Someone just told me about a 5-yr-old who, to help him get to sleep at night....

[Gretl]

....is put to bed with the His Dark Materials trilogy as a talking book. Not just Northern Lights but the other two as well.

I'm sort of baffled. Does anyone else think this is strange or am I totally out of step?

Well, its quite a 'deep' book - but at 5 you probably wont get that.

Lots of kids like to listen to talking books to help them go to sleep - if he really likes it...why not?

Tis only slightly deeper than the Narnia set, which I had finished by around 6.

Maybe it's the voice he likes?
I dunno - worse things to be listening too I suppose.
At least it's not rave music!

OK, I wouldn't be giving the Narnia books to a 5-yr-old either.
It's not the fact that it's a talking book that I'm questioning - I love them - but that the kid is drifting off to sleep with images of walking the labyrinths of the underworld in grief at having been separated from your own essence, that sort of thing.

I think some kids like exploring all sorts of emotions via books. Can't see what is wronmg with Narnia tbh. If you have a particualrly sensitive/easily scared child then of course as a parent you offer suitable material. If you think child can cope - no worries.

How bizarre? Training a child to sleep with sound...talk about rod for your back!!

Exploring ideas - yes.

Being read stories meant for older kids to read to themselves - fine (the reader can always explain bits).

Going to sleep with disturbing and sometimes violent (certainly emotionally violent) ideas meant for teenagers coming to you via a voice in the dark - isn't that a bit different?

(Maybe I AM out of step - I just think a hypnotic voice before sleep has much more power to place ideas in a head!)