I recently read an essay in the New York Times Book Review written by an author who claimed to be glad she wasn’t exposed to the classics as a child. She insisted that she was “glad” that she picked up The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at age 35 for the first time. She says that as a child, she wouldn’t have understood the book as well, or enjoyed it as much.

I am going to have to say I completely disagree with this mode of thought, and not just because I work in the kid’s section (although that may be part of it).  Little Women, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Wuthering Heights, all of these books played a part in who I grew up to be because of when I read them. And sure, I didn’t understand them in their entirety, but I am positive that if I read them again today, I would still miss parts of the story. Books are just like that; so much can be said with the written word, that there is always going to be something new, something you missed the last time you savored those same words. They take you back to how you felt the first time you read them but you learn something new every time you experience them. So, the way I see it, why not start exposing kids to great writing at an early age?

We recently moved the Classics section in Oz to the opposite side of the room and in the move, I had to stop myself from buying every single copy of the beautiful Everyman’s Library Children Classics collection. Each cloth bound hardback is in a different color and all the spines have this great gold and black embossed diamond pattern on them. They look gorgeous sitting beside each other on a bookcase and are just great keepsakes. Another plus is that every one of these is under twenty dollars. Maggie, one of our worker bees at the front desk , has started this collection for her cousin who is too small even read, but when she is ready, she will have this great collection of classics to delve into.

Right now, we have the complete collection. Random House has a website to go along with this collection if you are interested in what books are included. These books are just a small part of our extensive classics section geared for children and young adults. Parents, these are the vegetables of our section, so come on in and expose your kids to some veggies. I mean, they’re classics…how much harm can they cause? :~)

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