For a number of reasons, a year ago I never dreamed that I’d get an iPad for Mother’s Day, but I was thrilled this past weekend when one of these

PicPocket Books' "A, My Name Is Andrew" on the iPad

ended up in my hands. Well, actually, those are my husband’s hands, since he was kind enough to be a hand model for me.

From my few days with my new iPad, I have to say it is a pretty nifty device. Illustrated children’s books look beautiful on the iPad. In fact, an AOL News story recently reported that 81%, or 13 of the 16 top book applications for the iPad, are children’s titles.

While in Los Angeles over the weekend, the iPad sure did come in useful for us while navigating a new city, and looking up car dealerships and comparing prices and reviews on the iPad when we were on the go was very helpful when we accompanied my brother-in-law who was buying a car.

I wouldn’t consider myself a big gamer (I’m more the literary type), but I admit that some of the game apps that I’m discovering on the iPad are pretty compelling. I’ll have to set some limits for myself if I want to still get work done!

What do you think about the iPad?