Classical text gets novel treatment

But some people doubt if Liu's take is the best way, or if people should stick to presenting the original texts of the classics to the younger generations.

Zhu Yongxin, the vice-president of the Chinese Society of Education, says it's common practice in many countries to provide children with access to literary classics as early as possible.

"In the United States there's a Core Knowledge curriculum with Core Classics, while in Britain, kindergarten kids are encouraged to perform Shakespeare's plays, elementary school students are recommended abridged versions of the Bard's works, and students aged 11-14 read at least one of his works," Zhu says.

"The versions or forms don't matter too much. If the classics suit the children, it's fine to read them, and better if parents can read them together with their children," adds Zhu.

As for Wang Zhigeng from the Kids Library of the National Library of China, he sees Liu's series as a way to bridge the transition from picture books to reading more texts.

Zheng Qinyu, the illustrator of the series, spent months on the pictures in the books to help young readers.

"I chose watercolors, colored pencils and fine-pointed technical drawing pens to create the works, instead of using a computer," says Zheng.