Bringing the Classics to Life Reading Series
Published by: EdCon Publishing Group
For more information or to order: www.edconpublishing.com

Bringing the Classics to Life is a unique reading comprehension series. What is unique? Well, instead of making up “kiddish” stories, they have taken classics from authors such as Shakespeare, Jack London, Orson Wells and others, and created highly interesting, readable selections for grades 1 - 5.

Each classic is broken down into 10 “chapters.” Each chapter is about one page of reading and a page with an interesting illustration. Prior to each chapter, there is a vocabulary list with pronunciation guide and definitions. Following the reading portion are two workbook pages with comprehension and inference questions, along with an activity to reinforce the vocabulary introduced in the chapter.

I have never been a big fan of reading comprehension workbooks, and I know many families desire for their children to stay away from “twaddle,” which includes abridged versions of the classics. However, I must say I have been pleased with the selections offered in this series. First, the editors have done an excellent job of keeping true to the original tone/structure of the author (accept Shakespeare, which is retold in story format). My son enjoyed the Shakespeare titles immensely and they even fueled a desire to read more of his works! Second, the classics make for such interesting reading, that even a reluctant reader will want to open their book each day to see what happens next. Each workbook takes about 2 weeks to complete, so your child can sample many great books over the course of a school year.

I regularly recommend this series to homeschool moms looking for something to help reluctant readers, or who are looking to help a child who is weak in the area of reading comprehension. We love spending lots of time reading the classics, but the Bringing Classics to Life series allows young readers to get a taste of many titles they may never have time to read, while improving their reading comprehension and vocabulary skills.

Making the Grade: A+
Cost: $10.95
Value for your homeschool dollar: 10