New Amazon Kindle Colorsoft readers are perfect for comic-loving kids

Amazon, the purveyor of digital paperbacks, has just dropped a bombshell (or perhaps, a brightly-coloured e-reader) on the unsuspecting public. Hot on the heels of a Prime Day that saw sales skyrocket by nearly 40%, the tech giant is expanding its Kindle empire with two new additions: a more wallet-friendly 16GB Kindle Colorsoft and, brace yourselves, the Kindle Colorsoft Kids – a colour Kindle designed specifically for the sticky-fingered demographic.

This move comes after a truly mind-boggling 129 billion pages were read on Kindles this year, billions more than this time last year. It seems people are actually reading, which is a comforting thought in an age of endless TikTok scrolls.

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The new 16GB Kindle Colorsoft, priced at a reasonable £239.99 (and includes three months of Kindle Unlimited, because who doesn't love free books?), retains all the bells and whistles of its predecessors. Think high-contrast displays, page turns so swift they’ll make your head spin, and a warm light that’s perfect for those winter binge reads.

Now, however, you can finally gawp at those vibrant book covers in their full glory, and graphic novels will pop with more pizzazz than a confetti cannon at a clown convention. Plus, there’s a new “Page Colour” feature for those who prefer their reading experience to be a walk on the dark side, complete with highlights in four fashionable shades.

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But the real showstopper, especially for parents who’ve grown weary of monochromatic literary adventures, is the Kindle Colorsoft Kids. Retailing at £259.99, it comes with a year of Amazon Kids+ (presumably to keep the little ones occupied for at least that long) and a protective, kid-friendly cover. Pretty ideal considering how easy youngsters (and some adults) find it to drop everything.

Apparently, tiny humans are already spending over 45 minutes a day glued to their Kindles, with graphic novel enthusiasts dedicating a whopping 46% more time to reading. The Colorsoft Kids aims to cultivate a love for literature by allowing children to explore titles like Big Nate and Harry Potter in glorious colour, all without the pesky distractions of notifications or social interaction.

Packed with features like Vocabulary Builder (to make sure they know what "ephemeral" means) and the OpenDyslexic font, this device is a parent’s dream and inclusive regardless of reading level. You can even personalise their Kindle with a "Fantasy River" or "Starlight Reading" cover, and then use the Amazon Parent Dashboard to micromanage their reading habits and enforce device bedtimes. Let’s face it, someone has to be the adult.

Amazon Kids+ has also expanded its literary smorgasbord, adding more titles to its collection. So, next time your child asks for screen time, you can confidently hand them a Kindle, knowing they're getting a dose of colour and, hopefully, a slightly enhanced vocabulary.

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