June Children's book of the month - The Hobbit

[RachelMumsnet]

We're joining Bilbo Baggins on his journey through Middle-Earth for our June children's book of the month. The Hobbit was first published in 1937 and has been cited as a classic children's book for generations ever since.

We're offering 50 Mumsnetters copies of The Hobbit, which has been reissued ahead of Peter Jackson's film release at the end of the year. We want you to share your memories of The Hobbit and let us know what your children think on this thread.

At the end of June all those who join in this discussion thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a fab trip to Warner's special screening cinema to see The Hobbit along with an overnight stay at the swish Athenaeum Hotel in Mayfair.

Complying with our new giveaway guidelines, we're allowing four days to apply for the free copy of The Hobbit. The form will be closed on Tuesday at midnight and on Wednesday we will randomly choose 50 winners who will be notified within 48 hours. For more information click here

When I heard they were making a film of LOTR, I was over the moon - as well as disappointed, because the Hobbit should have come first! I was so pleased to hear they were working on my favorite JR Tolkien book... it has everything a child could want in a story - dragons, gold, elves, hobbits and of course lots of magic.. DD is three but I'll be reading it to her soon!

I'm reading The Hobbit to my Y3/4 class & they love it - even wanted me to sing the songs! (I do shortened versions :))
So much current children's literature is short on description & narrative, in the name of accessibility I think - I'd forgotten how evocative Tolkien's language is. There are so many characters to remember too - I shall be spending part of this break making character cards to help us keep track! I'm not sure about all the references to smoke rings though :)

My sister bought The Hobbit audio book for me when i was little and ill. I loved it and still do (and listen to it even today if i am ill/have any time!)

Would love to read this book to my dc (as dd is having a bit of a michael morpurgo phase and I feel like branching out....)

Then she would know why I say she has "hobbit feet" when she has been out without any shoes on!

I missed out and didn't get to read The Hobbit until I was an adult

Determined to read it with my children though, it's things like this that are the one thing that make me with they'd get bigger faster as I think 5 is still a little too young.

Fabulous book. I read it first, it is on my to re-read list.

Interested to see posters have read it to their 4 year olds. I like the idea of reading a chapter a night of a book to DS (rather than The Octonauts and the Giant Squid type fest). I'm tempted to introduce the concept of a chapter of a book a night as a weekend treat.

Hobbits make me think of hairy feet. Nearly 30 years on. And the ZX Spectrum, complete with tape recorder, where it was possible to die from gluttony having convinced Elrond to give you too many lunches. It came as a revelation years later whe I read Lord of the Rings to discover Elrond was a fairly important character, good for more than just deciphering a map and giving out lunch. I think I played that computer game quite a lot.

I was first introduced to the Hobbit at Grammar School when I was 12 and as we 'HAD' to read it it very, very nearly out me off Tolkien for good. Fortunately several of my classmates really GOT the book and then started raving about the Lord of the Rings. As we didn't HAVE to read LOTR I got thoroughly immersed in that and have read it many times since. I used to read it once a year in under 4 weeks and every time you get something different out of it.

I've read virtually all of Tolkien's works now apart from Grendel: The monster and the critics. Humphrey carpenters biography of JRR is still a fantastic read and I read that too when I was 13. When the Silmarillion was first published It was all I wanted for my 15th birthday, I didn't want abything else so luckily I have that as a first edition. Unluckily it's a Book Club Associates edition so probably worth NOTHING. The Hobbit was Tolkiens first published book and I love the refences to Norse and Anglo-Saxon mythology throughout. The Dwarves and Elves are stolen from the Edda, Bilbo sneaking into the dragons cave and stealing a goblet is taken directly from Beowulf. The Beornings being shape-shifters again is a Norse thing. It was round about the time Tolkien was writing the Hobbit that he had an Icelandic nanny for the kids who would tell them the sagas and other folk tales so she had a big influence. A couple of years ago me and the DS went to see the Hobbit play at Wimbledon theatre and that was very well done. Loads of dry ice plunging into the stalls for the Smaug scene so they had to keep the first two rows of seats empty! DS loved it. Me and DD have just finished watching all the extended editions of LOTR and she loves Gollum so when the movies come out we will be straight there to see them, she'll be 7 and he'll be 11.

