The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Author: C.S.Lewis
Publisher: First published 1950 by Geoffrey Bles, First published by Lions,  Collins Publishing Group, 1980, edition featured 1988

I read this to my 5 year old and 7 year old boys a couple of months ago, to mixed success. I set The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe up as a nostalgia trip for myself, I thought I 
remembered soldier queens and exhilarating battles, but some of this memory was 
implanted from watching the Children's BBC series adaptation from the 1980s. I wasn't disappointed by re-reading the book, just resolute by how 'of its time' the book was, and how adaptations since had skewed the book's ideological stance so much, I had no recollection of how stiff the writing comes across. Enid Blyton eat your heart out, and I'm really not a fan of Blyton and don't buy in to any of this, new wave Blyton fandom popular with the mums at school. 
As my children proved though, ideology is clearly an aside to adventure when you're young. The boys followed the chase chapters excitedly, particularly when the beavers were helping hide the children, and loved the deception of Edmund, his lust for the Turkish Delight ( though I had to refer to these as 'sweets', as the kids had no idea what Turkish Delight might mean). While as an adult I was aghast at the sexism In the book, particularly the moment Peter saves his sister Susan from baying wolves as she climbs a tree; she does a great job at defending herself and younger sister but when Peter is then preparing for battle, he tells Susan the battle is no place for a girl. ( I edited this slightly as I read aloud, but there was no need as the boys were too busy anticipating some sword fighting and didn't really care who'd be involved!) 

What I also found as an adult, was how obvious the 'Aslan as Jesus' parallel is, while I remember this being pointed out to me as a child, and feeling it was clever and subtle. The whole moment of sacrifice on the stone table, the witch's long laboured torture scene, then the breaking of the table in half like Jesus's tomb, was long winded while the battle scene itself, was anticlimactic, short, lacked description of 'one-one' combat. There were also these strange intervals in the book where CS Lewis indulges in encyclopaedic paragraphs about the flora and fauna of the forest, which made my two quite restless and bored. 

Positives though, finishing reading and watching the 2002 film the following day, what a treat that film is! Well paced, well told and beautiful cinematography, particularly the long shots; vast, eerie, magical. I hate to say it, but in this exceptional circumstance, the film is better than the book ( eek! did I say that?)Maybe I'm feeling brave like Susan! 

On that note, here's a link to the superb 2005 Chronicles of Narnia film: https://youtu.be/pYcGFLgJ8Uo

The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies

Author and illustrator: Beatrix Potter
Publisher: Frederick Werne 1909 originally. reproduction Frederick Wearne and Co 2002


This is my 3 year old daughter's favourite book, and it has been for quite some time. Once you overcome the length of Beatrix Potter stories with little ones, and Potter books do feel quite long for them on the first few reads, there's something comforting and familiar about the stories, characters and even the way she writes, probably because her work is so over merchandised in contemporary Britain. I've lost count of the Petter Rabbit toys we own, the Squirrel Nutkin birthday cards we've received, and the Tiggy Winkle cup and bowl set I kept from my own childhood we use most days. And there's the rub I suppose, nostalgia! I think I read these books with more passion, more longing, more patience then any other children's books as I have fond memories ( of that cup and bowl set), and so maybe it's this Edie hears in my voice that makes her love them so. I don't think I was ever really read the books as a child myself, but I remember this version of BBC serialisation so well, happy days: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_of_Peter_Rabbit_and_Friends 

Now the thing I love about 'The Flopsy Bunnies' tale in particular is the menace of Mr McGregor nearly getting to put the sleeping bunnies in a pie. Edie and I like how he counts out the bunnies on several occasions as it brings the proximity to the time that he will eat them so close.  I also love the fact Potter's work is still unabridged ( I think that's the correct word) meaning that her original descriptions and use of language lay in tact, and so my three year old understands / is expected to understand what 'soporific bunnies' means! I could tell I was reading Potter books far to much to Alf when he was three, as he once turned around in the park and said, with hands on hips, ' I am affronted!!' to a complete stranger.  (line from 'The Tale of Tom Kitten' if anyone is wondering). 

As an aside, when we took a visit to Beatrix Potter's house in the Lake District,the National Trust volunteer tour guide handed all the children a copy of The Tale of Samuel Whiskers. We were worried that our 7 year old wouldn't engage in the tour at all, but with book in hand the guide asked him to find all the places in the house illustrated in the book. These were places, she said, where Beatrix Potter was reported to have seen real rats ( and tried to kill them.  Far from bored, the boys in particular run excitedly round the house comparing the illustrations of the skirting board to the real nooks and crannies in HillTop house. If you're interested in visiting Hill Top (a great way to support children's reading of The tales of Beatrix Potter, visit the National Trust site:  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hill-top
Rating: Stick with these books, persist, and you'll be rewarded with discovering the magic of Potter, beautiful, detailed and eloquent stories, with a very 'British' rural flavour, note wild flower illustrations encapsulate the period.