The Magician's Nephew is my favorite of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. (At least it was when I read them all in college. That may have changed.) I have always imagined sharing some of my favorite books with the boys and having them love them just as much as I do. Of course like many of my relational fantasies, this one didn't quite work out.For the past few years the boys have been listening on and off to the cd's of the Chronicles. They have enjoyed these, but haven't "loved" them. I have also read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to the prior to this. So when I suggested that we read the TMN, Caleb said, "That's boewing (boring). I already know what's going to happen next." They have humored me though. Ben seems to really enjoy it and Caleb at least lays quietly. I love these books and look forward to continuing with the others at a later point. If you're thinking about buying the CD's, I might recommend not. There are some books that should be shared with your kids. The CD's seem to not have enough "weight", if that makes sense.
2 comments:
I agree about the CD's. They, like movies, are best done after the book is read. When you have kids close in age, out of necessity, you read to the interest and listening level of the oldest. The younger ones will glean something from it, maybe not as much as Ben, but they will surely benefit. You are modeling love of reading, story, and they are being exposed to the complexities of the English language, all of which are great reasons to continue reading your favorites. I always found it hard to read a book aloud that I wasn't enthused about. The most important reason of all to read aloud to your kids is the time spent with you. They will always remember it. Keep on keeping on! You're doing a great job!
I agree with you about waiting until after you've read the book to get the movie or CD. I read to my 5 kids regularly, and the freshness of a new book can be spoiled (though I don't think it can ruined) by them.
If you're not aware of the Little Britches series by Ralph Moody, I strongly recommend it. It's similar to the Little House series, but from a male perspective rather than female. My daughter loves it too though. There is fabulous moral teaching, though there is strong language that you'll probably want to edit as you read. (Cowboys do curse.)
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