I thought it might be nice to start Harry Potter with Dash this summer, maybe even with both kids. I had visions of us cosily (that is, coolly) curled up reading of an afternoon while the sun beat down outside. But Dash was surprisingly against it. He’d heard B and me discussing it, probably, and talking about how the later books are pretty scary; or maybe he’d just decided to be ornery and that he wouldn’t like it just because we thought he would.
A week or so ago, B was away at a conference and I needed some sort of bedtime carrot. I announced that I was going to start reading the first book. Mabel was interested, even though Dash said he wasn’t, so I sat on her bed and started in on the description of Privet Drive.
Dash was brushing his teeth, just about within earshot. By the time he’d finished up in the bathroom he’d changed his mind, and came in to listen to the rest.
But then.
Then it turned out I’d opened a Pandora’s box. You’d think I’d have known. I did know; I just chose to forget. When Dash gets into something, he’s like a dog with a bone. He won’t leave it alone. He wants to know what will happen. He wants to hear the next chapter. He can’t deal with a cliffhanger. But then it keeps him awake at night … And he’s started campaigning to watch the films, of course. I’d like us to spend some more time just with the books first, so that they have their own mental images well cemented before the movie version imprints over them.
A few times I’ve said “If you want to find out what happens so badly, read it yourself,” and yesterday he did sit down and plough through a couple of paragraphs. But it takes him FOREVER. The words aren’t hard, but he says the print is too small (even wearing his glasses) and he has terrible difficulty reading things like the stylized all-caps of the chapter titles. I’m wondering if I should look for a “large print” version in the library, or download one onto the Kindle that I can change the size on. Hmmm….
That’s not HP, actually. This photo is for general effect only.
I tried to keep both kids at the same place in the books, but once B came home again that went out the window. Now B and Dash are streaking ahead on book two, and Mabel and I are proceeding at a more measured pace near the end of book one. Dash keeps bugging me to read him another chapter (which, just sometimes, is good leverage) and asking me questions like “Do Harry and Ron ever get expelled from Hogwarts?” Much as I hate giving away the story, I accept that sometimes he needs an answer so that he can relax and stop worrying.
I know there are recordings. I know I could borrow a book on tape from the library or download it from Amazon or whatever. But half – maybe all – the fun of introducing your child to a book you’ve enjoyed is reading it to them; even when that child then does their best to squeeze all the joy back out of it by bugging you to read until you’re hoarse.
I tend to read in my own voice with little distinctions for anyone except Hagrid, but B gives everyone a different accent, which is (a) very impressive and (b) far too much like hard work for me to even attempt. He only has about three accents, mind you – dodgy Scottish (McGonagall, mild Hagrid), dodgy Cockney (Ron, Fred and George, possibly Neville), and dodgy French (not yet, but wait till he gets to the fourth book). Also “extra-Irish”, for Seamus Finnegan, and some sort of basic “English” for everyone else, with varying tones from Dumbledore (deep) to Ginny (high pitched), whiny (Hermione) and Alan Rickman (Snape, obvs).
I don’t know how far we’ll go with this – I suspect the third book might be a lot for Dash to take and he might want to stop before, during or after it and metaphorically put the series in the freezer for a while. Whatever happens, I have a feeling it’s going to become one of our defining memories of the summer.
Oh this makes me so happy to read this, I have a huge amount of love for Harry Potter and can’t wait for the day the girls start to read them, they’ve seen the first 5 movies but I won’t let them watch the last 3 til they’ve read the books don’t want them to be too traumatised!!
Similar experience with one of my girls. Daddy started reading Harry Potter to her the summer after first grade. She decided to read them herself and in 2nd grade was known as the girl who always had a Harry Potter book with her. It did amazing things for her reading ability and her confidence.
We can’t quite finish the series though. For some reason they don’t want to read the second half of the last book.
Maybe they just don’t want it to be over. I can understand that.
Yes, that might be it. It could also be that they are afraid to find out who else dies. I can relate to that too.
We read the first 3 books with ours (so far) and have only allowed them to watch the first two movies. After seeing Voldemort our youngest child refused to sleep without all the lights on and wouldn’t go upstairs alone for 6 solid months. If I could do it again I’d stick to just the books and forget the movies until they are older (currently 7 & 8 years). However, my children are also afraid of the original 3 star wars movies so they likely aren’t the best example …. They did LOVE the books though
Wendy
Some of my favourite childhood memories involve reading with my parents. Being read to as a young child, and then later as my confidence grew, whatever I read, Dad read, so that when I got to a good bit and was dying to discuss it, he’d be right there with it.
How lovely of your Dad. My Dad always read to me (and did the voices), but once I started reading to myself, I was mostly on my own. Though then I started recommending books to my Dad – he read both Watership Down and The Hobbit after I did.
I confirmed my suspicions by checking my local public library, and it should be very easy to get your hands on a large print edition of any of the Harry Potter books. They will look like doorstops, but the print is—as advertised—large.
I suggested it to him and he shot it down; which is not to say I wont’ try and it might not work, but it wasn’t exactly jumped at.
Aww, yeah. One of the disadvantages of large-print books it that they end up being HUGE, and some people—adults and kids alike—don’t want to haul them around, or they don’t want to admit that they need the larger type size. They’re a staple of public libraries, though, so if he changes his mind, at least you know it’s there.
Awesome! I haver read the books or seen the movies (I Know) so I’m waiting so I can read them with Evan first
Even as I write, Mabel is sleeping in the hallway because a chapter near the end of book 1 was a little too suspenseful for her liking. For some reason she always finds the hallway feels “safer” than her bedroom at times like these.