Little Women

by Mary Sebag-Montefiore (Adaptor), Louisa May Alcott (Original author), Christa Unzner (Illustrator)

This is an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic story, "Little Women," compressed to only 64 pages. This is a good book to read to young children who aren't ready for the longer version.

In picturesque nineteenth-century New England, tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy come of age while their father is off to war.

Genres: Literature, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics

64 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2007

About the author

Mary 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.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the parents: Beth doesn't die! (you're welcome)

"Excitedly, they drew near the fire. Their mother sat in the big chair and Jo perched by her feet. She rested her chin in her hand, ready to shield her face and hide any tears that might fall.
Father's letter was cheerful and full of hope."

Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March are doing their best...but it is so hard.

Their father is away at war, the money they used to have has dwindled, and they're all struggling with growing up.

They try to remain cheerful, but it feels impossible at times. Especially they try so hard to not let the small things bother them and yet, it feels like everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.

"...a minute later she smelled burning. To Meg's horror, a row of scorched curls fell onto her lap."

But the sisters know that despite the petty squabbles, the fits of jealousy and anger, that the four of them have to stick together. For they have each other, and that is worth more than anything.

"I know they will be loving children, that they will work hard and conquer their faults, so that when I return I will be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women"

Ahhh...I love Little Women so much - it truly is one of my all-time favorite books and I am (mostly) pleased with this abridged version of it.

The illustrations were rather well-done and I was pleased by the way the illustrator captured each girl's personality.

The story itself was definitely trimmed to fit the 60ish page space but it hit most of the important highs and lows of the story, allowing for the characters to develop and grow in a relatively short amount of time.

I loved watching the sisters (and their mother) interact and you get a lot of that same sisterhood vibe despite the relatively short amount of space.

It felt a bit odd to have Marmie be renamed as Mother but I suppose the kids reading it would more quickly identify the mother character that way (grumble, grumble her name is Marmie).

Also, I thought it was rather unfair that the housekeeper (Hannah Mullet) was cut from the story.

However, this version of Little Women focused more on how the girls did their best to keep the family afloat while their father was at war and I think having the girls complain about how poor they were while Hannah prepared their meals and cleaned the house definitely set the wrong tone.

Overall, this was a rather lovely version of Little Women and I'm happy that I've had the time to enjoy it!

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - English hardcover

Dependance school for gifted children.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for Little Women is a heartfelt classic that captures the everyday joys and struggles of the March sisters with warmth and sincerity. Louisa May Alcott’s writing is thoughtful, gentle, and filled with moral lessons that reflect the values of its time.

While the characters are memorable and the family dynamics are sweet, the pacing can feel slow and the story often leans heavily into sentimentality. Some chapters read more like lessons than plot, and a few character choices may feel outdated to modern readers.

Still, the novel has undeniable charm and emotional depth, offering touching moments and timeless themes about sisterhood, resilience, and becoming one’s truest self, even if it doesn’t fully captivate from start to finish.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original story by Louisa May Alcott is a fabulous book - I read it several times growing up and just loved it. It was one of my absolute favorites.

I haven't read the classic story to our girls yet, but I have read this adapted version by Mary Sebag-Montefiore. It was a shorter version with lots of illustrations that captures the essence of the tale, but not its charm. I am still looking forward to reading Louisa May Alcott's classic to them.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical usborne reader. I read it to my reluctant reader daughter (age 11) to give her an insight into the classic tale. It did just the job.