It has been an unexpected joy to read CS Lewis aloud to the children. While we have spent years reading aloud such timeless classics as Time to Pee and the Berenstain Bears, this is my first time doing it with a book I would choose to read to myself anyway.
A close friend told me that she and her husband read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged aloud with each other every other year and that reading aloud together is one of their favorite activities. I can honestly say that I get that now. :) While I thought it was a pleasant-sounding pasttime and way to spend enriching time together, I understand now how much more I glean from a book by speaking it. I do this with my Bible so this shouldn't be surprising, but to hear the words aloud, along with the added expressions that occur when the text is vocalized, makes it a true joy.
I could barely keep my eyes on the page while watching the look on Wolf's face as he pondered Lewis' delicious description of Mr. and Mrs. Beavers' den. Our tummies were inadvertently rumbling as Mr. Beaver caught some fresh trout from under the ice and the fictional children enjoyed their first meal upon entering Narnia as a family.
Alex asked me whether I planned to show the movie to them after we finish the book. While I myself would like to see it (I have only caught a glimpse of it once when Alex had it on) I lean toward "no" as far as the children are concerned, at least until some time has passed. Do you all have any thoughts on the subject? Being that the book is alive and well in their imaginations, I would hate to infringe upon it with someone else's rendition.
The character of Edmund continues to provide fruitful discussion about his dangerous choices. We have also discussed Peter's sense of honor as he insists on attempting to save Mr. Tumnus who sheltered Lucy at grave risk to his own life, even while Peter has never met him. I'm cautiously touching upon the parallels of the text with the story of Jesus. While I intellectually know that CS Lewis intended for these connections to exist, I don't remember the whole story of Narnia and I don't see all the parallels at this point. Clearly, Edmund is a Judas figure, and even more poignant are the descriptions of his inner experience upon hearing the name of Aslan. The lion king is also a clear parallel, especially as he is to fulfill a prophecy and release the land from its perpetual winter. I remember seeing him dead in the snippet of the movie I caught and thinking how he must rise again at some point.
Would love to hear from all of you~~what are your favorite chapter books to read aloud with your children?
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