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Three Classic Children’s Books Series to Revisit in 2025
The new year is a time for new things, but it can also be a time to rediscover hits from the past. For parents who want their kids reading great fiction with good values, here are three classic book series to revisit.
The Adventures of Tintin
Georges Remi (Hergé)
Egmont
Ages: 7+
I can’t recall what first inspired me to pull the first thin, colorful volume of Tintin off the shelf at my childhood library. But I do remember the hours I spent poring through “The Blue Lotus” and “Red Rackham’s Treasure.” Aerial battles, long-forgotten tombs, thugs with cigars. It was everything a kid could want.
This masterful series by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi (who wrote under the pen name Hergé) feature the travels of the resourceful young reporter Tintin. With a collection of quirky sidekicks, most notably his faithful dog Snowy and the creatively cantankerous Captain Haddock, Tintin busts drug rings in China, tracks down counterfeiters in Scotland, hunts for lost treasure in the Caribbean, and even takes a journey to the moon.
Parents should exercise some caution. Non-graphic violence drives the plot, some stories contain scary elements, and Captain Haddock’s alcoholism is treated as a punchline. Tintin shows the utmost respect to all he meets, but a few of the books contain insensitive or stereotypical portrayals of minority characters.
Herge’s artwork bursts with energy, the characters are vibrant and familiar, and the plots whisk Tintin to every corner of the globe. In addition to being brave and ingenious, Tintin demonstrates a near- superhuman virtue. From gangsters to poachers to pirates, he doesn’t give the bad guys an inch. Then again, Tintin is not meant to be a real person. He’s the epitome of the plucky, unassuming hero, the freedom fighter we all aspire to be.
The books can be purchased as a new set, or used individually. “The Secret of the Unicorn” and “Red Rackham’s Treasure” are an excellent starting place, and also inform the plot of the acclaimed 2011 animated film.
Redwall
Brian Jacques
Firebird Books
Ages: 8+
This classic tale by Brian Jacques follows the peaceful woodland creatures of Redwall Abbey and the surrounding Mossflower Woods as they face off against the murderous horde of vengeful rat general Cluny the Scourge. The besieged abbey finds an unlikely hero in young mouse novice Matthias, who must recover the sword and shield of the abbey’s legendary founder: Martin the Warrior.
There are plenty of battles, tragically lost and cleverly won. The feasts are described in mouth-watering (exhaustive) detail. Some species of animals (moles, hares, etc.) speak in phonetic dialects that some young readers will love. The story is bursting with songs, riddles, and a sense of Old World nostalgia that keeps readers coming back for more.
And speaking of ‘more’, there’s plenty. The 22 books in the series are both prequels and sequels to the original story, some featuring familiar characters, but most occurring in distant times and places in Jacques’ sprawling world. As a kid, I remember being a particular fan of “Lord Brocktree” and “The Bellmaker.” All feature similar themes: unlikely heroes, long-odds battles, eye-popping feasts, gallant quests. Some critics suggest that the formula of the stories is repetitive. That may be so. But to that I say this: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Parents will find much to admire in these stories. They contain no inappropriate content or language. The violence featured is intense, sometimes resulting in the deaths of beloved characters, but non-graphic. Most importantly, there is no “Game of Thrones”-style moral ambiguity at work here. Take the example of an allied character’s advice to a triumphant Matthias: “No doubt your sword is indeed a beautiful thing. It is a tribute to whoever forged it in bygone ages. There are very few such swords as this one left in the world, but remember, it is only a sword, Matthias! It contains no secret spell, nor holds within its blade any magical power. This sword is made for only one purpose, to kill. It will only be as good or as evil as the one who wields it.”
The creatures of Redwall understand that family is worth fighting for. When the baddies come a-knocking, no good creature in the forest sits on their heels. Or paws. Or whatever. Redwall is a stirring, swashbuckling adventure, in which heroism, ancient riddles, and really great soup are treated like the serious subjects that they are.
Freddy the Pig
Walter R. Brooks
Abrams Books
Ages: 9-14
To my regret, I did not grow up with Freddy the Pig. But fortunately, my wife was not thusly deprived.
Through her family, I learned about this particular barnyard hero, the brainchild of Walter R. Brooks. Freddy is a small but clever pig who lives on Mr. Bean’s farm in upstate New York. He shares his home with a colorful cast of dogs, ducks, chickens, cows, and many others. Freddy is an avid reader and is always acquiring new skills. Over the course of the 26 Freddy books, written between 1927 and 1958, Freddy’s adventures take him through a dizzying array of skills and occupations. He is a detective, a newspaper editor, a poet, a magician, a balloonist, and many others.
The easiest way to describe these books is as charming nonsense. The prose is matter-of-fact, the dialogue crisp and clear, but the plots are absolutely bonkers. For example:
In “Freddy Goes to Florida,” Freddy helps the farm animals migrate south for the winter. They meet the president on the way.
In “Freddy the Pilot,” Freddy learns to fly in order to foil the designs of evil mastermind Watson P. Condiment.
In “Freddy and the Men from Mars,” there are … Martians. Aliens. They return in several of the other books.
As wacky as the plots are, Freddy’s world has a uniquely warm and earnest quality. The stories are funny, but never cynical. The characters are honest, but never biting. In “Freddy and the Bean Home News,” there’s a scene that I think about too often for an adult man. In the story, the animals hold a meeting to discuss whether to start a local newspaper. They end the meeting by singing the national anthem.
“Up in the house, Mr. and Mrs. Bean heard the singing. Mr. Bean smiled, but he shook his head doubtfully. ‘Ought to be in bed,’ he said, ‘instead of sitting up singing half the night.’
‘Now you leave them alone, Mr. B.,’ Mrs. Bean replied. ‘It isn’t eight yet. And my land, you ought to be proud of ’em! No country can fail to win its wars when even the animals are patriotic!’ And she stood up and sang the last of the national anthem with them. And pretty soon Mr. Bean stood up and sang too.”
Now that is literature. My kid self missed out on Freddy the Pig, but I’m making up for lost time.
The post Three Classic Children’s Books Series to Revisit in 2025 appeared first on The Daily Signal.
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