Well. Excuse me while I blow my nose. This is a hot-off-the-press RAT because I sat down here in my comfy office chair to compose this post just moments after closing the cover on my twenty-five year old copy of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader . (This link is not to a copy like mine–which you can see a picture of here–but instead, a read-aloud edition, which I don’t possess but would like to one day!) 
I am so thankful that Carrie had the idea to start this Narnia Challenge back a few years ago! It has provided the motivation I’ve needed to get back into Narnia myself, and to bring my girls along for the trip. And what a trip it is! I first read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to them in 2009, when Lulu was 5 and Louise was 3 1/2. Last year we returned to Narnia with Prince Caspian, so of course, it was time to set sail this year with Dawn Treader. Dawn Treader has always been one of my favorite Narnian stories; I find the thrill of sailing toward the unknown Aslan’s Country so very exciting! Reading it aloud to my girls has been wonderful.
There are just so many things I could say about this book (am I gushing? I think so. . . ), so I think I’ll just make a list of some of my thoughts instead of trying to write a proper review of this well-beloved book. Here are some of my thoughts this time aboard the Dawn Treader:
- I think the first line of Dawn Treader is just about as perfect as they come:
There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.
- I made the mistake of giving Reepicheep a high-pitched voice when he made his first appearance in the story, and forever after that I was having to re-read his lines and adjust my voice accordingly. Do you do voices? I generally don’t, mainly because I don’t have a good enough memory to remember which voice belongs to whom. (Hey–I never said I was particularly good at reading aloud, just that I do it a lot. 😉 My girls don’t seem to mind.)
- I really, really need to learn my way around a ship. Poop deck? (Yes, this one elicited laughter!) Forecastle? Sheesh!
- I love the un-dragoning of Eustace, and while I think it is perhaps the most memorable part of the book (and one that I think was a tad too understated in the movie of last year, by the way), I had forgotten how many other really great episodes there are in this story. Of course, what makes them all so great are the multiple appearances of Aslan.
- Reading Dawn Treader simultaneously with Jacobs’ The Narnian (about which I hope to have a post up some time tomorrow) was enlightening. I had never thought of the ship in the story as the Church. Wow!
- I never realized how much of the ending of the book seems to have been pulled out of some of the prophetic books of the Bible. From the “live coal” that a bird places in Ramandu’s mouth (actually, it’s a fireberry) to the crystal sea at The End of the World, the book begs to be pondered.
I am a sentimental sap, yes I am, and every single time that Aslan appears, or truthfully, any time that Aslan is mentioned, I tear up. It follows, then, that I was crying out-right by the time Aslan tells Lucy that it is her and Edmund’s last trip to Narnia. I hope that rather than convincing my girls that their mother is a bit loopy, this will simply convince them of how true, right, and noble a good story can be. Watching their faces, I’m pretty sure that they’re almost as caught up in the story as I am, minus the tears. 🙂
If nothing else, I hope my writing about our time in Narnia will convince other mothers (or fathers) out there to attempt to read longer stories, good ones, to their young children. We’ll lay Narnia aside for now, but Lord willing, we’ll be back again next summer for Carrie’s Narnia Challenge.
Link up your RAT posts in the comments!
Happy Read Aloud Thursday!
I tear up a lot when reading aloud too. My boys do think I’m loopy but I’m ok with that.
I highlighted one favorite book each member of our family is enjoying right now. It’s not strictly read aloud, but I figured being summer and all I’d bend the rules a bit. 🙂
http://supratentorial.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/read-aloud-thursday-books-for-all-ages/
My husband read the series to our oldest boys {10 & 8} last summer. We look forward to when we can read it again to the entire family.
We have been reading farm picture books this month:
http://www.foreverforalwaysnomatterwhat.com/2011/07/farm-sensory-tub.html
I’m in with a post on the Burgess Bird Book today:
http://www.acrossthepage.net/2011/07/read-aloud-thursday-burgess-bird-book/
I love DT too, and tend to tear up often when reading aloud. (Most recently, it was in a passage in The Horse and His Boy — where Aslan explains that there was only ONE lion in Shasta’s adventures.)
