abridged and illustrated book bargains for kids

A couple months ago, Mr. M purchased “Treasure Island” for Miss L’s library. It was our family’s first attempt at reading some of these abridged & illustrated classics, and she ate up the story day after day like a sponge! She loved hearing what Jim was up to next and what was happening with Long John Silver, and it was a pleasure to share these BIG stories with her.

That meant that when a copy of “The Jungle Book” caught my eye as I walked past the Target $1 Spot, I squealed out loud and ran to grab a hand basket. Because if $1 books don’t excite you, then I’m not sure what kind of person you are!

I quickly started digging through the book stack to make sure I got one of each book they had… and in the end I walked out with 9 literary classics:

• A Little Princess
• The Jungle Book
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• The Secret Garden
• Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
• The Story of Doctor Doolittle
• The Wind in the Willows

We’re currently halfway through “A Little Princess,” and yes, that means we’re into the bad part of the book. Now parents, if you aren’t excited by inquisitive questions from an inquisitive kid, then stay far away from these books. The first chapter alone involved questions about carriages and boarding school and how far India was from England. But it’s fun to answer questions in a way that a 4 year old can understand, and we’ll get through it all just like we did in Treasure Island!

It’s nice to have something to change up the routine between large picture books and rhyming narratives, and also to just share these wonderful stories with her long before she can read the full versions. And maybe she’ll find a way to get the neighborhood kids to paint our fence? (I’m kidding… well, it would be nice!)