sort of a s/o on children's lit.

[dlpardo]

I have been reading through the threads about newer vs. older children's literature. I have read mainly newer picture books to my almost five year old. We have read Aesop's fables and The Wizard of Oz but those are the only two older books we have really read. I would like to read Peter Pan or short stories like The Emperor's New Clothes, but I know that my son wouldn't understand them. We do read quite a bit and he has a very good modern day vocabulary. What should I read to introduce him more to the language in older books? I don't want him to be intimidated by this type of language when he gets older. Thanks in advance!

[Rosie_0801]

Does he mind not understanding?

 

Look at some of Enid Blyton's short stories. Most of the full length stories are girlie, though not all, but many of the short stories should appeal to a small boy.

 

Rosie

[Carol in Cal.]

You just have to start with short ones, and explain things that you think he doesn't understand. Then try to use those words in everyday sentences now and then so that he doesn't forget them.

[Lily_Grace]

We read Rikki Tikki Tavi (short story by Kipling) about that age and moved our way into the Jungle Book when it became a favorite. The Jungle Book is nice because it's simply written and each chapter can stand alone as a story.

[Hunter]

Approach older English, like bringing up a bilingual child.

[lionfamily1999]

We read Peter Pan and youngest ds did well understanding the majority of the story. There were things he didn't grasp, but it didn't hurt the story, iykwIm. Alice in Wonderland is our next book, after the house at Pooh Corner, and I'm more concerned over the nonsense than I am over the language, iykwIm.

[dlpardo]

I forgot we did read Rikki Tikki Tavi and he did understand that, so I will probably read The Jungle Book next. It sometimes bothers him when he does not understand what I am reading, but other times it doesn't. I guess I just need to incorporate more older literature and make a point to read it weekly. I was thinking The Selfish Giant is sort of in between older and newer. I know he will understand that story. I will check out the Enid Blyton short stories as well. Thanks everyone for the ideas.

[Hunter]

It was two decades ago so my memory is foggy, but my boys had Rikki Tikki Tavi on video. And later on we had Pilgrim's Progress and the KJV Bible on audio cassette. I have found that videos, pictures and dramatized(multivoiced acting and sound effects) audio aid comprehension of older English.

 

Use older English resources that are below grade level, so your son can concentrate on learning the language and not the content.

 

Read a modern translation, and then an older version.

 

Once children becomes bilingual, they can tackle other books and resources written in older English, because they are fluent in it.

[Critterfixer]

Fairy Tales. Anderson's tales in particular seem to have a real depth of language to them. Moreover, many popular fairy tales come in illustrated versions that are useful with little boys, who seem to be highly visual little animals.

[Enough]

FWIW, when my son was that age he listened to Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, Jungle Book, Peter Pan (all unabridged) etc on CD and absolutely loved them. Sure, there are words he missed/didn't understand- but these stories are -so- engaging. I would not shy away from reading them aloud to your son! Get him 'hooked' and he will listen to/read these again and again and again.

[MerryAtHope]

The Emperor's New Clothes was always a favorite story here! I just read stories to my kids and explained as we went. Sometimes if I felt something was particularly confusing, I edited some of the language on the fly, but read some as is so they could get used to the words either way. Gradually I did that less. Enjoy!

 

Merry :-)

[Sevilla]

Here's the thing: It's OK for them to hear words they don't understand or not be sure of the phrasing of something. As kids, they expect that they won't know all the words and will ask for clarification (as a parent you can also help this by using different tones of voice for each character and offering asides of explanation of what an action meant).

 

The way that literature gets dumbed down is when parents/teachers assume that children have to be able to 'relate to' and 'easily comprehend' the things that are read aloud to them (or they cease reading aloud at all). This is a key difference between independent reading and a parent reading aloud to the child. If a child is reading a book independently, it is confusing to come across too many unfamiliar words and concepts. But read aloud is different - the child can handle more advanced/complex reading and it is the parent's job to help it become accessible.

 

I read Alice in Wonderland to my DS when he was newly 5. I thought there was no way he'd comprehend it and that it was way above his head - but it was free on the Kindle and he kept asking me to read it to him, so I did. Were there passages that went over his head? Undoubtedly yes. But he also was exposed to a ton of new language that he had fun playing with, he found things he enjoyed in the story (the Chesire Cat, the Tea Party, the Deck of Cards, and Alice as a little girl on a journey in a bizarre land). It became accessible to him as we read, he'd ask if he wasn't sure, and he'd make his own connections to what he DID understand.

 

One thing that we did that really helped was to get the 'early reader' version of Alice in Wonderland that has abbreviated text and pictures. We read that aloud, and then moved into the original version. This is possible with a great many of the classics that have been turned into early reader books - you can startr there but don't stop there IYKWIM.

[dlpardo]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sevilla what you said really encouraged me. I know that when he was little I told him stories and read him stories that were way over his head and he still enjoyed them. I am really looking forward to expanding on what we read and seeing our shared growth in this area.

[Jay3fer]

What about Little Lord Fauntleroy. FH Burnett is "older" English, but still very understandable. I definitely second (eighth?) the recommendation of Kipling. We're enjoying the Just-So Stories even though some of the language is beyond us.

 

Just start, even if it seems weird. We're also reading Fifty Famous Stories Retold. The language is weird sometimes, but that's completely okay. We balance it with Magic Tree House. :-)

Also, Andrew Lang's fairy books, even for boys, because there's lots of excitement, adventure, etc.

[dlpardo]

On my last trip to the library I picked up several books of classic fairy tales. One book includes Puss in Boots and my son loves it! It probably isn't the most difficult retelling of the story that can be found but it isn't watered down either. We have read it four times in as many days. He has not been put off by the language but more inquisitive about the vocabulary the more we read it. I know he won't like every older story this much, but I am so glad I didn't wait until he was older to begin reading these stories. Thanks to everyone for all the helpful replies.