What Ages for Narnia and The Hobbit?

[nature girl]

I'm wondering if my DD5 might be able to understand them on some level this year...I realize she won't get any deep meaning from them for quite awhile, but I'd like to buy a book to take advantage of the 30% off Amazon sale, and I'm wondering whether they might be fun adventure stories for her. Do you think five is too young?

[Ethel Mertz]

Yeah, I sort of think 5 might be too young. What about The Wind in the Willows? (Others may have a different opinion, but I would wait a bit.)

 

BTW, I didn't realize this until I was checking out. The Amazon 30% off is only for one book per account.

[regentrude]

 My kids loved Narnia at this age and definitely got a lot out of it, but they were listening to the books as audiobooks.

DD would have been able to read them independently at 5, but DS would not.

 

So, I vote they make a great read-aloud, but will be too hard for most kids to read by themselves.

[...................]

If she has been read aloud to her whole

Life then she will be able to understand Narnia with no problem. My kids also listened to the Hobbit at age 5 and they understood it. But we had worked up to that ...they had listened to maybe 50 short novels by that point as well as probbaly 65 library picture books per week since age 1...

 

So it all just depends on what your de has been doing the past 5 years :)

[KrissiK]

IMO, those series are a waaaay different grade levels. I would say a younger to mid elementary level child would love the Narnia series. We just read The Horse and His Boy as a read aloud and my 3rd, 5th and 6th grade loved it. Tolkien's books are thick and wordy. I did enjoy "the Hobbit" as a junior higher, I think, but (and this is my own personal bias) sometimes he just yammers on and on about this town they traveled through (I think he took the history of Middle Earth way too seriously) and I'd skip whole chapters of the Hobbit and LOtR because they bored me out of my skull. (I know this is probably heresy to those who love those books, I'm sorry).

[Farrar]

I agree that they're really different understanding levels.

 

I think many kids can get something out of Narnia at age 5, but we read them early and I sort of regret it now. I was thinking of going back and having them reread Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe because it's so far back in their memories. My kids greatly dislike rereads though, and that's not an issue for other kids, so my caution to hold off may not apply. Still, I think it would be better appreciated as a read aloud at 6 or 7.

 

I think The Hobbit is so full of poetry and so forth that it should wait.

[happypamama]

I read Narnia to my older two when they were 4 and 7, and DH read them The Hobbit at that same age. The 7yo was fine with all of it. The 4yo did okay with most of Narnia, but I'm not sure how much he remembers; otoh, we are rereading Narnia with the family now, with kids aged 12, 9, 6, and 3, and the 6yo is getting a lot out of it, more than the 9yo did at 4. I think that's personality, though; my current 6yo is much more of a listener than my 9yo (he remembers things he reads much better than things he hears). So I'd vote that for a strong listener, you could do Narnia at 5, at least some of the books, and it'll be deeper and richer when it's read again in a few years.

 

For The Hobbit, DH had to stop a lot to explain things to the 4yo, so I would probably wait on that a little while longer.

[Kerileanne99]

Alex is loving Prince Caspian at the moment, and it is just a nice fit. If she wasn't used to longer, more complicated books I probably would have waited. She is very sensitive and I was a bit concerned, but they are so sweet:) she loves the children, and talking animals tend to make children fall in love anyway, right?

 

On the other hand...The Hobbit won't hit our reading for quite some time. Much to hubby's dismay as it is one of his all-time favorites! He is desperate to share it with her. I actually think she wouldn't mind the language, but the story itself would give her nightmares. It is just an intense book.

[Ellie]

I'm wondering if my DD5 might be able to understand them on some level this year...I realize she won't get any deep meaning from them for quite awhile, but I'd like to buy a book to take advantage of the 30% off Amazon sale, and I'm wondering whether they might be fun adventure stories for her. Do you think five is too young?

 

Buy the book, whether she's ready or not, because then you'll have it. :-)

 

Reading aloud the Chronicles of Narnia to a child that age...absolutely. A 5yo reading them to herself...most 5yo dc *I* know would not be ready for that.

