Smudging on Unabridged

I recommend just jumping in with a book and its unabridged form.  You can always edit it as you read aloud.  Or stop it altogether and find an abridged version if you want to.

For the word ass, or similar words, I think if you explain it and when to use that word to your children, they won’t find it so funny.  And if a child insists on using it, you can just handle it as you see fit.  I’ve found that the smaller deal I make of words like that, the less likely my girls are to abuse those words.

For something like Pilgrim’s Progress, it  might go easier if  they already know the storyline.  So perhaps listening to the Adventures in Odyssey version woukd be a good start.

Even for myself, I have found that I can listen to works that I couldn’t read.  For example, Pride and Prejudice.  No way could I ever make it through that book!  But when I listened to it, I found myself doing extra cleaning and going out of my way to listen to it.

In short, I suggest you try it and then adapt accordingly.

If the language is too advanced, wait on that book. The original is simply too good to miss 99.9% of the time. The couple of abridgements we’ve enjoyed – Dangerous Journey for Pilgrim’s Progress as early as 4 years. And Little Pilgrim’s Progress for self reading around 8-10 years. That said, we’ve read the original aloud at young ages, too. There’s one other we liked, but the name escapes me. We have enjoyed some audio dramatization a that have been abridged, but even so, we prefer the originals! overwhelmingly, I’d vote for the original  books. Little kids love classic and/or well-written literature!

Don’t underestimate your kids. My ds5 listened to The Hobbit as well as Narnia stories with rapt attention when he was barely 3. The same had been true for all 4 of my kids (dd14, ds11, dd8, plus the ds5).

We’ve read Aesop cover to cover multiple times. A simple, “ass is another name for a donkey” is all it ever took.

When kids are accustomed to the easy watered down stuff, they can come to view the original as simply too difficult. But there is such pleasure in good books. Once the appetite is formed, no disneyfied or other adulterated version will do!

Compare The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson and Disney.

Original

FAR out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers and plants grow there; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches, as birds fly among the trees here upon land. In the deepest spot of all, stands the castle of the Sea King. Its walls are built of coral, and the long, gothic windows are of the clearest amber. The roof is formed of shells, that open and close as the water flows over them. Their appearance is very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl, which would be fit for the diadem of a queen.

Disney

Deep beneath the sea lived a little mermaid named Ariel. She loved exploring her underwater home with her friend flounder but dreamed of living on land as a human. Ariel was always searching for human treasures. Ariel was always searching for human treasures. When she and Flounder found a strange forked object, they swam to the surface to find Scuttle the seagull.
“It’s a dinglehopper!” he proclaimed. Ariel’s father was King Triton, ruler of the sea. He thought humans were dangerous.

———–

No comparison. ☺️

Christie, brilliant example! I think you’ll find, Cindy, once you get going with unabridged versions your kids will take to each on better than the last.

I think this goes further than just books though. (I’m going to make a general comment here, not a specific commentary on anything you may or may not be doing, Cindy.) I have friends that say similar things to me about the unabridged versions just being too difficult for their children, and that they don’t have an interest. In these circumstances, I see that their kids watch many shows and movies with dumbed down content. Their toys are cheap battery things made to hold the attention non stop of a mindless child. The music they listen to is gimmicky, etc, etc. This is where “education is an atmosphere” comes into play. I find that if you surround your children with rich, beautiful things, they will acquire a taste for such things. The rubbish of “twaddle” will no longer be appealing to them – they will see it for what it’s worth (okay, not 100% of the time, lol!).

Don’t underestimate your kids!  Perhaps popular culture and our own paltry education says our kids can’t enjoy these wonderful books.  Not true!  At least give your kids the chance to rise to the occasion.  You’ll never know what they are truly capable of if you don’t give it a try.

Having said that… I second Sonya’s recommendation to slow down.

1. Read aloud slower than you think you need to.  Slow enough that they can form a picture of the story in their mind and keep up with it.

2. Read the book as a whole slower than you think you need to.  A chapter or two a week is enough! Let your kids get to know the characters and live with them through the whole story.

3. Plough through your list of must read classics slowly. There are plenty of less overwhelming choices to start out with. Build up their (and your!) stamina little by little. You have so many years on this journey, you don’t need to read every book this year, or next year, or even the next year.

Happy reading!