Classic Books for Kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps we can save some time by stipulating that most classics are liable to be problematic for today’s values. They were written in a different time, in cultures that sometimes had different values and perspectives. Certainly OP should take that into consideration when selecting books, but it can hardly be a surprise. Presumably OP has a strategy in mind for dealing with content that is objectionable to readers today.

Would you say the same for music performances of classical music by the symphony, philharmonic, ballets performed, or opera performed? That's why these are considered classics.

OP, history is just that. The books were written in a different era. Most children understand that in modern times, we don't usually see pirates walking around with hooks for hands. LoL. In Peter Pan, you will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was a child, I LOVED these "classic" books that were written and adapted for children. They were chapter books, smaller in size than a typical novel. I had a collection of them, which I carried around. I read these over and over again. I was 6 years old when I started 2nd grade, so I'm certain that's how old I was when I started reading these. That was in the 1970s, and no one read along with me or discussed the stories with me. Just me, the books, and my imagination.

My favorites:

Heidi by Swiss author Johanna Spyri
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Others:

The Call of the Wild
The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
A Tale of Two Cities
Frankenstein
David Copperfield
Great Expectations
Kidnapped
The Prince and the Pauper
Black Beauty
Anne of Green Gables
The Count of Monte Cristo
Aesop's Fables
Three Musketeers
Jekyll and Hyde

I looked online, and you could purchase them for $5 each.

I looked online again, and they were part of Great Illustrated Classics series for children. Each page had an illustration of what was going on in the story, which I thoroughly enjoyed as a child. I still remember the photo of Jo's dress in Little Women, with the burn mark on it. LoL.

I suppose because these were adaptations and not the original writing some would advise against these. They are the classics, though.

[Anonymous]

Maybe this should be in the children's forum.

[Anonymous]

I used to read Illustrated Classic editions by Moby Books, in paperback. The book was around 200 pages, but I think there were a lot of illustrations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe this should be in the children's forum.

Seriously. These recommendations for a six year old show a lot of people have no idea what six year olds are.

[Anonymous]

Let your kid choose from the library! At that age, my kids loved series so they could keep reliably finding more in similar vein.

Also I agree with the comments about keeping the material age-appropriate to some extent even if the kid is able to read “anything.” Not because I believe in censoring but so that they can appreciate the books!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a heads up that there is some racist stuff in the Little House on the Prairie books.

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/what-should-be-done-about-racist-depictions-in-the-little-house-books/16587/

In one passage in “Little House on the Prairie,” Wilder wrote, “There were no people; only Indians lived there,” while in another, one of the characters, Pa, says, “the only good Indian is a dead Indian.” In “Little Town on the Prairie,” Pa appears in a minstrel show and sings a racist song — an anecdote accompanied by an illustration of the characters in blackface.

Actually...Pa did not say 'the only good Indian is a dead Indian'. A neighbor on the prairie said it to him, in the book (Mr. Scott), and Pa said he didn't believe that.

My kids read the Little House books, and we've had some great discussions about these things.

[Anonymous]

Someone already mentioned these but we loved Five Little Peppers and How They Grew and All of a Kind Family. I’d add Wind in the Willows and Little Women.