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Illustrated Classics for Children.
A beautiful collection of eight of the best-loved children’s classic stories, enchantingly illustrated and retold for younger readers. Complete with ribbon bookmark, this hardback anthology is sure to be treasured, perfect for a special gift. Stories The Railway Children, The Canterville Ghost, Black Beauty, The Wizard of Oz, The Secret Garden, Around the World in Eighty Days, Heidi and Moonfleet.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2011
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About the author
Mary Sebag-Montefiore
49 books1 followerMary Sebag-Montefiore is an author of children's books and often adapts adult classics for children. She has rewritten everything from David Copperfield, Wuthering Heights and War and Peace. She is associated with Usborne.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 12, 2026
The Railway Children
-- ★★☆☆☆
Sometimes when books are abridged, you can barely tell what they cut...and sometimes when you read shortened books, you can immediately tell that there's a lot missing. Now, I haven't ever read the original Railway children but this version of it feels a bit choppy. I get the vibe that there's a lot missing - many times the characters would just do things or quickly shift their goals, and I was left wondering what else was in this story. Most of the story's big plot points were solved by writing a letter, asking for help...which is fine but also not particularly exciting to watch. I will say, that the shortened version does make me interested in the original.
The Canterville Ghost -- ★★★★☆
This one was another classic I've never read and while I could still tell that various bits were being dropped, I felt like it went much smoother than the previous one. The humor still came through in the abridged book - especially the bits about how Mr. Otis refused to believe in the ghost...going so far as to hand the ghost oil for his chains to keep down the noise at night. I feel like there was a good balance between empathy for the ghost and poking fun at him. That being said, I do think it was rather odd that the bloodstained carpet was kept for 500 years. Even if they couldn't get the stain out...surely one would refresh the carpet every hundred years or so...? But perhaps that is explained in the original...
The Wizard of Oz -- ★★★☆☆
This one felt like it had the opposite problem of The Railway Children. In TRC, I felt like I was missing great chunks of the original story and a lot of the characters' actions felt rather stilted or disjointed. In the Wizard of Oz, we definitely got just about every plot point but by cycling through the plot points so quickly, the story felt rushed and a bit overwhelming. One minute they were falling asleep in the poppy field, the next had the witch hurling all sorts of magical attacks against them. I feel like this one could have benefitted from dropping a few of the events in order to tell a more cohesive abridged story.
Black Beauty -- ★★★★★
I remember reading and rereading this book as a child - I feel like it really taught me empathy for creatures of all kinds. Of all the shortened stories so far, I think this one might be my favorite. It did a good job of keeping the major highlights (and lowlights) of Black Beauty's life. It didn't shy away from the cruelty but also didn't overtly dwell upon it. I do still feel awful for poor Ginger but overall, this book worked rather well.
The Secret Garden -- ★★★★☆
I thought this was a fairly good rendition of the Secret Garden. I've read so many versions by now that I've lost count but I did like most of this one. The author really focused on the development of Mary and not as much time was given to the friendship between her, Collin and Dickon. I liked the way the garden was portrayed but I feel like it was just missing that special spark that makes the Secret Garden one of my all-time favorite books.
Around the World in Eighty Days -- ★★★★☆
This one was surprisingly fun. I know I read the original ages ago but I had forgotten so much of the original story! I really liked the pacing and absurdity of this abridged version. The various chase scenes across the world were so fun to read and I liked the addition of Princess Aouda. There were plenty of little moments that really shone with the original author's humor and there were a few moments that definitely...how should we say it...showed the book's age (and probably came off much worse in the original, if I could remember). That being said, I did have fun with this one.
Heidi -- ★★★★☆
I adore Heidi and have read just about every rendition that I can get my hands on. I feel like this one was fairly good - I liked the emphasis on nature and the relationship between Grandfather and Heidi was very sweet. I do think that not enough time was given to Clara and Heidi's friendship in the city. They have a few elements from the original but on a whole, we only spend a blip of time in the city before jumping back to the Alps.
Moonfleet -- ★★★☆☆
This is another one that I haven't read the original of but the abridged version does make me feel intrigued. This story was full of pirates, smugglers, treasure, and true love - yet much like the Railway Children, I can tell we are missing great swaths of information, even though I don't really know what's missing. I will say, the parts that are there are really interesting, just the story on a whole jumped around a lot. Maybe that's in the original, but it still made for a disjointed reading experience.
