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Adapted or Abridged

So, first question: what exactly is the difference between "abridged" and "adapted"? They're similar in concept, but it's a straight-forward answer. If it's just shortened, but all the language is from the original, that's an abridgment. An adaptation is not merely abridged, but has been rewritten in different (often age-appropriate) language. 

We have a love/hate relationship with these sorts of books. While we don't generally encourage the reading of abridged editions, we do understand that some parents want to expose their kids to great stories before they're old enough to read the real thing. Sometimes, these can be brilliantly retold, good enough to be considered literature in their own right, and authors like Rosemary Sutcliff, Alfred Church, and Padraic Colum spent most of their careers creating books like this. William Shakespeare's plays have also often been adapted by authors like Charles & Mary Lamb or E. Nesbit. Because they don't usually have the same title as the originals, we often don't label them as adapted or abridged in our database entries; if they do share the title, we'll list it as "retold".

Many adapted books of today are NOT these books, often hastily-rewritten, mass-produced adaptations that really oughtn't use the title of the original. Sure, the main plot points are there, but classics are more than just bare bones plots; part of what makes a book great is the quality of the author's expression, the wit and grace he or she uses to tell their tale. An abridged or heavily edited version almost always demolishes the poetry of the original and presents classic stories as simple bullet-point collections of incidents. For us, if the book does not clearly state the name of the editor/adapter, we'll generally avoid carrying it.

That said, if you intend to have your kids read the original later on, these could provide a decent introduction to provide some familiarity before jumping into Great Expectations or The Iliad. Sometimes reading the classics can be confusing during the first few encounters, and having some knowledge of the general plot, characters, and theme beforehand can be useful (though remember that, in an adaptation, you're getting the editor's interpretation of the theme rather than the theme itself).

Abridgements can be a bit tricky, because they're not always labeled as such. Some huge books, like Les Misérables or Count of Monte Cristo, bear some cutting here and there and a good abridgement makes them more accessible. For others, like Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels, some publishers have elected to make editorial cuts that they chose not to declare as abridgments, but they're not the full originals. We do our best to make these cuts obvious (see a list here).

With all that said, most of the abridged and adapted classics we have in stock are listed below. Some of them are valuable for their illustrations alone (particularly the Little Unicorn books, with full-color pictures by the Brothers Hildebrandt) or their value as collector's items, but we would encourage you not to consider these your final exposure to the titles. There are riches that await!

