Should you read your children abridged versions of adult books?

“No!”

Once I made that mistake, but I never made it again.

My dislike of abridged books began and ended with Don Quixote. As I was leaving California for Spain one year, my father gave me a copy of Cervante’s story as parting gift.

Don Quixote succeeding in captivating my interest, and I wasn’t far into the book before I fell in love with the Don.

Who doesn’t?

So years later when I saw Everyman's had published an abridged version for children, I was thrilled. I snatched up a copy and began reading it to my children.

About half way through the book I had to face reality. Compared to the writing of Cervantes, the abridged version was dull and uninteresting. We had been waiting and waiting for the story to pick up, but it just grew duller and duller.

Truthfully, I don't even remember finishing it. We all agreed at some point that it was not worth reading.

And it wasn’t.

And that made me think about the value of an abridged book for children. Here’s my 3 reasons for why I stand firmly on the side of Do Not Buy Them!

1) Abridged Books Are Dumbed-Down

When we dumb down books for children by abridging them, we take away the nuances and meanings that made the story great, and this defeats the purpose of drawing a child into the world of great literature.

Children are not reading anymore, and one of the reasons given is that modern children’s literature does not engage the child’s intellect or imagination. If our experience with Don Quixote is any indication, this reason is absolutely valid.

Besides, there are so many excellent children's stories that your children probably haven't read yet. Let them read those first and by the time they are finished, they'll have reached an age where they'll be able to tackle the truly great and difficult books in a meaningful way.

2. A Reader’s Rite of Passage

Furthermore, what harm will it do if your child has to wait until he is a more skilled reader to tackle Don Quixote or any great book for that matter?

None!

On the contrary, there is a great benefit in waiting until a child is capable of reading a more challenging book. It’s what I call the reader’s rite of passage.

Let me explain what I mean.

I first read War and Peace as a young woman. War and Peace was a book I had heard about for years, but I had been told that it was very difficult book for a young person to read. The idea that it was a “difficult” book created a mystery about War and Peace. When would I be able to read it?

I have a vague recollection of having asked my father during my early adulthood if he thought I could handle reading War and Peace, and he roared, “Of course!”

And when I discovered I could not only read War and Peace with relative ease, but that I enjoyed reading it too, I experienced a sense of joy and success.

Reading War and Peace felt like a rite of passage. I knew then that the door to the world of great books was wide open for me.

It’s that joy of tackling a difficult book for the first time, and many times after, that you want to reserve for the real thing. The age when this happens is irrelevant. For me it was about age 20, for your child it might be age 13.

Regardless, I stand convinced that had I read an abridged version of War and Peace as a young child, my experience of reading the unabridged book later would not have been nearly as meaningful or as exciting.

It’s like the early flower that blooms at the onset of spring. After a long barren winter, we feel joy and excitement when we discover that a flower has finally blossomed. And while we will still enjoy many flowers after that, no flower can replace that first taste of spring.

If a child reads the dumbed-down version of a great book in childhood, he’ll be less likely to experience the first bloom of a great book later.

3. A Child Too Young to Appreciate the Story in all Its Glory

Your children will grow up soon enough and when they do they'll enjoy Don Quixote in a way they never could when they’re young.

For example, how could a child who has never lost a permanent tooth be able to relate to Cervantes’ unforgettable line, "A tooth is more precious than diamonds.” Children have a completely different perspective than adults on losing teeth.

Don Quixote is full of humor and wisdom. If a child can't relate to a simple line about losing a tooth forever, the complexities, humor, and wisdom between the pages will be lost on him.

4. Dumbed-Down Books Are an Insult to the Writer

There's nothing more maddening than to have an editor butcher a well-crafted sentence, let alone butcher an entire book replete with the authors blood, sweat, and tears.

The well-intended editors take away a part of the author with them. If you have ever written anything meaningful, then you know that a part of you is contained in the words you put to pen and paper.

Out of respect for our great authors, who labored night and day to bring us their masterpieces, I stand opposed to dumbing-down great books for children.

Regardless of what position we choose to take on abridged books, we can agree on one point: an abridged version of a great book is not the great book.

It's may be a book like Don Quixote, but Don Quixote it is not.

☞ Disclaimer: This is not a politically-correct blog.

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