Overall thoughts
This was a rather mixed bag of stories - there were a few that worked really well as abridged books and a few that really felt that they were missing a lot (or including too much). I feel like writing abridged stories can be quite difficult, though some books lend themselves a bit more to being abridged.
Overall, they were fun to read in this collection and I rather liked the illustrations throughout. I think it would work well for a kiddo who is starting his or her journey in classic literature and wants to get a taste of some of the great works.
Peter and his sisters, Bobbie and Phyllis, have had their lives seriously uprooted. They went from a comfortable home, servants, and plenty of things to much smaller home in the countryside and their father is missing. There's a train that goes by their new home, of which the children quickly become enamored with but despite the excitement from seeing the conductor, they just want to know what has happened to their father. Unfortunately, their mother is rather tight-lipped about it. Is there anything that the railway children can do? Or will they be stuck out there forever?
"Don't ask me questions, darlings. I can't tell you anything. Please just go to bed."
Sometimes when books are abridged, you can barely tell what they cut...and sometimes when you read shortened books, you can immediately tell that there's a lot missing. Now, I haven't ever read the original Railway children but this version of it feels a bit choppy. I get the vibe that there's a lot missing - many times the characters would just do things or quickly shift their goals, and I was left wondering what else was in this story. Most of the story's big plot points were solved by writing a letter, asking for help...which is fine but also not particularly exciting to watch. I will say, that the shortened version does make me interested in the original.
The Canterville Ghost -- ★★★★☆
Despite the dire warnings, Mr. Otis is rather excited to own a castle and feels that as long as he doesn't believe in ghosts, then he and his family won't be bothered. However, on the day they move in, little Virginia spies an odd message about how to get rid of a ghost and the family discovers a bloody imprint from a previously murdered person. Soon the family goes from wondering about the castle murders to experiencing a full-fledged haunting! Whatever shall they do? (Especially considering Mr. Otis still doesn't believe and the twins won't stop playing tricks on the ghost!)
Mr. Otis looked at the castle with delight. "I'll buy it."
"Excellent...But perhaps I should warn you...Canterville Castle is haunted."
This one was another classic I've never read and while I could still tell that various bits were being dropped, I felt like it went much smoother than the previous one. The humor still came through in the abridged book - especially the bits about how Mr. Otis refused to believe in the ghost...going so far as to hand the ghost oil for his chains to keep down the noise at night. I feel like there was a good balance between empathy for the ghost and poking fun at him. That being said, I do think it was rather odd that the bloodstained carpet was kept for 500 years. Even if they couldn't get the stain out...surely one would refresh the carpet every hundred years or so...? But perhaps that is explained in the original...
The Wizard of Oz -- ★★★☆☆
After a literal whirlwind, Dorothy, her little dog, and their house land in Munchkinland upon the Wicked Witch of the East. After she pinches the dead witch's shoes, Dorothy sets off on the yellow brick road in a convoluted attempt to get home. She meets a scarecrow, a tinman, and a cowardly lion and they all become fast friends. But upon reaching Oz, they're told that they have to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West to get Dorothy home...yikes. Well, surely a plucky young girl from Kansas can defeat the great and powerful witch...right?
"The house sailed through the sky for hours...Suddenly, with a sickening jolt, they landed."
This one felt like it had the opposite problem of The Railway Children. In TRC, I felt like I was missing great chunks of the original story and a lot of the characters' actions felt rather stilted or disjointed. In the Wizard of Oz, we definitely got just about every plot point but by cycling through the plot points so quickly, the story felt rushed and a bit overwhelming. One minute they were falling asleep in the poppy field, the next had the witch hurling all sorts of magical attacks against them. I feel like this one could have benefitted from dropping a few of the events in order to tell a more cohesive abridged story.
Black Beauty -- ★★★★★
In this story, we follow Black Beauty - a wonderfully kind horse put into horrible situation after horrible situation. Black Beauty had a perfect childhood and was sold first to a kind owner. There he learns about Ginger, a beautiful mare, and her rough life - whip-happy owners, the horrible feeling of being docked, and torturous bits in her mouth. And, Black Beauty's good fortune quickly sours when he's sold to the Richmores. From there it's a string of bad owners and painful memories for Black Beauty. Will the horse ever find a home?
"He stroked my black coat and the white star on my forehead. 'Beautiful!' he exclaimed. 'Break him in and I'll buy him.' "
I remember reading and rereading this book as a child - I feel like it really taught me empathy for creatures of all kinds. Of all the shortened stories so far, I think this one might be my favorite. It did a good job of keeping the major highlights (and lowlights) of Black Beauty's life. It didn't shy away from the cruelty but also didn't overtly dwell upon it. I do still feel awful for poor Ginger but overall, this book worked rather well.
