What adult novel do you suggest for a terrible remake as a kiddie picture book?
I nominate “Sophie’s Choice”
Children’s book retelling:
Sophie’s parents lose their jobs, and the family must move into a tiny apartment. Sophie is forced to decide which of the two family pets to euthanize.
We used to get classic graphic books in comic form in the young adult section when our kids were in grade school. The stories included “The Hobbit,” “Oliver Twist,” and many more. The plot and much of the vocabulary was identical, but the pictures made it easier for the kids to get through.
I know why it’s done - because these classics are beyond copyright protection so anyone can make a buck off them. I don’t mind them coming out as $2 thrift editions, but who allows these people to significantly alter the words of the author?
Simplified versions of classics have been around for many decades. I remember getting an F on a book report in fifth grade because I had written about a classic novel, and my teacher thought that I had used the simplified version from the third-graders’ section in the library. We were not allowed to write our book reports on books below our grade level, thus the F. I had to bring in my personal copy of the real, unabridged novel to get my grade adjusted.
Simplified versions of classics have been around for centuries. Lambs Tales from Shakespeare was written in 1807—and I’m a huge fan. What tot who attended a Christian Sunday school hasn’t listened to Bible stories that left out a lot of the seamy or complicated stuff?
Whether it’s good or bad depends on the quality of the adaptation.