Classics You Don't Have to Read

Classics you don't have to read?! Is there such a category?! Didn't I just tell you not to skip the real Winnie-the-Pooh for the Disney version?!

Well, yes...but I am also all about efficiency and guilt-free parenting. I do occasionally come across a few books about which I hear people say "you just have to read this," and I politely agree to disagree. (In fact, you are welcome to politely agree to disagree with anything I post! I even encourage debate and dialogue. I like to know people are thinking for themselves.)

If, however, you don't have enough time to think for yourself, please take my opinions as gospel-truth.

I read a couple of classics with my 8 year-old daughter this year that I don't plan to read with my 5 year-old. I find a lot of it depends on personality and my 8 year-old is compliant and patient enough to sit through almost any book. Also, she likes to finish what she starts, like her mom. The 5 year-old has none of these personality flaws.

The first book was Swiss Family Robinson, unabridged. I found this book to be outdated, redundantly lengthy, scientifically preposterous and unrealistic in general. But it also had it's entertaining moments, like the giant snake that threatened to engulf the family. Also, it piqued our imaginations. We enjoyed talking about what we might do to survive such a situation, as well as the pros and cons of the situation. Finally, I did appreciate the religious and moral values of the family. They frequently thank God for his provisions and instate a regular worship and sabbath in their new civilization.

The second book was The Secret Garden. And I confess, I had great expectations for this book. I had heard fantastic endorsements of the book. It had been a huge part of some people's childhoods and is on most "must-read" lists. I tried to love the book. I managed to tolerate it and sometimes even liked it. But it was an extremely slow read. I was amazed my daughter was as charmed with it as she was. I could tell it was a struggle at times. Again, could probably have 5-10 chapters shortened or trimmed. I was disappointed that the spiritual aspect of the book centered around magic and postitive thinking, altho alternatively that "magic" could be God doing his work in the world. The importance of the book centered around spring-time, coming-to-life, friendship and the maturing of spoiled, self-centered children. Those are certainly worthy themes, but if your audience includes a slightly spoiled child (i.e., an American child) I would rather recommend George MacDonald's fairy tale The Wise Woman/The Lost Princess.

One of my soap-box issues is that we all have only so much time to spend with our kids and our hobbies, so we must use that time wisely and discern how to best influence our families. For this reason it can be acceptable to read abridged versions of classics, children's versions, even comic book versions! And I have occasionally (albeit, rarely) found a movie to be a better conduit of story than a lengthy classic. Walt Disney's Swiss Family Robinson is a rousing adventure that will still hold kids' attention with live-action animal and nature sequences. Okay, so they eliminated a brother. The story works as well with 3 sons as with 4. Likewise, the 1993 production of The Secret Garden achieved film success by wisely trimming the detritus of the story while leaving the necessary character development, language and plot intact. In fact, a quality movie enhances a story such as Secret Garden by bringing stunning visual imagery to life.

Sometimes the best way to handle such classics is to pair an abridged version with the movie version. I think it's especially important to offer Secret Garden to our kids because it is frequently performed at school and community theaters-another wonderful way to introduce our families to the arts.

In my next post I'll cover a few classics that my family has found to be "must-reads." I hope to spur some of you on to challenging reads with your kids or perhaps an ongoing debate as to what constitutes "good" literature. Looking forward to some feedback...!