The Secret Garden -- ★★★★☆
After Mary survived an outbreak of cholera that took her parents and nearly everyone she knew, it's no wonder that she comes to Misselthwaite Manor as a surly, grumpy and sallow-faced girl. Everything is different here, and she hates it...but then she starts to explore the grounds of the Manor. There's something about being outside that makes Mary feel just a tiny bit better...and when she discovered a secret garden, she can feel a small, tiny seed within herself start to bloom.
"Outside the wind howled like a lonely person, as lonely as Mary. Then another noise pierced the wind - a far-off sobbing sound."
I thought this was a fairly good rendition of the Secret Garden. I've read so many versions by now that I've lost count but I did like most of this one. The author really focused on the development of Mary and not as much time was given to the friendship between her, Collin and Dickon. I liked the way the garden was portrayed but I feel like it was just missing that special spark that makes the Secret Garden one of my all-time favorite books.
Around the World in Eighty Days -- ★★★★☆
What an absolute whirlwind! We follow Phileas Fogg, a man of strict routines and little imagination, and his butler, Passpartout, as they attempt what has never been done. Meanwhile, Inspector Fix thinks Fogg committed grand larceny and sets off to track him down. And so begins an epic cat and mouse game that occurs on nearly every continent.
"I will bet twenty thousand pounds that I can go around the world in eighty days or less!"
This one was surprisingly fun. I know I read the original ages ago but I had forgotten so much of the original story! I really liked the pacing and absurdity of this abridged version. The various chase scenes across the world were so fun to read and I liked the addition of Princess Aouda. There were plenty of little moments that really shone with the original author's humor and there were a few moments that definitely...how should we say it...showed the book's age (and probably came off much worse in the original, if I could remember). That being said, I did have fun with this one.
Heidi -- ★★★★☆
Heidi lost her parents ages ago and has been passed around from person-to-person ever since, and most recently was shipped to her Grandfather's home in the Swiss Alps. Despite his crankiness and overall curmudgeonly behavior, Heidi instantly bonds with him. She loves her sweet-smelling loft, the beautiful sights, and the friendly goats. But then her Aunt forces her to go to Frankfort to become friends with Clara, a sickly girl. Will Heidi ever get back home? How will Grandfather survive without her?
"He's a miserable old man and he hasn't seen you since you were a baby. But I've taken care of you for long enough. Now it's his turn."
I adore Heidi and have read just about every rendition that I can get my hands on. I feel like this one was fairly good - I liked the emphasis on nature and the relationship between Grandfather and Heidi was very sweet. I do think that not enough time was given to Clara and Heidi's friendship in the city. They have a few elements from the original but on a whole, we only spend a blip of time in the city before jumping back to the Alps.
Moonfleet -- ★★★☆☆
John Trenchard is a sixteen-year-old orphan who discovers a secret smuggler's den right beneath the church. He keeps quiet and manages not to be detected...but also stumbles upon the body of the fierce pirate Blackbeard. He takes Blackbeard's necklace but eventually passes out alone in the den. Luckily, the smugglers were far nicer than expected and one of them takes him in...but when the two of them attempt a smuggling operation of their own, things quickly go pear-shaped. Things get even worse when they discover Blackbeard's treasure - are they cursed?
"Fierce winds swept from the sea, shaking our houses, shattering our windows, and sending tiles flying from roofs...huge waves broke over the cliffs, flooding the cobbled streets."
This is another one that I haven't read the original of but the abridged version does make me feel intrigued. This story was full of pirates, smugglers, treasure, and true love - yet much like the Railway Children, I can tell we are missing great swaths of information, even though I don't really know what's missing. I will say, the parts that are there are really interesting, just the story on a whole jumped around a lot. Maybe that's in the original, but it still made for a disjointed reading experience.
Overall thoughts
This was a rather mixed bag of stories - there were a few that worked really well as abridged books and a few that really felt that they were missing a lot (or including too much). I feel like writing abridged stories can be quite difficult, though some books lend themselves a bit more to being abridged.
Overall, they were fun to read in this collection and I rather liked the illustrations throughout. I think it would work well for a kiddo who is starting his or her journey in classic literature and wants to get a taste of some of the great works.
May 31, 2025
Very nice illustrations and good short stories
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews