headcrusher8302cc

I am so excited to be reading this book again, this time, aloud to my children (ages 2-6). Although THEIR attention spans are less than 10 minutes, they are so far excited by the dwarves songs, the copious description of food (and keep asking me to make them ale [they only know the ginger-ale variety] and seed-cake when we sit down to read), and the story of the trolls. In their childlike ways, they cheer whenever Gandalf comes into a scene and ask me to "skip the talking" when Thorin begins pontificating. It's wonderful to share this with them, and I can't wait to get through the whole thing. As for myself, I love the story of adventure, the complaining, bumbling character of Bilbo, and all the fun characterization of hobbits and dwarves that is minimized in the LOTR trilogy. In fact, I honestly think that you are NUTS not to read "The Hobbit" before attempting "The Fellowship of the Ring," not only because it informs the other, but because it quickly gets you into the world of Middle-Earth, caring for the hobbits and all the rest, where as "Fellowship" can sometimes drag through the beginning (and, in my opinion, doesn't really pick up until the last third of the book). "The Hobbit" is fun to read aloud to children, because it is rather light and quick-paced, while still being Very Good Literature. This has been one of my all-time-favorites since I discovered it when I was 10, and my love of all things Tolkien was kindled when I first picked up this book!

2022-11-14 13:58