I would love some help with finding good abridged classics. I imagine the quality could be changed significantly from the originals, so I want to be sure to find the best ones.
Sorry, I am looking for abridged/adapted classics for my 8 year old daughter for her personal reading. I read original classics to my kids regularly. I would just like some good material that is at their level for them to read to me or on their own. There are so many different abridged versions, from different writers or publishers, of each classic that I am not sure how to choose one without reading them all. Thanks
There are lots of classics that are already at her reading level, unless she's considerably behind either in reading or in maturity. _Caddie Woodlawn_, for instance, is a relatively easy read, and so are the _Little House on the Prairie_ books. I have read illustrated classics myself and enjoyed them, but found that when I went back to those classics (Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the Count of Monte Christo, the Three Musketeers), that there was much more in them that I wouldn't get unless I read the originals. And the subject matter wasn't appropriate for my young age at the time; that's why they had to be abridged, besides the difficult language. So for my children I've stuck to classics that are already at their reading level, and for my 12yodd whose reading level isn't as high as her maturity, I get audiobooks and discuss them with her, instead.
Thank you. So maybe I could just use some help finding more classics at her level then. She is probably at an average, or slightly above average, reading level for her age.
My dd is also 8 and reading a lot. Here's some of what she's reading:
Dr. Seuss, P.D. Eastman, Beginner Books
Nancy Drew--she read one and decided they were too scary for her
Sophie Hits Six
the Great Cookie Thief
Goops and How to Be Them
all the I Spy books she can find
the Eyewitness series of books from Dorling Kindersley
anything by Richard Scarry--the originals, not the dumbed-down newer versions; there are some newer printings that are still good, but you have to look at them yourself first.
The Kitten Who Thought He Was a Mouse
Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum (generally the older the Sesame Street book, the more we like it, but they are very uneven in quality; this one we love)
Little Golden Books illustrated by Gustav Tenggren, Eloise Wilkin, Garth Williams
What Do You Do, Dear?
the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer
Little Bear books by Elsa Holmelund Minarik
some of Beverly Cleary's books
Calvin and Hobbes--beware this may change your children's behavior, and not for the better--we laugh at it but periodically we take it away until children become respectful again; we have to require respect for parents.
The Great Brain books
The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
lots and lots of fairytales and folktales (we have two Childcraft sets, one from 1961 and one from 1982; not all Childcraft sets are created equal. Buyer be cautious)
the Berenstain Bear books--most are good, but some are so-so
Billions of Bugs by Clare Mishica
just about anything by Tomie de Paola--read and discuss.
anything by Mitsumasa Anno, particularly his math books
Encyclopedia Brown books
The Magic Treehouse books--I think these are lightweight and sometimes misleading, but she likes to read them.
Mr. Popper's Penguins
the Store-bought Doll
some of Margaret Wise Brown's books (I really don't like the green and red illustrations in Good Night, Moon, but my children went through a phase of reading it every day. Those of her books that were illustrated by Garth Williams are much easier on the eye, and may encourage artists.)
Murderous Maths books--the math in most of these is a bit beyond her, but she loves the jokes and illustrations, and she reads them repeatedly, which must be good, right?
Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals, Mushrooms, Mammals, Birds, Shells, Gemstones--these are written by Dorling Kindersley and as such are very well-designed and easy to read, with awesome pictures. She would read more of them if we could afford to buy them. I should add, they are designed for lay adults, not for children, and as such aren't really that easy for her to read, but she reads what she can and adores the pictures.
The Borrowers--there are more in the series, but the first book is the best
The Indian in the Cupboard--again, more in the series, but the first book is the best, and in this case, the movie is also really really good.
some by Syd Hoff, though these are mostly easy to read and not classic
Harold and the Purple Crayon
The Little Fish that Got Away
lots of children's joke books and children's books of poetry, jumping rhymes, and limericks, riddles
Frog and Toad Together
The Poky Little Puppy
I think she'd like if she'd try these:
The Black Stallion
Little Black, A Pony
anything by C. W. Anderson, the Billy and Blaze books
Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak--some of his books are really good and some of them are really not
Miss Hickory
Sara Plain and Tall
Old Bones
King of the Wind
Misty of Chincoteague
The Once and Future King
This is nowhere near a complete list, as she reads a lot, every day; I could not stop her from reading. Most of this is just having the books handy and allowing unstructured time to read them, as well as reading aloud to her when she wants me to. When she was younger I read to her every day; now she reads pretty quickly and doesn't want to wait for me to have time to read.
Her younger sister is 5 and actively resists being read to unless she chooses it, so I read aloud to the room and she either listens or doesn't. Sometimes the 5yo will come and sit on my lap after I start a book; sometimes she will wait until the book is done, then sit on my lap and ask me to reread it. :D Other times she will holler and tell me not to read--Be quiet! My 5yo thinks differently; too much noise disturbs her ability to think.
If you have a Goodreads account, you can keep track of the books you've read. It really helps when I'm trying to remember what my dd's reading...
I'm not a fan of abridged classics in general, but there are exceptions. _Les Miserables_, for example, is best read in a good abridged version first, and then the original after you know the plot.
