Little Pilgrim’s Progress by Helen L. Taylor is a lovely adaptation of John Bunyan’s original book that is perfect for children! Published initially as a serial, and later as a book, Moody Publishers released the latest edition in 2006.

Little Pilgrim’s Progress follows the storyline of the original. The first part of the book takes us on a journey with Christian to the Celestial City. At the cross, our hero lays his burden down before continuing on his way. He faces adversaries and places with names like the “hill of difficulty”. He meets characters such as Hypocrisy and Unbelief who are illustrations of particular vices. Yet, he meets friends along the way as well, such as Faithful. The second half of the book follows the journey of his friend Christiana.

What I love about Little Pilgrim’s Progress:

• Even though it is written for children, the prose retains a “literary” feel.
• The chapters are short, making it easy to fit in a chapter each day.
• This adventurous story is a great introduction to allegorical writing!

Something to consider: like the original Pilgrim’s Progress, this adaptation includes many difficulties that Christian faced. For example, Christian’s friend, Faithful, is killed by people in the city of Vanity Fair. While I appreciate the author not sugar-coating the Christian walk, very sensitive children might be upset by the character’s death.

I loved this book as a child, and I’m glad that it’s still around for me to share with my own children. The Christian walk is not always easy. Little Pilgrim’s Progress addresses that, but still does it in a manner that is appropriate for children. True, there are some difficult concepts addressed. Trials and temptations, as well as the consequences, are not glossed over or ignored. Yet, those parts of the book give me the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with my kids.