Ages: 6-11 years (approximately grades kindergarten - 6)
Have you ever read a story with your child, only to find yourself flooded with memories of you reading that very same book when you were young? This happens so often when parents introduce classic children’s books to their own children. Classic literature can stir up images, experiences, and memories from our childhood in a way that modern fiction simply cannot. But that is one of the benefits of reading the classics with your child—it encourages conversation, connection, and memory-making. One of the challenges, however, is that length, reading level, and sometimes even content of these older titles may not always be appropriate for a young reader. Thankfully, the Classic Starts series gives young readers the opportunity to experience these timeless stories from an early age.
The Classic Starts series is a collection of beginning chapter books, which are abridged retellings of traditional children’s fiction. In these books, chapters are brief, font size is larger, and there are even pencil drawing illustrations interspersed throughout the text. And no one book is more than 160 pages long. Each novel is adapted and rewritten with language that has a more contemporary feel for easier reading. Even so, the magic from the original stories remains. There is truly something for every reader in this series. Children can be introduced to new favorites in a variety of genres, including Moby Dick, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Secret Garden, Treasure Island, and A Little Princess. Readers could also find short story compilations written in a similar format, such as Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Greek and Roman Myths, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and Arabian Nights. The appeal of these books primarily targets readers in second to fourth grade; however, they could also work as great read alouds for even younger children. Older children who are reluctant readers would find this series accessible, yet engaging, as well.
Just the same, nothing quite compares to the original! So, if you are interested in sharing the unabridged versions with your young reader, stop by the Children’s Desk and ask about our new circulating Kindle preloaded with classic children’s fiction. It is available to Glencoe Public Library cardholders for a two-week checkout.
Find the entire Classic Starts series in our catalog.
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