If they're Hobbit age and want a followup, I suggest waiting for LotR and hitting them with L. Frank Baum. Some fantastic stuff there, beyond the one story everyone knows inside out and upside down now.
My grandmother gave me the book about 50 years ago. Still have it. My son never took to it (or reading fiction in general), but hope to share with my grandson.
Enjoy! I read it to my daughters at age 5. Both enjoyed it, and the younger (now 7) has made it through Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, and now working on Lost Tales!
I read the Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy to my kids at bedtime. One of my favourite memories. Now adults, the youngest is a massive Tolkien-head and the other is really into D&D (not sure if that is related but suspect it is). Hobbit-forming indeed.
My dad read it to me when I was a kid, and Lord of the Rings to my older brother. 🥰 We lost him in 2019, and I plan on getting a LOTR tattoo in his honor. We loved traveling, so I want “not all who wander are lost” around my ankle.
That is my all time favorite novel. It’s about how not to forget what matters most in life even if you experience hardship and loss on a long journey in a changing world. Kind of relevant to many of our life experiences these days.
LOTR were the bedtime stories that my dad read to us when my brothers and I were kids. Tolkien is amazing and it’s something we all still share after all of these years!
I’m 59 and when I was 4-5, my dad read it to me and my brother and sister. He was a college professor so he did the voices and was a wonderful reader and we loved it. It’s probably the best memory I have of my dad. He’s deceased now but I still have the book. It’s a great story.
I could have written the exact same thing, except I'm 61 and my father was a high school teacher. He passed away last year and I talked at the eulogy of this exact memory. He sat at the end of the bed and read to my sister and I.
Thank you; and sorry for your loss too. My father passed away in February '24 but at a pretty respectable 93. He instilled in me a love of reading that I passed on to my son. I fear it is no longer common to do so, which is a terrible shame.
My father too surrounded his life with books. In the end, he got rid of all his furniture, except for a small chair and table, in order to stack up books and other reading material. He retired from the library of Congress where he could check-out as many books as he wanted. And he did. Book hoarder
My dad read me the Hobbit and the entire Lord of the Rings as a child and I passed that on to both my kids. They are 5+ years apart in age, so I read em out loud twice! Loved hearing and reading.
I did the same to my boys back when they were young, having already read it to my wife a few years earlier. One of my sons became a LotR fan and read every Tolkien available plus the films. He’s still an enthusiast at 47. I still have the edition I bought as an 18-year -old in Liverpool.
You got a follow for this. Voracious reader of books here, and most vintage stuff is appealing. 1915 Punch cartoons for £2? ooooh, yes please! Knackered old LOTR for 50p because it's old & tatty? Falling apart, so perhaps book art....
I’m pleased to say that my copy of the Hobbit is still in good condition. The cover is faded but the spine is good, as is my 1968 three-volume set of Lord of the Rings, given to me by my older sister for my 21st birthday.
Very pleased to follow back, especially after spotting Pratchett in your bio. Another of my son’s obsessions, having been introduced to the master by his parents. Sometimes they turn out well.😁
Why yes. We miss that man's work so much, so we re-read everything, because. Rhianna is in here, too, and is such a lovely person. My kid & me have convos about DW all the time. Granny Weatherwax/Horace the Cheese/Feegles etc. As you say, they turn out well. 😀
I’ve been doing the same and he’s not as into it as I would like but he does bust out with “And that’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!” at random intervals, which brings me joy.
My dad read that to me & my brothers too. Good memories!😊
I loved when my kids got into all of that too. We had MANY LOTR's marathons once the movies came out. I miss those days but now my granddaughters are into Harry Potter so Mimi is ready for more marathons!
There is a not-getting-Tolkien crisis in this country, and I thank you for doing the work. If Palantir is listening, please tell Anduril I’m just kidding.
The hobbit was one of my favourite books as a kid, I would ask my parents to read it to me all the time. We'd finish a book or series, and they'd ask me what I wanted to read next, and I'd often ask for The Hobbit. Love this for you and your kids!
Among my most cherished memories from childhood is my dad reading The Hobbit and then the Lord of the Rings out loud to my brother and me before bed. Your kids will remember this forever.
Just listened to the audiobook. Now into LOTR, again. I needed some fictional reassurance that, against all odds, the evils we now face can be overcome.
I said the other day to myself “Self, Let’s jump back into the Hobbit, The Wind in the Willows and Frog and Toad” and “check the rules for relocating overseas with pets”
I read it too my kids when they were 4 & 7. Took me almost a year because they’d demand separate readings and also rereading some parts they forgot. Now they’re both teenagers and I’m actually surprised how fond of a memory it is for them. They remember very little of the story though 😂
My son, when he was small (he's 34 now), would not let me read The Hobbit to him. No idea why.
