Classics: Why We Should Encourage Children to Read Them

[Britty01]

Fiza Pathan of Mumbai, India sounds like a very smart young woman. I admire her for her conviction
that reading Classic books is good for young people to improve their minds and imagination.

I am glad I had such good books to read as a child and young adult growing up in England.

Thanks for the insight into this book and the inclusion of some of her comments, one of which
particularly struck me as being sad but true:

“Children need a bit of good fiction to nourish them in a world that seems out to kill them”.

[Mely918]

I agree that we should encourage kids to read classics. They are classics for a reason. They are the books that have passed the test of time. Especially for an aspiring author, reading classics can help them learn the kind of writing and themes that would most appeal to readers.

[ShareTheGift]

I wanted to also copy something I listed in another forum regarding readers because I thought it would be good to bring it over here as well.

Those interested in reading classics or picking out classics for a young reader there is a perfect site for you where you can get all these for free.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/.

Because these books are older and out of copyright Project Gutenberg has many of them in the over 57,000 books for free collection. H. G. Wells, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lewis Carroll, Howard Melville, Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Mark Twain (take these with a grain of salt due to the language of the times has racial overtones) and so many other classic authors. You can even find some books they can use for reference if they writing about philosophers like Plato/Homer.

It is a real find for anyone looking for classics and there are also some books written in other languages!

[Sophia Villo]

I am really grateful that this types of sites are available to our community, in spite of the fact that many people nowadays are losing the habit of reading. Children are the ones who need to carry on this habit, therefore we as grown ups have to foster reading at schools, mostly. I think the best way to do so is through tales or with eye-appealing illustrations like for instance I`ve bought this book titled "Treasure Island (Sterling Illustrated Classics)" which I got and my kids enjoy it a lot you know since it has plenty of images.

Edit: website ref deleted

Growing up I had several classics in a series not only with illustrations, but with interesting tidbits and explanations of unfamiliar things that a young reader might not understand. Needless to say, they were among my favorites and there reason I love classics today. I wish I could remember what that series was, if anyone has any ideas.

[Serena_Charlotte]

I think it's important for teachers to read books from every era. Just as the writing from the Age of Enlightenment to World War II is significantly different, so are modern books from classics. English teachers make a point of pointing out the differences between the socio-economic, and sometimes political, spheres that influenced the writing during that time but fail to show its relevance in our time and how modern writing has changed as well. Getting students more involved with modern writing shouldn't be to "get the kids more interested in reading" at all. Rather, it should be just another unit in an English class showing the gradual shift in writing styles and genres over different time periods.

[MNProfMomof10]

Yes! Yes! And Yes!!
Children should be exposed to age appropriate classic literature! They should see real world issues that have been faced over history, some faced nobly and some well, not so nobly. I believe that in addition to reading classics though, it is important for the next generation to have one moral compass to reflect the situations they face in those tales. Adding the Bible in their literary diet provides the greatest story ever told and gives a solid foundation for feeling self actualized and whole.

[Chikari]

Thank you for the review! This book sounds very interesting. I'd be curious to read it to understand her reasonings better. I do think reading classics are important, but there are also great modern book of course. I think it's more about having a well mixed exposure to literature rather than just focusing on classics.

[stephenehis01]

Yes by ecouraging the child to keep reading the most classic is that you want the best for your children.

[Ak1412]

Once a child reaches middle school or even late elementary in some cases classics are a great source. However more often than not this is not the best way to get children to love reading.

[cflowers]

I recommend mixing books from different eras from day one of reading. The old McGuffy readers, Tales of Jolly Robin and other Arthur Scott Bailey books are great at expanding a child's vocabulary. G.A. Henty books are great historical fiction for 3rd grade and up. Mix in some Secret Garden, Tom Sawyer , and Huck Finn and before long, they'll be reading a whole list of classics.

[cadelfavreau]

The reason most children dont want to read classics is generally tied up in this idea that they can not understand the language, be it too advanced or somewhat arcane, I think this is a selling point. we should encourage people who are learning the language, be it as a second language, or as their first, to challenge themselves to figure it out!

[flaming_quills]

I definitely agree. The language and writing style may be outdated but there's still a wealth of information to be learned from classics and children shouldn't miss out on that.

[srividyag1]

When I was at school I started reading classics because those were the only books available in my school library. Even though it was not my choice, I am happy this was thrust upon me at that time. Reading the classics gives one a lot of patience. I am proud that when I started reading for enjoyment at an early age, I learnt the virtue of patience to read long sentences and to plough through slow storylines. Almost all the books of today are fast-paced and kids and adults alike get bored with a slow read. No one likes long sentences any more. I love such sentences. They seemed like puzzles to the young me.

[Gio Gonzalez]

All the Books of The Wizard of Oz, they're really charming and I believe it's really easy to read as English its not my first language and I understood almost everything when I grabbed it as a child!

Also, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, Black Beauty and maybe starting to introduce them to the Grimm's fairy tales that aren't so...Well, grimm-ish

[Carolreads30]

I believe more children should read the classics, although I also feel that many children more closely relate to the issues in books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games series than the classics these days. Children have not been allowed to imagine the types of stories that many of the classics talk of. Certain topics in the classic stories seem to no longer be of interest to children. I believe that children are much more mature at 8 and 9 these days than they were years ago and so the same stories may seem childish to them.