As I sit down to write a new blog, the children are gathered around Dad listening to another chapter from Lord of the Rings. We have always read to our children from nearly the day of birth of our eldest, Hailey, and they have always enjoyed it. But, there is something very special about this particular “Tolkien party”. We started with The Hobbit about a month ago. Since then, the kids have LIVED Middle Earth. They dress up daily as Hobbits, complete with vests, capes, and bare feet. Hailey keeps a ring on a chain about her neck. Maddie (our youngest) attacks people around corners with marker scribbled across her face (“It says washable, mom!”), growling fiercely as an Orc. Our son, Micah, gathers everyone together to go on adventures around our home, taking packs filled with provisions. Several nights they have slept in their Hobbit clothes on the floor with a lamp piled with sticks as a campfire. In essence, they are living the stories.
What has made these particular books so enthralling? What is our secret to igniting interest? I cannot say for certain, but my gut feeling is…Daddy. Michael (my hubby) has not just sat down and blandly read this epic. He is ALIVE with it. He talks about it at lunch, dinner, and in the car. He explains the history behind every character and event. (He has obviously read The Silmarillion previously.) He reads to them in character voices and with emotion. He fully prepared them to embark upon an amazing adventure and it’s panning out to be such! So, my theory is – Be interested, excited, and knowledgeable about a story and they will be as well!