 

The Hobbit is a very long book. It isn't all the complex or anything, but still...it's a very long book. I would wait.

[kiana]

Narnia might vary. When I was about that age I *loved* the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and the Horse and his Boy. Especially the last one. I'd definitely buy them anyway though -- if she gets bored, stop reading and read later.

[Lori D.]

It SO depends on the individual child. If you have a child really begging for those particular books, then give them a try -- but only as Read Alouds, as both are way too advanced in language (vocabulary, sentence structure), as well as complexity of plot and length (esp. The Hobbit) for early reader to do solo or as shared readers with parent -- The Hobbit is at about a grade 6+ reading level; the Narnia books are at about a grade 5+ reading level.

 

However, if, like Farrar (and me), you have children who are only willing to "do" (longer chapter books/novels) ONE time, and they won't go back to it later when they could get the additional "meat" -- then definitely wait. (Unfortunately, it often takes until a child is a bit older -- say, 9yo --before you can see that no re-reading is their pattern, so it's super hard to decide about whether or not to do a book at 5yo. :( )

 

 

All that said, like Calming Tea, we had done SO much reading previously and had worked up to that level, we did try both Narnia and The Hobbit at age 5. I think maturity and a lot of previous building-up experience makes a tremendous difference in the ability of a pre-schooler to follow a longer, more complex work with older vocabulary.

 

We tried The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, but DSs really didn't "click" with it, so we dropped it partway through to not rush it or ruin it for when they were older. (We did it when DSs were about 9-10yo, so they also get the deeper significance.)

 

On the other hand, DSs were 5 & 6yo when we read aloud The Hobbit. They SO adored, they wanted to do the Lord of the Rings trilogy immediately after. So we did. We spread it out over an entire year, and would read a section, then go and read something else, and then come back to it. They really hung with it and enjoyed it. Over the years, we eventually re-read The Hobbit and the trilogy all together 2 more times, and both DSs have read the books on their own. Tolkien's works ended up clicking at a deep level for them, and at an early age. And have been one of the rare reading experiences they have wanted to repeat. (I'm not counting the picture books we read aloud a gazillion times when they were toddlers/pre-school age. ;) )

 

 

Like Ellie said, go ahead and get the books to have on your shelves. What does your DD enjoy now for read-alouds? Mostly picture books? Short children's chapter books? Longer older children's chapter books? There are a TON of fabulous, fun adventure books at a lighter reading level that you and DD could be enjoying right now:

 

- The Rescuers series by Margery Sharp (The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Bianca in the Orient)

- 101 Dalmatians (Smith)

- The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Cleary)

- Pippi Longstockings (Astrid)

- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Lin)

- Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series (MacDonald)

- Mr. Popper's Penguins (Atwater)

- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Dahl)

- the Oz books by Baum

- Rabbit Hill (Lawson)

- The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame)

 

- Ramona books (Cleary)

- Betsy and Tacy (Lovelace)

- Ginger Pye (Estes)

- The Moffats (Estes)

- Understood Betsy (Fisher)

- Kildee House (Montgomery)

- The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh)

- A Little Princess (Burnett)

 

If you want to get a "preview" of how The Hobbit might work/not work with DD, check out these very gentle works by Tolkien: Letters from Father Christmas (lots of similar run-ins with goblins as in The Hobbit) -- there is also a Kindle version available -- or the very whimsical Mr. Bliss, which is a very silly and unlike Tolkien's other works, but gives you a feel for vocabulary and accents that you will run into with The Hobbit.

 

BEST of luck in deciding what works best for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[alisoncooks]

We've read both with a 6 and 8 year old this year. Both girls LOVED The Hobbit. Loved it, though they were sad at some ending parts (Thorin, Filli, Killi). But we never tired of it, and enjoyed it all the way to the end.

 

We read the first 3 Narnia books, too. We started very strong (loved The Lion, the Witch...) but we petered out into the third book.

