available in which kids press on an object and hear its name. The question-and-answer mode requires children to hunt for specific objects (such as items that are grey in the Colors and Shapes book). In some books, there is a mode in which objects are named in Spanish. Every book that we reviewed includes sentences that are read aloud when prompted by a press of the pen. Kids can either press on an individual word to hear its pronunciation, or select the book icon to hear the whole sentence read aloud. There are songs in each book that we evaluated, and in some (including the Sampler book), there are musical instruments — such as a xylophone — for kids to "play" with taps of their pen in a free-form manner.
The pad is well supported with books that are busy and interesting. Colorful animals introduce themselves and make funny sounds, for example. We do wish that there were more challenging learning books for children older than four years, however. Five- and six-year-old testers were entirely attracted to the toy, but didn't find enough challenge in the learning exercises offered. In addition, some of the games are rather limited — more questions would have helped to extend the long-term appeal of the product.
Some sold-separately books currently available include My First Book of Numbers, in which kids press their pen on animals and numbers from one to 10 to hear their sounds and names, respectively, and I Can Say My ABCs, in which children are taken through the alphabet, exploring words that begin with each letter. Kids explore musical instruments, melodies, and songs in Elliot Moose Makes Music, and seasons of the year in Franklin the Turtle Plants a Garden.
One of the advantages of this exciting toy is that it uses a few popular licenses, such as Franklin and Elliott Moose, which means kids get to play and learn with familiar characters. A puzzle set is also available, and demonstrates just one possibility of the toy's expansion capabilities. Here, kids assemble any of three puzzles directly on the pad's surface, then interact with the completed image using their pen.
Another clear plus is the Piccolo's high-definition digital sound that makes the unit's speech exceptionally clear. This feature is especially important for preschoolers who are still developing their vocabulary. Note, however, that there is no volume control.
