Are you considering an MP3 player purchase for your child but do not know quite where to start? You know you want something other than the typical rectangular shape, but what? Here are eight MP3 players for your three to twelve year old. But, before you buy, make sure you consider how many songs you want to store and what operating system you use. Younger children would be fine with a smaller storage capacity, while children on the upper end of the age scale will need at least two gigabytes.

1. The diminutive Hello Kitty MP3 player by iRiver is just under 1.5 inches tall. It comes with protective, interchangeable silicon angel and devil skins with red accent bows. It has 2 gigabyte memory and will hold about 480 songs. WMA and MP3 compatible. This MP3 player is absolutely adorable.

2. Bratz Plugged In Liptunes is just 3.75 inches tall and has 128 megabytes of built-in memory. It comes with ear bud headphones. Any Bratz girl would be tickled pink by this fun MP3 player.

3. The Mplayer Season 2 by iRiver and Disney is a Mickey Mouse-shaped, Windows-compatible 1 gigabyte player that comes in a variety of colors, including pink, blue, Swarovski crystals and camouflage print. Use the ears to control the tracks and volume. It stands 1.5 inches tall.

4. The Solid Alliance iCool is a one-of-a-kind 256 megabyte (expandable) MP3 that comes in chocolate, rose, lemon, strawberry, raspberry and blueberry scents. Any girl would love this scent-sational player!

5. Mattel has come out with their Windows-compatible Barbie Girl MP3 players featuring 512 megabyte internal memory that is expandable to 2 gigabyte. Barbie Girl comes with two inter-changeable hair-dos, two faces and two outfits, as well as headphones. She stands 4.5 inches tall. Available in pink, gold and green.

6. Meet the Mobiblu Miffy player. This cute little female white rabbit wears an orange shirt bearing her name, and is modeled after Miffy in the children’s book series by Dick Bruna.  Miffy has 2 gigabyte memory and a maximum audio output of 95 decibels. An optional green docking station, complete with rabbit house, is available separately. Your pre-schooler will love Miffy.

7. Evergreen introduces the Chinese Horoscope MP3 players. Each of the 12 players is a fun, colorful, cartoon version of an animal in the Chinese zodiac. All of the MP3 players come with 2 gigabyte memory and five hours of play time. They are Windows XP/Windows Vista compatible. What sign were you born under?

8. The Sansa Shaker from SanDisk is available with either 512 megabyte or 1 gigabyte of memory. Changing the songs is what makes this MP3 player really unique. Just shake, shake, shake and your songs will shuffle. It has two headphone jacks so kids can listen with a friend for double the fun.

Now that you know there are MP3 players in shapes other than a rectangle, it is time to make your choice. Who knows, you may even end up getting one for yourself, too.