I have used the madeline series with both girls and boys. The boys do not mind as there is pepito. The aventures series are very challenging and the others ones are educational.

The Madeline Series may be a bit better then some of the other educational softwares out there today, but it isn't what you may really want at the top of your list. The Madeline Series may or may not help your child learn to read, because it depends. If your child is a boy, he will not be interested in this series at all, and ignore everything that it could teach him. Girls on the other hand, will enjoy most of it, and may learn from it. The age group for this series are very thin ranging from maybe about 5-7.