For those that have done a GB study

[Kathie in VA]

For those of you that had your kids read a retelling of a "great book" while in the grammar or dialectic stage, do you/they find it helpful now that you are reading the actual GBs? ... is it irrelevent? ...or do your kids feel they already know the story and don't want to read the GB? ... or etc.?

For those of you that didn't have your kids read a retelling of the GB, are you/they still glad you didn't now that you are reading the actual GBs? Do you wish you had read a retelling?

I'm kinda think the retellings are a good idea as it gives us an idea of what these GBs are about. However I don't want to take up too much time with them as there are soo many other books for the younger kids that they won't go back to read once they are older. kwim? So I just thought I'd throw out this question to see what the hive has learned on this. :D

tia
:bigear:

[Mad Jenny Flint]

They read the re-tellings. I think it is important because it "primes the pump" for them to understand and enjoy them more later. They get the general idea of the story and they can later appreciate the different writing and the beauty of the original. They also have read different translations/retellings and that can be an experience in itself.

They also read the books that "kids read" as they go along. In K-8, my son has had "free reading time" for an hour and "required reading time" for an hour (these times are the 8th grade times, I think we started with 1/2 hr. of each when he was smaller). Free reading sounds free, and it used to be more free, but it's gotten to the point of me sticking a classic in his hands that he would not otherwise have a chance to read. This year, in addition to many of the books on the 8th grade WTM list, he has read Night, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, and is reading The Catcher in the Rye right now. There may be others I have missed.

In his childhood, he has also read the whole Harry Potter Series, and several other fantasy series of books (he likes that genre) and all of the Series of Unfortunate Events books (he cried when the incredibly deadly viper died- one of my fondest memories of his reading). Now when we are at the bookstore, he gravitates toward the Classics section.

We also have always read aloud together. This year I am changing things up a bit, but even in the midst of our busy 9th grade year I have scheduled our tea time hour from 3-4, a time when I will read aloud to both of my children (grades 9 and 5).

My daughter (10) is also reading a lot of books that "kids like to read" but she will also do the re-tellings of the classics. I have many of these on her list for 5th grade, directly from SWB's list. She also loves historical fiction and poetry, so I have purchased several of those for her to read. And, she goes back to the Fudge and Superfudge books and even the dreaded Junie B. Jones books when she wants a chuckle. She also likes comics.

[Chris in VA]

My oldest, who was homeschooled for high school only, read a number of The Great Illustrated Classics series when in Montessori school for 3rd grade. He really did retain a lot of the plots of the GB's--some we did read as the real deal, and some we skipped.

And, there are are GB's that simply don't have a kiddie version--can't imagine The Scarlet Letter as a Great Illustrated Classic! :lol: So, the prior knowledge thing doesn't apply--but knowing about the culture from one's history studies is necessary preparation.

I'm sort of in two minds about it--ITA with the pp who lets her kids read the kids books, too, not just simplified classics. One thing I noticed with my dd is that she really can handle the "Great Childhood Books" in their unaltered form--there wasn't a need to read a simplified version of The Secret Garden, for example.