My 9 year old son read this one aloud to me and his little sister. We LOVED it! Such a sweet, sad, and joyful story! Can't wait to read the sequel. My 9 year old son read this one aloud to me and his little sister. We LOVED it! Such a sweet, sad, and joyful story! Can't wait to read the sequel. ...more
I absolutely loved this book as a middle-grade-schooler. I was OBSESSED! I read all of Edward Eager's books, some of them multiple times, and this wasI absolutely loved this book as a middle-grade-schooler. I was OBSESSED! I read all of Edward Eager's books, some of them multiple times, and this was one of my favorites.
Well, maybe it was inevitable, but, on re-read, aloud to my kids, it did not quite live up to my memories. It was fun and all, but it didn't capture my childrens' imagination nearly the way it had captured mine as a kid, and I couldn't say I blamed them, since it didn't seem as amazing to me, either.
So it goes. This is still a classic, and a very fun childrens' book! It was utterly magical and compelling to me when I was 8 or 9, and nothing can ever take that away from me. But what is magical and compelling to one kid at one moment may not be quite as compelling to another kid (or a grown up version of the first kid) at another moment. C'est la vie.
FULL DISCLOSURE: We did not finish this. We made it only about 50 pages in. It seems to be geared towards older children than mine, and I realized my FULL DISCLOSURE: We did not finish this. We made it only about 50 pages in. It seems to be geared towards older children than mine, and I realized my kids don't know the underlying fairy tales well enough to follow the retelling. And it was cute, but it's really long and I wasn't really sold on it. So we'll go read some fairy tales instead. Perhaps another time. ...more
This is a "classic" that I had never heard of until it was recommended by a lovely local indie bookstore employee. There are really only two characterThis is a "classic" that I had never heard of until it was recommended by a lovely local indie bookstore employee. There are really only two characters- David and the Phoenix! - and the book chronicles their adventures.
I read it to my kids aged almost 5 and 8. I really enjoyed it and found the plot and language delightful. My 4 year old seemed to have a bit of difficulty keeping up with it, but my 8 yo remained engaged throughout. I wouldn't say it captured his imagination the way My Father's Dragon did, but he was interested and enjoyed it! For my part, I really enjoyed it! ...more
I read this series aloud to my kids, ages 4 and 7, and it was the definite winner of 2016!! It really captured their imaginations, and they've been prI read this series aloud to my kids, ages 4 and 7, and it was the definite winner of 2016!! It really captured their imaginations, and they've been pretending to be kitties with wings ever since! This is what my brother terms "low-fantasy" - except for one magical element (the cats have wings), it is strictly realism. There is never any explanation for that magical element, either, it just is. My kids are at different ages and stages, but this series had them both absolutely tranfixed. I should have known, based on the author, right? Enchanting! Read it! ...more
I read this to my four and seven year old, and it kept them both engaged and interested, which is no small feat! This is apparently a classic, althougI read this to my four and seven year old, and it kept them both engaged and interested, which is no small feat! This is apparently a classic, although I'm embarrassed to admit I had never heard of it. It's magical, a little nonsensical, and quite simple in plotline, has sweet illustrations (still important for my kids that there be pictures every few pages) and is generally an absolute pleasure to read aloud! We read all three tales back to back and the kids looked forward to it every night!
UPDATE: My kids loved this book so much that they demanded that I reread it to them! And I did! And it was pretty fun the second time too. ...more
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