What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the original text is a real
challenge for today's young readers, and for most kids this
book works best as a read-aloud, with lots of discussion and
explanation along the way.
Families who read this book could discuss Dickens' ideas about the effects of ignorance and want, and about compassion and generosity of spirit. Also worth talking about is Scrooge himself. What is so bad about him? What made him the way he is? Does his transformation make sense?
Common Sense Media Review
In the stratosphere of literature some few books become
classics -- stories that are beloved by every succeeding
generation, handed down from parent to child, treasured in
family libraries, and always in print. This book, though,
enjoys a status so rare that we don't even have a word for it
-- a book that has permanently altered the culture to which it
belongs; that has been adapted so many times in stage, screen,
art, and music that they are beyond counting; whose words and
phrases have passed into the lexicon of common usage; whose
story is known by everyone, even those who have never read it.
What shall we call it -- icon, archetype, paradigm-shifter?
Together with Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" it virtually created the modern secular Christmas celebration, along with the attitudes and emotions that accompany it (indeed, Dickens is credited in some quarters with the invention of the phrase, "Merry Christmas"). As such, a reading of the original should be a part of every child's experience. But, while not Shakespearian, the language is difficult for modern kids, even older ones. For this reason it is best as a read-aloud, read dramatically but taken slowly, with lots of stops for explanations.
There are a multitude of editions, many beautifully illustrated, and several with detailed annotations, for those interested in digging deeper into this remarkable work. There are also many film adaptations -- Common Sense Media has reviewed five of them, including the musical version, Scrooge . More than 160 years after its creation, this little story is as vivid, as moving, and as relevant as the day it was published, and the years have served to date it not in the least.
From the Book:
"Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas. What's
Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without
money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an
hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every
item in 'em through a round dozen of months presented dead
against you? If I could work my will," said Scrooge
indignantly, "every idiot who goes about with `Merry Christmas'
on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried
with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!"
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
