Book Review: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A BabyLit® Camping Primer

American literature has always been one of my favorite genres. The classic stories and characters seem to have so much more depth than contemporary protagonists. One of my favorite books I had to read in jr. high was the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I remember sitting in English class daydreaming of laying on a raft floating down a river just like Tom & Huck.

When I discovered that BabyLit® was adapting classic literature into baby books I was skeptical. How can you tell these stories in an appropriate way for an infant? The answer is – simplify! Eliminate almost all the details and illustrate the interesting parts of the story. I found this approach to be mostly brilliant but somewhat frustrating. Since I know the details of many of these stories I cringe at the thought of this level of simplification but respect the effort.

However, for the Huck Finn book they were able to capture all of the essence of the story in only 20 pages. Of course the illustrations help but I can’t help but tell everyone that is expecting a child or has a young one to go buy this book!

Book Construction:

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, board books are the best for infants and toddlers!

Illustration:

By far my favorite illustrations I have seen in any children’s book! The colors and organic style make for a compelling and beautiful experience. I feel as the texture and styling fit the story vibe perfectly while not overdoing anything. I actually would love to take a spread and paint it as a mural on a bedroom wall!

Typography:

Just like the illustrations, the type choice fits the spirit of the book flawlessly. The scale and placement of each text block accentuates the page rather than distracting from it. It is large enough to easily read and find as well.

Number of Reader Voices:

Two. A narrator for the page theme and a Huckleberry voice for the quotes.