Wendy Bronfin

NEW YORK -- Barnes & Noble has announced a partnership with Nickelodeon that will bring the first-ever digital books from the number-one entertainment brand for kids. The books will feature such Nickelodeon characters as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer available in digital format through the Nook Color Reader’s Tablet (www.nookcolor.com) and the free Nook Kids for iPad application (www.nookkids.com/ipad and www.itunes.com/appstore). Barnes & Noble is now offering a dozen interactive Nook Kids Nickelodeon titles, and will expand to more than 20 next month. According to the company, Nook's technology enables children to interact with the story. For example