I cover baby and kids gear after a decade of reporting on parenting. Amazon recently released its very first color Kindle designed for young readers: the Kindle Colorsoft Kids. While my older children ...

Ask me what I’m reading at any given moment and I’ll probably rattle off at least three titles, not to mention comics and the occasional textbook I may also be chipping away at in the background.

Educational apps always seem impressive at first. Parents see the bright screens, the cheerful voices, and the promises about faster learning. It feels like these apps should help kids pick up letters ...