Then one night, I started reading to him when he was taking a bath, and once I got past the fourth page, he was hooked. Maybe my biggest win ever.
The one on the left (I’m assuming maid of honor) kinda looks like a cousin of mine, which is funny because she also had a LOTR wedding. She even got engaged in Hobbiton.
I reference second breakfast all the time. If someone gets the reference, smiles will be exchanged and I will go on my way knowing there is another Tolkien friend in the world.
Others to try (in no particular order):
- The Wind in the Willows (this is actually my favorite)
- The Odyssey (before or after the above)
- The Last Unicorn
- The Count of Monte Cristo
- Les Miserables
- Harry Potter
- The Hidden Life of Trees
- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Some of the best moments of my life were spent reading every night to my kids. Tolkien when they were young, then SciFi and speculative fiction as they grew. Wish I could do it all over again.
We found the audiobook of the Lord of the Rings trilogy at a used book store years ago — 27 cds I think. It is really well done. We listened on an epic road trip from the SF Bay Area to the Canadian Rockies and back. Epic trip and epic listening.
My kids freaked right out when it turned out that Smaug was an intelligent villain who made some good points.
So I started to perform him less as Alan Rickman and more as Quentin Crisp, which helped a lot.
(Gollum I do as a Frank Oz character, for similar reasons)
oh man, my oldest sort of got bored of those right as we got to Taran Wanderer, broke my heart. Hope he'll be up for it again someday (but reading and rereading him One Piece is just waaaaaay too exciting atm)
we're actually in Two Towers right now, but we took a long break because somewhere in the last quarter of Fellowship my then-8yo asked if we could pleaee *not* finish the whole series 😅
Me reading Fellowship to the kids: “…and now Tom Bombadil is singing a little song that we’re gonna skip.”
Kid: “Why?”
Me: “It’s boring.”
Kid: “Lemme decide.” [3 lines in] “yeah, you can stop now.”
There’s a fan made one man audio book project where he does voices and songs and uses the score from the movies. It’s pretty great! It’s the bluefax hobbit!
Don’t bandy too loudly you’re reading Tolkien who was a highly devout scholar. The battle between evil versus good (Nazism versus West) permeates his work.
Nazism is on the rise in America. You might want to keep Tolkien’s works out of sight lest they be confiscated.
reading that/lord of the rings when they were younger, then last holiday season we watched all the movies (they are now older kids/teens). A true delight to share together. Enjoy the ride!
It's a brilliant book for anyone who needs an understanding of what depression is like. You'll see how similar the quote is.
"In the middle of the journey of our life, I found myself in a dark wood,
For I had lost the right path"
There’s that damn sign about abandoning hope…
Let’s all agree we don’t do that no matter what, even if the young ones - you know, the youths who are not hackers from hell? - have to build this country over again.
Oh no - I know you can wander into that Abandon Hope thing but I'm not posting about it as it was written over the door of a place I spent many dark years as a child. I'm never ever a believer in abandoning hope - there's always another way💖.
and my favorite counter to it is: ``In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. No matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger -- something better, pushing right back.'' Albert Camus
When I taught grade school (grade 5) I read it to my class . They loved it. Got some of them reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy. One of my victories.
2/ My husband asked them what book he should read next one night, and they said "Moby Dick" as a joke and he took them up on it. The rest is family history. They are now in their 30's and remember it fondly!
I read it aloud to my oldest when she was 11. I was also amazed that while the writing is way more dense than current teen fiction she was absolutely rapt by the story! Fun!
It's a great book, a little violent, but not as bad as the movies. I've always seen the Ring of Power as a literary symbol for "money." From what we see in the world today, it makes a lot of sense.
My introduction was in High School as we read the Norton Anthology of English Short Stories — The Riddle was one of the chapters in that textbook. (The game between Bilbo and Gollum).
Love that. Read the His Dark Materials series to my oldest and it was a wonderful experience. We are making our way through Percy Jackson series, but I’ve wanted to do the Hobbit for a while (my younger is basically a Hobbit so maybe she’ll be more into it).
Yay! Huge Tolkien fan since our 3rd grade teacher read the hobbit to us. Think I’ve read the trilogy about 15 times. I read them out loud for my husband when he was bedridden for months from surgery. Who will be our Gollum in our current political mayhem I wonder.
💯 Hobbit was the gateway to so many things with my kids! From playing D&D and MTG together to movie nights, cosplay, and my grandson's LoTR themed bedroom, complete with pics of him in the Frodo costume his uncle wore his 1st Halloween!
