Hi-lo? Not Adapted Classics books, but…
Hi-lo? Not Adapted Classics books, but…we did lower the reading difficulty of the classic stories we adapt by lightening their classic language load. And we added interesting illustrations to entice modern young readers to read our adapted classic stories, hoping to convert them across the board and over time into classic literature lovers. So you could say we had hi–lo (high interest-low reading level) on our minds to a certain degree when we set out to create and publish the Adapted Classics collection.
Nevertheless, we know classic stories are not high interest reading material for most modern young readers. And we only lightly modify the high-level, outstanding prose in the classic stories that we adapt. Yes, the illustrations we added can help young readers interpret the written–word content in our adapted classic stories. But we’re not trying to fool anybody about what illustrations can accomplish regarding reading-difficulty levels. They help young readers interpret the meaning of the stories, sure. But they do not change the narrative from high-level to low-level for young readers who struggle with written content. Consequently, Adapted Classics books are not hi-lo.However, we have published one hi-lo book – Sammy's Day at the Fair: The Digestive System, featuring Gut Feelings and Reactions. Now though we are not speaking as the creators and purveyors of the Adapted Classics imprint. Oddly, and so very far out of the norm, Sammy stands as the first and only book that our parent enterprise – ArtWrite Productions – has published. More on this unusual situation and award-winning book in the coming weeks. There’s a grand story to tell—over time!