Honestly, I would recommend the Intous Manga Pen & Touch Medium or any other Intous that is a large size. Having a graphic tablet that is about as big as your computer screen helps, especially for beginners.
Yeah I had a bamboo for like 3 years but I didn't take too well of it (I kept dropping it by accident). But the active area is smaller anyways so I decided to invest in a bigger one.
I've seen a few for demo at BestBuy in the past. And I totally recommend Wacom for tablets. I've had my wacom graphire for nearly 10 years and it hasn't failed me yet, even with daily use.
i've cut it done to two.....maybe unless someone can suggest a better one...
so! wacom's 'Intuos Pen & Touch small' or their 'Intuos Manga Pen & Touch Small'
Do you know of any national chain eletronics stores that would have drawing pads/tablets on display to demo? Maybe even in an art store?