One thing we are real big on in our home is literature.
I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t really into the classics as a child – I loved reading, but I read mostly twaddle. You know, horse books and the like. 🙂
It wasn’t until my college years did I start getting into the classics. Despite being a latecomer, I now have a deep love for Lucy Montgomery, J.M. Barrie, C.S. Lewis, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, etc. etc.
“Reading a classic story when you are young opens your heart. Reading a classic story again — anew — when you are older fills your heart to the brim.” – Kenneth Grahame
My kids are still pretty young (6 and 3), but they LOVE read-alouds. We usually try to make them special when we are starting a new book or series with a themed tea-time or snack to enjoy while I’m reading to them.
I don’t have to bribe or convince my kids to love reading (or in the case of my youngest, love listening to me reading) — they love it because it’s presented to them in a fun, relaxed, interesting and delightful way.
The more goodness, beauty and truth they feast on now, the more their hearts will be inclined toward it as they grow.
Some of our very favorite versions of classic literature are from KinderGuides. They are heavily abridged and in picture book form – which is ideal for longer or more complex books, like the one we are reading now for the kids’ upcoming book club celebration (Around the World in Eighty Days).
The books are beautifully illustrated and adapted well enough for a 6 and 3 year old to sit for the entire book in one sitting, begging me to read it again.
So I’d say that’s a win.
There are also quiz questions to help jump start narration, character profiles, key words, analyses and an about the author section.
(These can only be ordered through the kickstarter campaign that is running now through the end of June, and backers receive half off the set.)
We are excited to read Jane Eyre next – one of my favorites!