 

I'm glad we read them, but I think youngest DD would've enjoyed them more in a year or so. They would not have been able to handle the stories last year.

[Soror]

I honestly cannot remember when I read LWW to the kids, a few years ago maybe and I think I did The Hobbitt as a read-aloud last year(or was it the year before). Ds enjoyed both, dd didn't pay much attention to either, I re-read LWW this year and dd did better with listening but still wasn't entirely enthralled. I wish I would have waited on LWW with ds because I've tried to go through it again this year with him at a deeper level and he's bored with it, so I've officially dropped it. I will be waiting for Lord of the Rings, probably a couple of years, so I don't repeat that mistake, I think he will get much more out of it if we wait. Ds has always had a high listening ability, so it wasn't a question of whether or not he would understand and enjoy it but whether it is the best time to introduce a book. He started listening to chapter books many years ago but Dd1 has always lagged behind in this area, she is just now starting to listen to chapter books, she did a bit last year but mostly her interest was with more complicated picture books. 

[IsabelC]

The Hobbit seems quite a bit more advanced than the Narnia books to me. Longer sentences, richer vocabulary and generally just less kid oriented. On the other hand, my kids all enjoyed Narnia from about age 3, and they got more out of it on repeated readings / listenings. I'd go ahead and buy things while they're on special if you can afford to, and then look out for a good time to present them to your daughter.

[kiwik]

I clearly remember being too scared to have LWW read to me at 7. I also remember reading LOTR at 10. In between I read all of Narnia andvtge hobbit (or had read to me). I found the start of LOTR scary though. I have reread Narnia since but never had much desire to reread the hobbit or LOTR.

[Coco_Clark]

I think out of the Narnia series the first three (The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and Voyage of the Dawn Treader) are all a bit easier for younger kids than the next 3 in the series.  My kids heard those the first time at 4 and 5, and we are still waiting on the second three.  BUT they are happy re-readers.  We often read a book several times in a year, or every year for several years.  If I thought I only had one chance at the books I would wait.  

 

We haven't tried Tolkien yet.  I will agree with others that say The Hobbit is on a different level than Narnia.  

I dont see why you cant purchase the books now, however, if its a good deal.  I've bought dozens of books at library and yard sales that wont be read for years.

 

 

[reign]

My kids all love to read or listen to the same books over and over. They all liked LWW when we read it this summer. I got a nicely color illustrated version from the library. Oldest reread it this fall. One of my kids is very sensitive and I think The Hobbit would upset her. I'll have to wait a bit for that one.

[madteaparty]

[...] but we read them early and I sort of regret it now.

 

I've done this with so many books, and I really regret it. A Wrinkle in Time is one, I think I made him read that at 7 years old. In some cases, I've gently suggested a re-read, but that does not always fly, and I've no one to blame but self.

 

Now, I do not hesitate to set books aside if he reports it's too hard. Yes, he could get through it now (and by lexile measures, he should) but what's the point?

 To address the original question, I read Hobbit as a read aloud around 8. He is going to read it independently at 10 years old next semester, as part of a class, and I still think it's too early, but he insisted on this class knowing what books are on the list.

 

It's also a style thing: I could barely make it through the Hobbit as a read aloud and we both had to give up on Wind in the Willows after a valiant, nay, heroic effort.

[Chrysalis Academy]

My younger tends to get read-alouds at an earlier age, because, well, she's the youngest!  So she heard Narnia as a 6 year old.  It was fine, although I don't think she remembers a ton at this point.   I read The Hobbit aloud this summer, she was 8.  She loved it, and has picked it up to start reading on her own, although I think she finds it difficult and probably won't make it through the book on her own for awhile.  Which is fine - like others have said, it's a challenging read, more so than Narnia.

 

I also read aloud Farmer Giles of Ham, Roverandom, Smith of Wooton Major, and Leaf by Niggle.  The first two she loved, Smith was fine, and Leaf went way over her head.  She wasn't interested in hearing LOTR yet.  