Introduction by Eli Evans, with C. Hollis Crossman
Formerly home educated and now father of five, Eli loves discovering amazing books, new and old, and is an artistic curator at heart. The owner and manager of Exodus since 1998, his focus is on offering thoughtful and well-written books that inspire the imagination and promote creativity and diligence while living for God. Read more of his reviews here.
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Adapted or Abridged
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103 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9)
Action Bible Expanded Edition
by Sergio Cariello
from David C. Cook
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$32.99
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (adapted)
by Adapted by David Blair and illustrated by John Bradley, Original by Lewis Carroll
1st.Edition from Courage Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Farm Graphic Novel
by George Orwell, Adapted and Illustrated by Odyr
from Mariner Books
for 3rd-Adult
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$19.99
Around the World in 80 Days (abridged)
by Jules Verne, abridged by Hilda Young, illustrated by Gianni Demo
from World Distributors (Manchester)
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Beowulf
by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman
from Walker Books
for 3rd-8th grade
Beowulf (retold)
by Michael Morpurgo
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-8th grade
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Black Ships Before Troy
by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee
from Frances Lincoln
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$24.99
Boxcar Children #01 - Graphic Novel
by Gertrude Chandler Warrner (creator), Shannon Eric Denton (adapter), Mike Dubisch (illustrator)
from Albert Whitman & Company
for 1st-4th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Canterbury Tales
by Barbara Cohen & Trina Schart Hyman
from William Morrow & Company
Medieval Literature for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Canterbury Tales (adapted)
by Geoffrey Chaucer, simplified by Michael West and illustrated by Victor Ambrus
from Longman
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio (adapted)
by Marianna Mayer (translator and adapter), illustrated by Gerald McDermott
from Four Winds Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Cheapest Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$12.74
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$21.95
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Pop-Up Book
by Ian Fleming, abridged by Albert G. Miller, illustrated by Gwen Gordon and Dave Chambers
from Random House
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Christy - Young Readers Edition
by Catherine Marshall, adapted by Anna Wilson Fishel
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit (adapted)
by Joel Chandler Harris, illustrated by Don Daily
from Running Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
CS: Around the World in 80 Days
Classic Starts
by Jules Verne, retold by Deanna McFadden, illustrated by Jamel Akib
Abridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Sterling Classic Starts (Location: SER-SCS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
CS: Call of the Wild
Classic Starts
by Jack London
Abridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Sterling Classic Starts (Location: SER-SCS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
CS: Iliad
Classic Starts
by Homer, retold by Kathleen Olmstead, illustrated by Eric Freeberg
from Union Square Kids
for 3rd-5th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
CS: The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
by Howard Pyle
Abridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Sterling Classic Starts (Location: SER-SCS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
CS: The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
by Howard Pyle, retold by Tania Zamorsky, illustrated by Karl James Mountford
Abridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Sterling Classic Starts (Location: SER-SCS)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Dangerous Journey
by Oliver Hunkin (abridger)
from Eerdmans
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$25.00 $15.00 (2 in stock)
David Copperfield (adapted)
by Charles Dickens; retold by Clare West
from Oxford University
for 3rd-6th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
by Miguel Cervantes, adapted by Margaret Hodges and illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 2nd-4th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Don Quixote and the Windmills
by Miguel Cervantes, retold by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
ECL: Gulliver's Travels (abridged)
by Jonathan Swift, illustrated by Don Irwin
for 3rd-8th grade
in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL)
Eyewitness Classics: Odyssey (adapted & annotated)
by Homer
1st edition from DK Children
for 3rd-8th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Favorite Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Favorite Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Donald Lynch
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
First Book of Tales of Ancient Araby
First Books
by Charles Mozley
from Franklin Watts
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Flying to Neverland with Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Carolyn Leigh
from Blue Apple
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Gift of the Magi: Collectors Edition
by O. Henry, illustrated by Robert Sauber
from Unicorn Publishing House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Gilgamesh the King
by Ludmila Zeman
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
$8.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Key Graphic Novel
by George MacDonald, adapted and illustrated by Stephen Hesselman
from Rabbit Room Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$29.99
Heidi's Friends (adapted)
by Johanna Spyri, illustrated by Sergio Leone
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Hiding Place - Young Reader's Edition
by Corrie Ten Boom, abridged by Lonnie Hull DuPont, illustrated by Tim Foley
from Chosen Books
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
How Tevye Became a Milkman
by Gabriel Lisowski, Sholem Aleichem
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Iliad (retold)
by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee
from Frances Lincoln
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
Iliad Graphic Novel
by Homer, adapted by Gareth Hinds
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$17.99
Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare
by Willam Shakespeare, retold by Rosie Dickens and illustrated by Christa Unzer
from Usborne
for 2nd-5th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress
by Geraldine McCaughrean
from Overlook Press
for 2nd-7th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Jungle Book (adapted)
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Don Daily
from Applesauce Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Kersti and Saint Nicholas (adapted)
by Hilda Van Stockum, Revised and Adapted by the Author's Family
from Boissevain Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Kings of Rome - Cycle 1
Copper Lodge Library
by Stephanie B. Meter (editor)
from Classic Conversations Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Classical Conversations (Location: CUR-CC)
$17.80 $11.00 (1 in stock)
Last Quest of Gilgamesh
by Ludmila Zeman
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
$9.99
Les Miserables (adapted)
Stepping Stones: A Chapter Book
by Victor Hugo, Adapted by Monica Kulling