I have a cassette tapes of the Hobbit radio play that was made in 1968 but they just don't get having to actually LISTEN to something yet so I'll just keep that on the back burner for a few years. I also have the LOTR radio series (1981) which features Ian Holm as Frodo (who plays Bilbo in the movie of course) and Ian Le Mesurier as Bilbo! I would heartily recommend. You may even be able to find both these series on Youtube of course ;-)

I would say that the Hobbit changed literature massively. Without it there would be no Harry Potter, Narnia (Lewis wouldn't have written his series without Tolkiens influence), in fact no Fantasy genre as we know it without Tolkien. No Dungeons and Dragons, a much more limited computer gaming industry. I also have the Hobbit and LOTR computer games on cassette tape from way back in the 80's that worked on my Amstrad CPC, after spending hours loading the damn thing of course. So yes, you could say I'm a bit of a buff. :)

Right, off to the Prancing Pony for some of Hobbiton's finest ale, a pipe full of Old Toby and a Lembas Ciabatta.

Namarië!

If you want to listen to the Radio series you can find it here

Bless us and splash us my Preciousssssss...

Has the book draw taken place yet?

I think so as I had an email saying I'd got a copy.

I just need to persuade one of the DSs to read it now. I loved it as a child.

I remember reading LOTR in a week. It was half term and a friend and I did chuff all bar read the book. Fabulous. :)

Erm...How do i know if i have entered into the book draw

You had to fill in an online form below the blurb for The Hobbit... about a week ago....

Thanks-will know better next time.....

Our copy has arrived - thank you MN. We're going to start reading it tomorrow night. Good timing as we've just finished our Roald Dahl :)

Our copy is here too. I have given it to DS1 (13) and told him to read it - is this what I was meant to do? i may have more success giving it to DS2 (11) who is more of a reader than DS1.

my DS (10) has started his copy already, thank you

Thank you for our copy of the book. Ds has had his nose in it ever since will update his opinion when he has finished it

Thank you for my copy too.

I loved The Hobbit as a girl, it inspired me to read other Tolkien works and to go on to join the Tolkien Society as a teenager.

Aww, missed the book giveaway, but will try and encourage DS (reluctant reader) to read the Hobbit with me, as he has now discovered LOTR films.

I do love The Hobbit, I got the old BBC radio CDs a couple of years back and was disappointed it was a dramatisation rather than a proper audiobook. Thought it might save me time in future when too tired to read to small children! It's a lovely introduction to fantasy for youngsters without being overly simple for the adults to read.

Can't wait for the film adaption so all those friends I couldn't persuade to read will see how good it is!

Bilbo Baggins read The Hobbit to our class when I was 9 years old, at least that is who Mr Prendergast became. I remember being totally entranced and it started a love affair with Tolkien that I have never lost (though I must admit I draw the line at the Silmarillon). I think I read it again every summer hols for years after. Like many here I still have my battered copy that along with 'I Capture the Castle' are prized childhood possessions.

DH doesn't get it, keeps saying he expects it to be funny like Discworld hmmph. So am really hoping my two DSs will let me make it a bedtime favorite when they're a bit older.

We received our book yesterday. DD1 (9) wants to read it with her Dad. Is this like the adult book club when all who have read the book log on and discuss it at the same time? Or, should I just post DD1s comments as she goes?

Sorry if I've missed something....

Was lucky to receive the book a couple of days ago currently reading it to DS 4 and 7. Will report back when I get there opinion of it

DS (5) is having it as bedtime story at the moment, I did wonder if he was old enough but he thinks about it during the day and said today he was a hobbit. Which I think he might be actually.

I have a very vague and ancient memory of going on a school trip to watch the Hobbit in a theatre show (many years ago!)...yet I do not recall actually watching it at all. Not sure what happened...whether i fell asleep before it started or the show got cancelled...or something else...so would love to read it and see it again properly this time!