I've been asked many times about giving children the classics to read. Generally, I think the least successful way to introduce classics is by just handing them to a child to read. The highest success rate comes through books shared in family reading. A parent's enthusiasm for and remembered joy from a classic book will make all the difference. Parents who have a favorite book they'd like to share may be pleased with current releases.

The Books You Read are Renewed

You may want to share the exact version you were read, but sometimes our visually-reared children are encouraged with beautiful new illustrations.

Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (Dial, $19.99) abridged by Lesley Baxter and illustrated by Christian Birmingham has a cover which shows Oliver holding out his bowl, wide-eyed with wanting, making for immediate appeal. The telling is just accessible and retains the story's flavor and suspense.

Here's a fantastic pairing...the wonderful fantasy of L. Frank Baum and the illustrative whimsy of award-winning artist, Lisbeth Zwerger in The Wizard of Oz (North-South Books; $19.95). The playfully exuberant illustrations are sprinkled throughout and extra fun is tucked into the back of every book with a pair of green glasses to be donned when entering the Emerald City.

Introduce your children to the wonders of Toad Hall with The River Bank and Other Stories from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, newly illustrated by Inga Moore (Candlewick Press, 19.99)

New Versions of Old Tales

Shakespeare comes to picture books in two beautiful picture story books. Ann Beneduce retells complex story of The Tempest (Philomel, $16.95; ages 8 and up) in a way that's understandable to children. She's helped by the very classic looking illustrations of Gennady Spirin who captures the magic of spirits and beasts.

Midsummer Night's Dream (Dial, $16.99) is Bruce Coville's second retold Shakespeare tale. Like Beneduce, he handles the complexities skillfully. Illustrations by Dennis Nolan are a wonderful mix of detailed realism, powerful human emotions, and playful magic. Pictures give a sense of Nolan romping through his illustrations, whether he's capturing the impishness of Puck, foolishness of Bottom, or conflict of the lovers. Kindly, he gives character portraits on the end papers and we definitely used them in untangling the threads the maze-like storyline.

Times of the Greece come to present with several new books. Noted author Rosemary Sutcliff recounts The Wanderings of Odysseus (Delacorte, $22.50; ages 10 and up) with a generous number of illustrations by Alan Lee. Marcia Williams retells The Iliad and Odyssey (Candlewick, $17.99) in her well-loved comic-strip style.

Paul Fleishman plays with the Trojan War story in his ingenious Dateline: Troy (Candlewick Press, $15.99; ages 10 and up) He recounts he story of Troy on one page and on the facing page composes collages of newspaper clippings, illustrations and objects illustrating how many times history has repeated itself.

M. Charlotte Craft retells Cupid and Psyche (Morrow, $16.00; ages 8 and up) and the book is elegantly illustrated by her husband, K.Y. Craft. The two manage to convey the truths and emotions of the myths without bawdy details. The same tale is told for young adult readers in Doris Orgel 's The Princess and the God (Orchard Books, $15.95; ages 12 and up) and this version does have some strongly suggestive sexual scenes.

Religion finds it way into books with two excellent versions of the Jewish tale of the golem : Barbara Rogasky's novella for older readers, The Golem, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Holiday House, $18.95) and for a slightly younger child, David Wisniewski's paper-cut illustrated picture story book, Golem (Clarion, $15.95). The Biblical story, David and Goliath is told by Mel Gibson accompanied by music written by Branford Marsalis (Rabbit Ears, tape and book, $10.95).

Fairy Tales, A Familiar Favorite

The childhood favorite of many is a collection of fairy tales. This year's splendidly told and illustrated collections include: Howard Schwartz's The Wonder Child & Other Jewish Fairy Tales (HarperCollins, $16.95); Beauty and the Beast and other stories (Viking, $16.99) retold by Adele Geras and illustrated by Louise Brierley; and A Treasury of Princesses: Princess Tales from Around the World (HarperCollins, $16.95) by Shirley Climo with illustrations by Ruth Sanderson.