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

Depending on the child the Chronicles of Narnia might be okay to read aloud to a five-year-old.  My 8yo and 6yo have both heard/are hearing the Hobbit for the first time during first grade.  My oldest was in third grade the first time and she LOVED it and re-read her favorite passages over and over again after dh finished the book.

[KSinNS]

So, I'm reading the Narnia books now to my 10 and 8 year old. My 6 year old is completely disinterested. I'm really glad I didn't read them any younger, and will probably read them again to the next two or three in 4 years or so. The text is not that deep, but you do have to pay attention to follow the story. It moves fast, and some of the action is from the dialogue. I'm waiting on the Hobbit until at least next year. My kids love read alouds, but aren't the most advanced listeners. 

[Pegs]

My brothers and I all read the Chronicles of Narnia to ourselves at about 7 years old. I'm holding off reading them to DS in case he'd like to continue the family tradition. :)

[raptor_dad]

DS8, my 2nd grader, has heard The Hobbit twice as a read aloud and has read it independently twice. DS8 heard it first around age 4. My kindergartener heard it as a read aloud last Summer. For reading aloud, we used Michael Hague's illustrated version.

 

DS8 read "Fellowship of the Ring" as a 1st grader but lost interest due to the reading difficulty. This year as a 2nd grader we have been doing a shared read aloud of LotR. He loves it and I have been surprised how much I've been getting out of it despite having read the trilogy numerous times... Particularly the poems and songs are so much better read aloud.

 

PS. One of my earlier memories is listening to an abridgement of "The Hobbit" on my record player as a 3yo... over and over and over again. I would have loved for someone to have read the full book to me...

[raptor_dad]

WRT Narnia I would do it earlier rather than later. I distinctly remember reading it as a naive 4th grader and finding it a horrible muddle. This reflects my view of the books as an adult(Reading about the Inklings in college only confirmed my biases) . DS8 read the whole series as a 1st grader and loved them... too much exposure to fantasy and mythology highlights how derivative and poorly conceived they are. I would err on too early vs too late here...

[alisoncooks]

The replies are so interesting! My girls found the Hobbit pretty easy to follow, maybe more so than Narnia...

[FromA2Z]

I just finished reading The Hobbit to my 6.5 and just turned 5 ds. They did very well with it. I wasn't planning on it. I was going to read it for myself when my dh was out of the country. I asked the boys if they wanted me to read my book out loud after theirs. But they had to be laying down in bed. (Maybe it would put my night owls to sleep :). They wanted me to read it, the did not fall asleep and they enjoyed it. Well at least until the end. My eldest said "Don't ever read that again because THORIN DIES! How could that happen? I think he's OK now.

 

We have been doing chapter book read alouds along with their choice of picture books since ds6 was 3. So we have built up to it

 

I'm trying to hold off in Narnia since I wanted to do the FUFI curriculum when my oldest is in 4th.

 

ETA: the Jemima Catlin illustrated Hobbit is a gorgeous book. I broke down and got it about three chapters in. I like nice thick glossy-page, illustrated books for read-alouds instead of paperbacks. - Yes, I have a serious book problem.

[alisoncooks]

ETA: the Jemima Catlin illustrated Hobbit is a gorgeous book. I broke down and got it about three chapters in. I like nice thick glossy-page, illustrated books for read-alouds instead of paperbacks. - Yes, I have a serious book problem.

 

This is what we read and it is so lovely.  My girls loved the illustrations. 

[HS Mom in NC]

We have this series of abridgements for young ones (there's also a hardcover collection option out of print)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lucy-Steps-Through-Wardrobe-Lewis/dp/0060274506/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0G65Z9P8DM4XNSKCCBW5

 

There's also this abridgement option I give young children as gifts sometimes:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Wardrobe-picture-Chronicles-Narnia/dp/0060556501/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417560338&sr=1-4&keywords=lion+witch+wardrobe