Enjoy! It's the beginning of a rewarding journey together!
I did the same for mine when they were little. Instead of Goodnight, Moon, we took a year + of bedtime stories to read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They still recall it. I did voices.
It’s literature and it’s helping your kids. Pretty soon, when books are outlawed, maybe some people will have learned the mistake they made.
#JRRTolkien
Highly recommended. By the time we got to LOTR, I was reading long passages in various accents. NY mobster worked best. (Side comment on Shelob: “Dis is not appwopwiate fuh childwen.”)
Good for you. I read to my 3 boys for years. We have the beautiful version of The Hobbit with the wonderful art by Michael Hague. My grown up guys still borrow it when they want to reread it.
My dad read The Hobbit to me.
😭 He's a red hat now, we haven't spoken directly in ages. But I love this. Precious memories forever. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
We are reading the entire series with our kids(12&14), too! We finished The Hobbit this summer, Fellowship this fall and are currently 3/4 way through The Two Towers. (They're motivated to finish, so they can see the films.)
It feels scarily apropos to be reading it during this moment in history.
I remember reading that to my middle child and he really liked it. I miss those days of reading novels aloud before bed. Thanks for sharing this; makes me happy thinking of it.
Just posted that I’m rereading LOTR. It’s a good time to read books in which goodness triumphs. Things are so bleak right now, but I am trying to have hope.
My kid discovered it around age 7 and is still an avid Tolkien fan at age 20. We (are forced to) watch the LOTR films as a family every winter break. (As such, my initial pleasure has since waned😏)
Comments
One of the best things you have done, keep it going!
I commend you!👏👏👏❤️👍
I did wonder if they meant that …
Also recommend Redwall!
It is the perfect story for these trying times.
Also as a joke
Reading that book in between other stuff now
So much looorrrreee
Crazy 🤪
I loved when my kids got into all of that too. We had MANY LOTR's marathons once the movies came out. I miss those days but now my granddaughters are into Harry Potter so Mimi is ready for more marathons!
However, I felt my abilities fell short as Thorin
"and his voice shook like a horn in the valley"
Then one night, I started reading to him when he was taking a bath, and once I got past the fourth page, he was hooked. Maybe my biggest win ever.
Reading classics to your kids is great!
Long book to read out loud, though.
Honestly I far prefer the story over Lord of the Rings.
- The Wind in the Willows (this is actually my favorite)
- The Odyssey (before or after the above)
- The Last Unicorn
- The Count of Monte Cristo
- Les Miserables
- Harry Potter
- The Hidden Life of Trees
- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Some of the best moments of my life were spent reading every night to my kids. Tolkien when they were young, then SciFi and speculative fiction as they grew. Wish I could do it all over again.
All my kids are grown now and The Hobbit was one that they all had read aloud to them. Good,warm & fuzzy memories.
....You meant the celeb video site, didn't you.
So I started to perform him less as Alan Rickman and more as Quentin Crisp, which helped a lot.
(Gollum I do as a Frank Oz character, for similar reasons)
My son: "Why does Frodo sound like Merry?"
The problem hit when the Fellowship reached Lothlorien.
They live to the south, over some mountains.
Italian Galadriel was not a hit.
Kid: “Why?”
Me: “It’s boring.”
Kid: “Lemme decide.” [3 lines in] “yeah, you can stop now.”
there be trolls heading your way
The songs, I sang but I make no promise the tune to any verse 2 was the same as verse 1 40 seconds earlier.
Nazism is on the rise in America. You might want to keep Tolkien’s works out of sight lest they be confiscated.
I made sure we were well out of Mirkwood the next read. 😅
Thank you for sharing and spreading the joy.
“In a hole in a ground there lived a hobbit.”
"In the middle of the journey of our life, I found myself in a dark wood,
For I had lost the right path"
Let’s all agree we don’t do that no matter what, even if the young ones - you know, the youths who are not hackers from hell? - have to build this country over again.
We read aloud to our kids for as long as they would go along with it. The last bedtime read aloud was Moby Dick when they were in middle school.
Please tell me you’re doing all the voices. 🤠
Enjoy! It's the beginning of a rewarding journey together!
#JRRTolkien
😭 He's a red hat now, we haven't spoken directly in ages. But I love this. Precious memories forever. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
It feels scarily apropos to be reading it during this moment in history.
Sadly, feels like Mordor is winning right now here in the US.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT18OJEPU9Q&list=PLhoG7Tljmp9-dJCKVge1PGFTuYHla78AC
one daughter, three sons
and The Hobbit at bedtime