No doubt about it – wherever you are in the US, summer is definitely here. Temperatures are hitting triple-digits, the school year is coming to a close; and, let us guess, you’re trying to find out how to continue to fill your child’s schedule with constructive activities rather than TV time.

V.Tech has just the thing to cure the dreaded “summer brain drain”. The company has announced a new product, the V.Reader, aimed at early readers ages 3-7, to keep kids practicing their reading over the long, hot summer months. Stories are brought to life with sound, music and voices from some of the most popular TV and film franchises, such as Dora The Explorer, Toy Story and Shrek. Multiple modes will allow young readers to follow along with the story and interact with reading games, to help with letters, phonics and even a second language. A story dictionary is also available for new word discovery.

An online bookstore will provide a portal to free titles, themes and avatars kids can then use to customize their e-books. Downloadable content will be available by tethering the V.Reader to a PC or Mac, and feedback will also be transferred from the device to a parent’s registered account to show how their child is progressing on the various games and activities.

The V.Reader will be released in Target stores on June 21, and with other retailers later this summer for $59.99. It will come in two colors, blue and pink, both of which are available for pre-order now at Amazon.com. There will be 11 software titles at launch, at $19.99 each.