Great Illustrated Classics: Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

After we moved this summer, all our books were in boxes.  My ten-year-old son Daniel was in despair, but then discovered a set of Illustrated Classics that I bought a few years ago at an antique store and proceeded to read through them all at a fast pace.  I had also bought a few books online a few years ago to augment the set with books I thought the boys would like. His favorite authors were Charles Dickens and Mark Twain.  He really liked The Prince and the Pauper and Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.  He thought Tom Sawyer’s escapades were hilarious.  He saved Huckleberry Finn to read with me and we just finished it last week.

Daniel also liked the humor and adventure in Huckleberry Finn, but he really liked his friendship with Jim.  He was very concerned about Jim and was glad that Jim got a happy ending.  I wish there was a follow up novel on Jim. Now that he is free – what happened to him?

I know that some people are dead set against the Illustrated Classics series as it takes classic stories, reduces them to a shortened kid version, and includes a picture on each paper.  I have always been in favor of them.  I read a few of them as a kid myself and it introduced me to authors that I then looked for as my reading level increased.  I read the full Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn when I was not much older than Daniel.  I have them sitting outside his room on a book shelf, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t pick them up on his own and read them sometime soon.  He is a voracious reader. 

Daniel said he was asked at school what the difference was, and he said there are more pictures and no swearing in the Great Illustrated Classics.  Overall, they are a nice way to start introducing your children to the classics.