Ovations are too hard to keep in your lap with that rounded back. Dislike.

My bro-in-law got his son a mini-taylor and said it weren't all that spendy.

I think the most important thing when giving a kid a guitar to see if they take to it is the playability. The action is everything. It can make or break their desire to push thru the difficulty (once they get past having sore fingertips). I was in a shp last week and picked up a $150 fender acoustic that played like a champ. The tone was a $150 tone but the playability was excellent.