We watched the movie version of DT last week — even my 7-year-old. I agree on the understatement of the undragoning — one of so many things the movie did differently than the book. But the ending, they got right. All of us were in tears as Reepicheep sailed away, and the door back to England opened up.
Oh, I loved reading the Narnia stories to my kiddo. I got through three of them, I think. It’s been a while though, he might be more excited about it now that he can understand what I’m saying. Lol! I started when he was 1 or so. He does actually remember some of it from not that long ago, so that’s awesome!
Here’s my link for this week: http://heyitsjade.blogspot.com/2011/07/read-aloud-thursday-july-28th.html
Wow, sounds like a fabulous ride! I can’t wait to start reading Narnia to my twins.
I see that Louise was 3 and 1/2 when you read the first book.
My twins just turned 4, two days ago, I guess that we are ready to start? What do you think, will they be able follow the story?
Thanks so much!
Read Aloud Dad
Read Aloud Dad–I suppose it probably does depend on the children, but my oldest daughter, who was just-turned-five at the time, followed The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with no problem. Louise, who was 3 1/2, followed it somewhat, but I think the details were lost on her. Are your twins accustomed to listening to books with no or very few pictures? Are they accustomed to chapter books? If so, I’d say give it a try and see what happens!
I can’t wait to read C.S. Lewis to Robbie. I think we’ll wait (because I’m not sure he’d get much out of it right now)… but it’s still in the “Big Plans”. 🙂
I just posted about Beatrix Potter’s birthday!!
http://thelintonacademy.blogspot.com/2011/07/in-honor-of-beatrix-potters-birthday-we.html
We finished listening to the whole series on audio book, not too long ago. We really enjoyed the stories 🙂
I’m not sure if I’ll get a post done in time for this week’s link-up…I might have to shoot for next week!
This post makes me supremely happy! =) (Feign shock and surprise!!!) =D HA! Voyage, I think, is my most favorite now. SO much symbolism. I can’t WAIT to share this one with my own kids. (And yes, the undragoning of Eustace is SEVERELY understated in the movie!!! Huge disappointment!)
We read Prince Caspian this year. (So hopefully we WILL get to Voyage next year.)
http://www.readingtoknow.com/2011/07/prince-caspian-read-aloud-thursday.html
I think our tears over these stories will effect and influence our kids for years to come. It’s so awesome. =)
I wish I had read these to my children when they were younger, but they weren’t even on my own radar until about twelve years ago — somehow I grew up unaware of them (so I hope this post and Carrie’s challenge is successful in spreading the word!) I think both older boys have read them on their own and I am hoping to get the youngest into them this year.
I agree about the first line — just perfect. And removing Eustace’s dragon skin was one of the best parts, and so rich — so disappointing that the movie underplayed that.
LWW is still my favorite, but I liked DT a lot, too.
I cannot wait until Jonathan is old enough to enjoy listening to Narnia! I have fond movies of all the books. I received my own set when I was in third grade and just devoured them. I still have them- tattered covers and all. They sit on my shelf just awaiting Jonathan to be old enough to discover them. 🙂
This week, we’ve read books about feelings:
http://nurseryrhymesandfuntimes.blogspot.com/2011/07/books-about-feelings.html
My daughter read the series last year to herself, but I really want to read it aloud to my children, and I think my six year old would enjoy it, too!
Here’s my post this week: http://www.homegrownlearners.com/2011/07/read-aloud-thursday-how-do-i-choose.html
More 26 Fairmount Avenue and something new, too!
Our family has all enjoyed the Narnia books and movies. Here is the link to my post for this week… http://debbiesdigest.blogspot.com/2011/07/read-aloud-thursday-first-week-of.html
Amy,
Thank you for sharing your adventures. I started reading the Narnia series w/my children about three years ago. I got that huge table topper book which contained all of the books in the series. I usually prefer the individual books, but it seemed neat to have that one. We made it through to chapter three and had to stop because my daughter starting having nightmares. I was disappointed, but I stopped reading. We’re way past that so, I may start this series up again soon. Thank you for sharing the challenge information because I can use that as a reference when we start.
There’s so much to love about Dawn Treader, but one of my favorite scenes was when Eustace was in the dragon’s cave sitting on a pile of treasure, but didn’t know what it was because “he’d read all the wrong sorts of books”. Brilliant!