from Random House
Historical Fiction for 1st-4th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Man in the Iron Mask Graphic Novel
by Roy Thomas, Hugo Petrus (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), June Chung (colorist)
from Marvel Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote
by Marcia Williams (adapted from Miguel de Cervantes)
1st edition from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
More Tales from Shakespeare
by Marcia Williams
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Mr. William Shakespeare's Plays
by William Shakespeare presented by Marcia Williams
from Walker Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Much Ado About Nothing for Kids
Shakespeare Can Be Fun
by Lois Burdett
from Firefly Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Odyssey (retold)
by Barbara Leonie Picard
from Oxford University
for 3rd-4th grade
Odyssey (retold)
by Gillian Cross; illustrated by Neil Packer
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-6th grade
Odyssey of Homer
by Alfred J. Church (reteller), illustrated by John Flaxman
from Macmillan
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Peter Pan (abridged)
by J. M. Barrie, abridged by Vic Parker and illustrated by Claudia Venturini
from Viking Press
Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Pilgrim's Progress (adapted)
by Written by Anna Trimiew, illustrated by Drew Rose
from Great Commission Publications
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 1st-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Pilgrim's Progress (adapted)
by Written by Anna Trimiew, illustrated by Drew Rose
from Great Commission Publications
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 1st-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Pilgrim's Progress (retold)
by Written by Tim Dowley, Illustrated by Steve Smallman
from Candle Books
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 1st-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Pinocchio (adapted)
by Freya Littledale
from Schola Publications, Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls
by W.H. Weston (reteller), Plutarch
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$17.95
Revenge of Ishtar
by Ludmila Zeman
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
$8.95
Robin Hood (adapted)
by J. Walker McSpadden (original text), illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt
from Unicorn Publishing House
for 2nd-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Robinson Crusoe in Words of One Syllable
by I. F. M.
from Mcloughlin Bros. Inc
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Robinson Crusoe Written Anew for Children
by James Baldwin
from Yesterday's Classics
for 2nd-4th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Romeo and Juliet
by Bruce Coville
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Romeo and Juliet - The Young Reader's Shakespeare
by Adam McKeown (Retold by), illustrated by Peter Fiore
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
Fir from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Secret Garden (adapted)
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, adapted by James Howe and illustrated by Thomas B. Allen
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
Selection from The Canterbury Tales
by Selina Hastings, illustrated by Reg Cartwright
from Henry Holt and Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Shakespeare Stories - 4 in 1
by William Shakespeare (original stories), retold by Andrew Matthews, illustrated by Tony Ross
from Silver Dolphin
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare Stories - Boxed Set
by William Shakespeare, Andrew Matthews (reteller), illustrated by Tony Ross
from Parfait Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$45.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (retold)
by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman
from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-6th grade
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (retold)
by Michael Morpurgo
from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-6th grade
Stage full of Shakespeare Stories
by William Shakespeare, Retold by Angela McAllister, Illustrated by Alice Lindstrom
from Quarto Knows
for 2nd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Stories from Shakespeare
by Retold by Nicola Baxter, Illustrated by Jenny Thorne
from Barnes & Noble
for 2nd-4th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Stories from the Faerie Queene
by Edmund Spenser, retold by Jeanie Lang and illustrated by Rose Le Quesne
from CreateSpace
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$7.50
Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
Myth & Legend for 2nd-5th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$9.95
Stories of Roland Told to the Children
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
for 2nd-5th grade
$9.95
Stories of Siegfried Told to the Children
by Mary MacGregor
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-7th grade
$9.95
Student's Constitution (adapted and abridged)
from Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness (FLA
for 3rd-6th grade
in Government & Civics Resources (Location: GOV-REF)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Student's Declaration of Independence (adapted and abridged)
from Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness (FLA
for 3rd-6th grade
in Government & Civics Resources (Location: GOV-REF)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Swiss Family Robinson in Words of One Syllable
by I. F. M.
from Mcloughlin Bros. Inc
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb
from Wordsworth Classics
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$5.99
Tales from Shakespeare
Puffin Classics
by Charles & Mary Lamb
from Puffin Books
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Tales from Shakespeare
Junior Deluxe Editions
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by George Soper
from Tiger Books International
for 3rd-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Tales from Shakespeare
Calla Editions
by Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb
from Dover Publications
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Tales From Shakespeare
by Marcia Williams
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Elizabeth Shippen Elliott
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Louis Rhead
from John C. Winston
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Tales from Shakespeare
Manhattan Young People's Library
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Louis Rhead
from Gilbert H. McKibben
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
Book Club Edition from Quality Paperback Book Club
for 3rd-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tales from the Odyssey, Part 1
by Mary Pope Osborne
1st edition from Disney-Hyperion
for 2nd-5th grade
$8.99
Tales from the Odyssey, Part 2
by Mary Pope Osborne
1st edition from Disney-Hyperion
for 2nd-5th grade
$8.99
Tenggren's Golden Tales from the Arabian Nights
by Gustaf Tenggren
from Golden Books
for 1st-6th grade
The Adventures of Robin Hood (abridged)
by J. Walker McSpadden, Abridged by Christopher Stella, Illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt
from Courage Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Uncle Tom's Cabin - Young Folks' Edition
Reprint from Country Books
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Usborne Complete Jane Austen
by Jane Austen (originals), adapted by Anna Milbourne, Mary Sebag-Montefiore, and Rachel Firth, illustrated by Simona Bursi
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
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