Passport to Narnia

Last week I started reading the seventh and final book in the Narnia chronicles, The Last Battle, to the boys. Our favorite time for reading is while Tab is driving us home from Princeton after we've picked him up at work. I used to get motion sick if I tried to read in a moving car, but I realized a few months ago that I can read aloud there without any problems. This was a marvelous discovery because reading to the boys fills that otherwise wasted time. It also keeps the boys from bickering with each other because they are too absorbed in the story to argue.

When I started reading the Narnia books to Daniel back in January, I didn't expect the twins to be interested in books with lots of words and few pictures. To my surprise and gratification, they have become as fascinated with the Narnia books as Daniel, and they are just as likely to remind me to start reading. I don't know how much they understand, but they take a lively interest in various characters and ask questions about the book as I read. I'll probably read the series to the boys again in a few years, at which time the twins will get more out of them; but I'm glad they seem to enjoy the Narnia books now.

I've always loved reading aloud. I try to express the personalities of the characters by using different voices. For this book I've given Shift, the conniving ape, a nasal tone: sometimes whiney, sometimes imperious. Puzzle, the gentle, befuddled donkey, speaks softly and slowly. The centaur's voice is sonorous; the young king sounds eager. Bears speak in low, growly voices while mice and squirrels chatter. I guess I must be a frustrated actor at heart.

It helps that C. S. Lewis masterfully conveys information about a character through the character's word choices and verbal tics. The visitors from our world are colloquial, the Narnian royal personages are dignified, the Talking Beasts speak in the manner of English countryfolk, and the Calormenes employ flowery, ornate prose.

One of the best things about having children is being able to relive favorite childhood memories. I feel privileged to be my sons' escort and guide on their first visit to Narnia.

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