Anne of Green Gables isn't technically just a book for children. The story can be enjoyed by any one of any age. In the book, you follow the imaginative character of Anne as she comes to live with two elderly siblings, who originally wanted a boy to come and help them on their farm. Anne has been and will always be one of my favourite literary characters, she is over the top, talkative and has a wild imagination to rival her bright red hair. Anne's childhood was bleak and to cope with this, she uses her imagination to create a more exciting world. At times, she can be sassy and rude, but I think this is why I love the book, she is normal. It is nice to read a story that isn't about a squeaky clean and always polite child, Anne makes mistakes and navigates them in a truly stubborn way. Once Anne is settled at the delightful Green Gables, she joins the local school. Here she makes friends and also enemies and it is really entertaining to read.
The book was written in 1908, so the language can be a bit dated for children to understand but I have seen confident readers (around the age of 10 and 11) enjoy the book independently. If you want to share the book with younger children, it might be good to read it together, that way you can adapt or explain the language as you go. There are also various television adaptations that you could watch alongside the story to help children understand it a lot more. You can also find different versions of the printed story, that have been adapted for different audiences. I own lots of editions of the book and I am really proud of them. I remember watching the 1980's version staring Megan Follows, when I was really small. I absolutely fell in love with it and it remains my favourite adaptation today.
As Anne grows up, she dabbles in teaching and writing, which is why I think I loved her as a child. These have always been the jobs I wanted and to see her muddle through these careers was lovely to see. I think I need to pick up the book and read it again as I begin my first year of teaching!
I think Anne is a great character to introduce to children because she is flawed, which is refreshing to read. But, her flaws are what makes her so special to me. She is bright, funny, strong, stubborn, sensitive, overly emotional at times but captures everyone's hearts. It is a lovely story to share with children.
The Details:
Age: I think the story (whether this is shown in film or the books) is suitable for children aged 8 or more. However, the traditional text could be tricky for younger readers and you may want to wait until they are more confident.
Questions: I think the main questions that could arise from reading the story is the language and what certain words mean. There is a death mentioned in the story, so this could be upsetting for some children too. But there is nothing too devastating and definitely no scary parts!
Curriculum Links:
Geography - You could create a visitor guide for Green Gables. In modern day Canada, you can visit the Green Gables house and Anne museum. You could create a guide to have the best, Anne of Green Gables inspired trip.
English - You could create a character profile of Anne, thinking of some descriptive words to describe her. You could also write your own Anne inspired adventure.
History - For a comparison, you could compare how you live against the era that Anne was living in (late 19th century). You could look at what houses were like, what school was like for them and what children did for fun.
Did you read Anne of Green Gables as a child? Let me know what you think of it and join the conversation on Instagram @wanderlustlibrary_
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