Oh, the relished excitement of a book that has stood the test of time, especially a story I can read to my children. One of our recent children’s book clubs was on The Pilgrim’s Progress, written by John Bunyan in 1678. I had never heard of this renowned piece of literature until I was in my 20’s while working at The Master’s Seminary. I remember gazing at an old worn collector’s copy while sitting in a professor’s office one day. How intimidating it appeared. I would have to say my acknowledgment of its importance through the years has been slow-growing.

I knew that if I were ever going to prod my way reading this mysterious classic, I would have to start simple. I stumbled upon a booklist that included a children’s illustrated version of PP called Dangerous Journey published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. And it was simple, check! So I decided to read it to Micah when he was around 6 years old. I remember us enjoying the beautiful illustrations and story, but nothing in particular stands out that was profound. However, I was thankful we were both exposed. Forward some years later, and I decided to pull it off the old shelf again to read to Micah (10), Annabel (8), and Caleb (6). This time we were hooked. Sidenote: re-reading definitely has its benefits.

Unabridged Diving

This year I decided that the kids and myself were now ready (at 12, 10, & 8) to embark on the unabridged classic with modern English updates. There is a myriad of different versions out there, but after some research, I choose the one published in 2014 by Aneko Press. I was mainly drawn to this version because it included over 100 of the original illustrations (from the published 1891 version).  Additionally, there are bible verses inter-woven in the allegory that Bunyan originally used. We personally did not read every single verse listed, but I found it very beneficial as it caused us to slow down to ponder Scripture. My overall goal was to read at least 5-10 pages a day since some chapters were longer than others, either in the morning or before bedtime. Afterward, I usually will ask the children to narrate back to me to help us in our understanding. With this particular story, we took more time. Because we are still on COVID restrictions, I hosted our book club over Zoom (it is possible!) with three other families and 11 kids. Below is the basic outline I used. Overall, our time together lasted about an hour and a half with kids ranging from 8-12 years old. You could definitely do this with the younger ages.  However, I would suggest beginning with the Dangerous Journey first. You cannot go wrong with implanting little by little this wonderful allegory into your children’s minds and hearts. I believe there are so many timeless truths that will be life-changing, such as courage, perseverance, wisdom, and hope as we face trials and temptations. My goal is to revisit the story after a few years. Whatever version you choose, or perhaps fear of intimidation that I experienced, I promise you won’t regret your efforts. Who knows, maybe I’ll be the one that ends up with an old, worn collector’s edition someday on my bookshelf!