#ClassicLitSeries x Valentine's Day: Pride and Prejudice
Very excited to kick off the #ClassicLitSeries by pairing it with Valentine’s Day! The #ClassicLitSeries is going to highlight a beloved classic and share adaptations that are age-appropriate for children.
So what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than by sharing one of the most beloved romances in fiction: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Not only is Pride and Prejudice one of the most foundational “romance” novels of all time but if you’re looking for a heroine that is strong and take-no-prisoners then Lizzy Bennet is your gal. For those of you who love Pride and Prejudice as much as I do and want to introduce your kids to it as soon as possible, you’ll want to keep reading. I’ve listed all the different, age-appropriate versions of Pride and Prejudice below so you can start sharing your love right in time for Valentine’s Day.
For the babies and toddlers
Cozy Classics: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Written and Art by: Jack and Holman Wang
Recommended Ages: 12 months - 3 years
I challenge you to summarize Pride and Prejudice in less than 15 words. It’s really, really hard. However this book has done an amazing job truncating Austen’s novel into simple, bite-sized words and adorable artwork that outline the key moments of the story. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. The artwork is just so cozy—the characters are felt dolls against the backdrop of the Regency period. It feels very much like peeking into a Pride and Prejudice dollhouse where little dolls are enacting scenes. This is great to read with babies and very young toddlers who are babbling and starting to become more verbal.
Links to buy: Amazon
Pride And Prejudice: A Counting Primer
Written by: Jennifer Adams
Illustrated by: Alison Oliver
Recommended Ages: 18 months - 3 years
This little board book has done a terrific job at distilling Pride and Prejudice down to objects from numbers 1 to 10. As you go through, you can’t help but giggle at some of the objects chosen to represent each number. This would be a great game as an adult: can you identify objects in Pride and Prejudice that line up with each number from 1 to 10? For adults intimately familiar with the story, it’s a fun way to teach your kid numbers primarily because it’s hilarious for the adults in an iykyk way. The artwork is very cute—the characters are drawn in a charming cartoon-esque way. The illustrations themselves are very clever; often there’s some text representing the character / object in a very tongue-in-cheek way which will be appreciated by adults who know the story well! This is just a really fun book and, maybe since we’re rolling off the holiday season, I couldn’t help but sing the book in my head to the tune of ‘Twelve Days of Christmas.’
Links to buy: Bookshop | Amazon
Honorable Mention:
Lit For Little Hands: Pride and Prejudice
Written by: Brooke Jorden
Illustrated by: David Miles
Recommended Ages: 12 months - 3 years
While this board book has lovely illustrations and fun pop-outs, the text is directly adapted from Austen and would be very difficult for such a young reader to understand. They might have physical fun with the book but the story would fly above their heads. I could see this as a book you purchase for longevity: let the kiddos play with it now and when they’re older, they may understand bits and pieces of the story (but will probably still need you to translate).
Links to buy: Amazon
For the little kids
BabyLit Storybook: Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice
Adapted by: Stephanie Clarkson
Illustrations by: Annabel Tempest
Recommended Ages: 5-9 years
This book is gorgeous and lovely and one you should keep just for how pretty it is. The artwork pops off the page with the bright colors and fun details. Even better, this book is a very good introduction to Pride and Prejudice. It starts with an introduction to the Bennet family and from there the plot loosely follows Austen’s work in a simplified way with text that should be understandable for the most part. Interestingly, when characters speak their speech is lifted directly from Austen. So kids may not understand the speech bubbles but it will give them an idea that speech was certainly different back then and could be a good way to let them know that, when they’re older, they may want to read the real Pride and Prejudice. The plot develops nicely and you can definitely see it build to critical moments leading to a satisfying ending. Paired with the beautiful illustrations, this will be a fun read!
