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Introducing the Chronicles

Please don't close the door behind you.

How were you introduced to the Chronicles and how do you think they SHOULD be introduced?

I discovered them on my own as a child and think they should be read by children themselves the 1st time.
4
27%
I discovered them on my own as a child and think a parent reading to the child the 1st time is the best way.
0
No votes
Someone read them to me as a child the 1st time but I think they should be read by children themselves the 1st time.
0
No votes
Someone read them to me as a child the 1st time and I think a parent reading to the child the 1st time is the best way.
4
27%
I discovered them as an adult and think they should be read by children themselves the 1st time.
2
13%
I discovered them as as an adult and think a parent reading to the child the 1st time is the best way.
2
13%
I have another option (explain)
3
20%
 
Total votes : 15

Introducing the Chronicles

Postby Guest » May 30th, 2007, 5:38 pm

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This is my boy Samuel. He loves Thomas and Lightning McQueen, Dora and Superman. He'll be 3 in July, but I'm already wondering how best to introduce the Chronicles to him.

Do I read LWW to him in 3 or 4 years, or do I allow him to read it for the first time by himself in 5 or 6 years?

I discovered the Chronicles on my own as a child of 10 or 11. Finding them on my own affected my life greatly.

What do you think? How did you discover the Chronicles and what's your opinion on the best way to introduce them to a child?

- Dan -
Last edited by Guest on June 1st, 2007, 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby john » May 30th, 2007, 5:46 pm

I think you're waiting too long, regardless of what you do. You're thinking he'll be ready for you to read them to him when he's 6 or 7? I read LWW to my son when he was 4, and he really enjoyed it. By the time he was 8, he had already read The Chronicles by himself.

It doesn't hurt to read them to him yourself, and it allows some bonding time and the sharing of something special. By the time he reads them himself, none of the original magic between you will be lost, but he'll gain the added benefit of self-discovery.
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Postby texascat » May 30th, 2007, 7:42 pm

Okay, I was so excited to read this post. I have a 4 and 5 year old, and it has been a dream for me to read the Chronicles to them. I agree that it promotes bonding, and I hope to pass on a legacy of loving these books.

I think I will wait a couple of years. Some of the imagery is scary, such as Jadis in MN, much of VDT, and parts of LB. My 5 year old had a nightmare after watching Disney's Treasure Planet, so the last thing I want to do is freak her out! It depends on the child.

I discovered LWW as a child, and although I remember loving it, it didn't spark enough in me to read the rest of the series. As an adult, I reread LWW and went on to read all seven. It prompted me to go back a re-read all my childhood favorites last summer. It was a wonderful journey as I rediscovered some great books.

I think I will wait til my kids are at least 8 to read it to them. It will definitely be a family affair for us. I have this idyllic image of having fireside readings of the Chronicles. I guess we need to get a fireplace first for that to happen. :grin:
"Never judge a book by its movie." J.W. Eagan
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Postby Lirenel » May 30th, 2007, 8:47 pm

I read CoN as a child by myself, and I stil think that's the best way. Of course, I was a huge reader as a child, and while I liked having my parent's read ot me, I prefered them to read short, children's books, and I read the long books myself. It allowed me to immerse myself in the story. I would sit in a big, comfy chair and just...go into the story. It's hard to do that when being read to.

Of course, I didn't really understand CoN until I was about 10, though I tried to read it earlier. But it made it all the more special to read when I finally did read it.
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1

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Postby Erekose » May 30th, 2007, 10:28 pm

Call yourself a dog???? I've seen better hair on a lavatory brush!!!
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Postby Breka » May 30th, 2007, 10:57 pm

My parents first read the CoN to me when I was 2 or 3, and I fell in love with them. It might be a little early for some kids, but the earlier the better, in my opinion.
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Postby Leslie » May 30th, 2007, 11:38 pm

"What are you laughing at?"
"At myself. My little puny self," said Phillipa.
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Postby A#minor » May 31st, 2007, 2:23 am

"My brain and this world don't fit each other, and there's an end of it!" - G.K. Chesterton
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Postby carol » June 1st, 2007, 6:59 am

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Postby Messenger_of_Eden » June 1st, 2007, 1:47 pm

I was introduced to Narnia fairly "late" in childhood--I was probably about 8 or 9--only because my mom had been told it was evil by a very ultra-conservative friend. When later, a pastor actually recommended it, she read it to us, and I will never forget that! From then on, we had a whispered saying in our home: "Don't tell Auntie Mary!" Narnia was our guilty secret. :toothy-grin: But all that to say, very young children may not grasp the subtitlies of Narnia but they will certainly grasp the basics. I know someone who read them to her infant son and once a year she still does so. I don't think it's ever too early for Narnia!!
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Postby Guest » June 1st, 2007, 5:36 pm

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Postby Tharkun » June 1st, 2007, 6:56 pm

I was first read them when I was five. I think that is probably a good age, maybe a little younger, if it is the chronological order (which is what I recommend) if it is some other older, then I think older is better.
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Postby carol » June 2nd, 2007, 2:35 am

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Postby Rosie Cotton » June 2nd, 2007, 3:22 pm

No opinion which way is best -- I just remember checking out the Chronicles one by one from my elementary school library (I read everything I could get my hands on then). I may not have even read them in the proper (published :wink: ) order at first, just the order I could find them! Don't remember for sure, but the same teacher who read us The Hobbit may have read LWW, too.
I'm not sure whether my parents ever have read them.
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Postby Solomons Song » June 2nd, 2007, 6:00 pm

I think the best way is to let him read them for himself. Your responsibility as a parent is to ensure he does indeed discover them so he can read them, inconspicuously, of course. I didn't read CoN until I was older, simply because my parents didn't foster me in that direction (but rather, in the direction of being a grease monkey). But I showed them, didn't I?!?!
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