After raling about a book I saw at Target, I wanted to give them props for these gems. At $1 each, they are lovely looking, printed in the USA and well-written. My 5 yo loves hearing the stories of Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz, Secret Garden etc. There are illustrations every other page or so which helps keep her interest as well since she tends to be a wanderer. I was a fidgety kid and I didn’t get read to as much (it can be annoying to have a kid who is playing with the cat while you’re reading, but she is taking it in…) Don’t give up on reading to your kids, even if they are sitting there playing with Legos or the cat while you do it 
I’m a little torn about recommending a Target product, with the controversy around the political stuff, but they’re a home-town company that gives away 5% of its earnings to charity, sponsors tons of cultural stuff in the Twin Cities and is a big local employer. I can imagine there are lots of other companies doing as much or more egregious political donating so I’m going to stay out of it…
Warning, Oliver Twist, is NOT a kid’s story… Murder, mayhem, multiple kidnappings, moms dying in childbirth…
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We got those books at Target, too!
We got Secret Garden (my least favorite, abridged or not), Alice and Wonderland, A Little Princess, and the really fabulous Wizard of Oz! I would have grabbed Oliver Twist, Peter Pan, and Huckleberry Finn, too, if they had them at my local store.
My daughter (4-1/2) and I read a little bit each night: she loved the long narrative structure with all the inherent cliff-hangers and I loved revisiting childhood classics and taking a break from Fancy Nancy. And she always surprised me by understanding the intricacies of the plots, even with a lot of "big kid words".
-Michellers
they are abridged, but I think a good introduction and well-paced (except for maybe Secret Garden) for the preschool, Kindergarten and maybe early grade-school crowd. With that in mind, I think they are done really well…
Are these the full-length originals or are they abridged? I had a friend tell me that she picked up a bunch of classics from the dollar bin at Target but returned them because they were considerably shortened…
not sure Kate. I avoid Walmart too… hard to know as Clio says. Especially since companies don't have to disclose contributions. it all feels a little overwhelming.
Didn't Target give matching money to another cause to get out of the dog house, or am I making that up because I already refuse to shop at Walmart, so my big store options are already limited.
I love these books too. Luckily I read Oliver Twist for fun before I tried to read them to the kids. Your forgot to child and partner abuse to the list 😉
It is hard to know where to draw the line with companies doing unethical things. Especially since right now, I am hard-pressed to find a company that is not doing something that bothers me! I am glad you pointed out that these books are printed in the USA. That helps! I always debate over these books in the dollar bin when I see them.