Thank you for your
Thank you for your suggestions. I really appreciate it!
abridged classics
Sorry, I am looking for abridged/adapted classics for my 8 year old daughter for her personal reading. I read original classics to my kids regularly. I would just like some good material that is at their level for them to read to me or on their own. There are so many different abridged versions, from different writers or publishers, of each classic that I am not sure how to choose one without reading them all. Thanks
There are lots
There are lots of classics that are already at her reading level, unless she's considerably behind either in reading or in maturity. _Caddie Woodlawn_, for instance, is a relatively easy read, and so are the _Little House on the Prairie_ books. I have read illustrated classics myself and enjoyed them, but found that when I went back to those classics (Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the Count of Monte Christo, the Three Musketeers), that there was much more in them that I wouldn't get unless I read the originals. And the subject matter wasn't appropriate for my young age at the time; that's why they had to be abridged, besides the difficult language. So for my children I've stuck to classics that are already at their reading level, and for my 12yodd whose reading level isn't as high as her maturity, I get audiobooks and discuss them with her, instead.
Classics for 8 yr old girl
Thank you. So maybe I could just use some help finding more classics at her level then. She is probably at an average, or slightly above average, reading level for her age.
classics for 8yo
My dd is also 8 and reading a lot. Here's some of what she's reading:
Dr. Seuss, P.D. Eastman, Beginner Books
Nancy Drew--she read one and decided they were too scary for her
Sophie Hits Six
the Great Cookie Thief
Goops and How to Be Them
all the I Spy books she can find
the Eyewitness series of books from Dorling Kindersley
anything by Richard Scarry--the originals, not the dumbed-down newer versions; there are some newer printings that are still good, but you have to look at them yourself first.
The Kitten Who Thought He Was a Mouse
Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum (generally the older the Sesame Street book, the more we like it, but they are very uneven in quality; this one we love)
Little Golden Books illustrated by Gustav Tenggren, Eloise Wilkin, Garth Williams
What Do You Do, Dear?
the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer
Little Bear books by Elsa Holmelund Minarik
some of Beverly Cleary's books
Calvin and Hobbes--beware this may change your children's behavior, and not for the better--we laugh at it but periodically we take it away until children become respectful again; we have to require respect for parents.
The Great Brain books
The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
lots and lots of fairytales and folktales (we have two Childcraft sets, one from 1961 and one from 1982; not all Childcraft sets are created equal. Buyer be cautious)
the Berenstain Bear books--most are good, but some are so-so
Billions of Bugs by Clare Mishica
just about anything by Tomie de Paola--read and discuss.
anything by Mitsumasa Anno, particularly his math books
Encyclopedia Brown books
The Magic Treehouse books--I think these are lightweight and sometimes misleading, but she likes to read them.
Mr. Popper's Penguins
the Store-bought Doll
some of Margaret Wise Brown's books (I really don't like the green and red illustrations in Good Night, Moon, but my children went through a phase of reading it every day. Those of her books that were illustrated by Garth Williams are much easier on the eye, and may encourage artists.)
Murderous Maths books--the math in most of these is a bit beyond her, but she loves the jokes and illustrations, and she reads them repeatedly, which must be good, right?
Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals, Mushrooms, Mammals, Birds, Shells, Gemstones--these are written by Dorling Kindersley and as such are very well-designed and easy to read, with awesome pictures. She would read more of them if we could afford to buy them. I should add, they are designed for lay adults, not for children, and as such aren't really that easy for her to read, but she reads what she can and adores the pictures.
The Borrowers--there are more in the series, but the first book is the best
The Indian in the Cupboard--again, more in the series, but the first book is the best, and in this case, the movie is also really really good.
some by Syd Hoff, though these are mostly easy to read and not classic
Harold and the Purple Crayon
The Little Fish that Got Away
lots of children's joke books and children's books of poetry, jumping rhymes, and limericks, riddles
Frog and Toad Together
The Poky Little Puppy
I think she'd like if she'd try these:
The Black Stallion
Little Black, A Pony
anything by C. W. Anderson, the Billy and Blaze books
Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak--some of his books are really good and some of them are really not
Miss Hickory
Sara Plain and Tall
Old Bones
King of the Wind
Misty of Chincoteague
The Once and Future King
This is nowhere near a complete list, as she reads a lot, every day; I could not stop her from reading. Most of this is just having the books handy and allowing unstructured time to read them, as well as reading aloud to her when she wants me to. When she was younger I read to her every day; now she reads pretty quickly and doesn't want to wait for me to have time to read.
Her younger sister is 5 and actively resists being read to unless she chooses it, so I read aloud to the room and she either listens or doesn't. Sometimes the 5yo will come and sit on my lap after I start a book; sometimes she will wait until the book is done, then sit on my lap and ask me to reread it. :D Other times she will holler and tell me not to read--Be quiet! My 5yo thinks differently; too much noise disturbs her ability to think.
If you have a Goodreads account, you can keep track of the books you've read. It really helps when I'm trying to remember what my dd's reading...
For what age?
For what ages of children? For yourself?
I'm not a fan of abridged classics in general, but there are exceptions. _Les Miserables_, for example, is best read in a good abridged version first, and then the original after you know the plot.