Links to buy: Bookshop | Amazon
Seek & Find Classics: Pride And Prejudice
Adapted by: Sarah Powell
Illustrations by: Amanda Enright
Recommended Ages: 6-9 years
This book takes me back to my days of looking for Waldo amid a sea of people (cue post-pandemic cringe). While the premise is similar, this version of Pride and Prejudice bolsters little kids’ memory and matching skills. At the beginning of the book is an introduction on Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice which will be more interesting to older kids than the younger ones within the reading range for this book. The book begins with an introduction to all the primary characters in the novel. Once kids have a chance to learn some of the characters, it’s a fun game of finding characters and objects in various, important scenes from the novel. For example, one of the first few scenes is the Meryton Assembly where the Bennets first meet Mr. Bingley and kids must find the important characters in the milieu. The artwork is bright and colorful and while there are definitely efforts the artist has made to make the characters look distinct from each other, it can still be a little bit confusing. If you’re reading this together, I think it would be fun to narrate and discuss the scenes and what may be happening. This may actually spark interest in reading the full novel when they’re a bit older!
Links to buy: Amazon
For the big kids
Lizzy Bennet’s Diary
Written by Marcia Williams
Recommended Ages: 9-12 years
Now this is a whimsical, incredibly fun interpretation of Pride and Prejudice! Instead of reading a book, kids will actually be reading Lizzy’s diary gifted to her from Mr. Bennet. The diary entries are brief but do a great job of chronicling all the events from the novel and how Lizzy feels about them. Interspersed amongs the diary entries are little watercolor portraits, poetry bits, news headlines, and fun letter pop-outs. For example, Lizzy has enclosed Mr. Darcy’s letter after his first proposal. In this version, there is mention of Wickham’s courtship of Georgiana but it is minimal and the intent is to focus on Wickham’s revenge against the Darcys. I think young readers will adore this rendition. Lizzy will feel like a close friend and there’s several thoughts and notes in this book that go beyond the original novel that really help bring Lizzy to life.
Links to buy: Amazon
Great Illustrated Classics: Pride And Prejudice
Adapted by: Fern Siegel
Recommended Ages: 10-13 years
I am highly biased in this recommendation as this was my first foray into the world of Pride and Prejudice. I read this chapter book when I was about 10 years old (and still have the copy) and until I was 15 years old thought I had read the full novel. When I saw the actual novel and compared the language it was glaringly obvious I had read an adaptation. But this is truly an excellent adaptation. The language has been simplified but it still feels like Jane Austen wrote the book… just with a much younger audience in mind. I do want to mention that the story of Wickham’s history with Darcy was done in a way that stayed true to Austen’s work but didn’t go into much detail on his behavior. That being said this adaptation does mention Wickham’s drunkeness (once) and gives a brief overview of his courtship of Georgiana Darcy (about 5 sentences). In my opinion, it is done well and I think a 10-year old will be more shocked that Wickham tried to use Darcy’s sister for revenge than focus on the nature of the courtship itself. One of my favorite parts of this book is how the lovely sketchwork brings the characters and scenes to life. This is perfect for kids venturing into chapter books looking for a “true” adaptation.
Links to buy: Amazon
Honorable Mention:
Easy Classics: Pride and Prejudice
Adapted by: Gemma Barder
Illustrated by: Collaborate Agency
Recommended Ages: 9-12 years
This is the perfect adaptation for kids who are just getting started with chapter books. While the Great Illustrated Classics one I mentioned above is an abridged version of Austen’s work, this chapter book is very much an adaptation. In fact it almost feels like a very adapted version of the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice TV series—some of the dialogue seems to be lifted directly from there even though that dialogue is not in the original text. That being said it’s an easy read that captures the plot well and includes some cute sketches depicting various scenes. I wouldn’t say this is my favorite adaptation but I think it’s still a very good for readers who are just beginning to explore chapter books.
Links to buy: Amazon
This was an incredibly fun post to write up. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Give these books a try and let me know what you and your little ones think!
What should the next classic be for this series? Drop a comment with your pick!
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