How young?

Post by **ToshoftheWuffingas** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:12 pm

When did the BBC radio serial come out? Around 1981/2? Naturally I listened to that avidly and so did my daughter then about 4 or 5. She didn't get all of the story but I remember she stuck in some element of the story into a childhood scribble drawing. Soon after it was over I read a bit of the book to her for a bedtime story, a nightly ritual then. It was the episode of Pippin galloping towards Gondor with Gandalf on the back of Shadowfax. Then I read other short passages to her then at last I started from the beginning and read the whole thing. Naturally I edited out sections and longeurs as I went along. It kept her attention the whole way through. Heaven knows how long it took me. I don't know when she got round to reading it herself but she begged a battered copy off me in February to take back to Gibraltar so her boyfriend could reread it once more.

My son didn't read it until he was about 15 or so and read it in one weekend and emerged and said it was the best story he had ever read.

Post by **MithLuin** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:07 pm

You told your daughter that Mirkwood isn't that scary?

I'm scared of Mirkwood, and I'm closer in age to Tosh's daughter!

Post by **Dave_LF** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:58 pm

From as early as I can remember, I had a kiddy illustrated Hobbit based on the RB movie that must have been all of 20 pages long (and which came with its own record). In fact, after reading it I distinctly remember asking my dad if Gollum had ever eaten any kids. He told me yes, he liked to sneak up behind their highchairs while they were eating and grab them by the throat (he was feeding my little brother in a highchair at the time. Given what I remember about him as a toddler, my dad was probably entertaining similar ideas himself). That put me off reading the Hobbit for a long time since I felt I already knew the story. In addition, said father was always pushing me to read it and LOTR, which made me even more reluctant (I mean come on; what self-respecting kid wants to read something recommended by his parents?). But I finally sat down with The Hobbit around 11 and LOTR shortly thereafter, and the rest was history.