The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

By C. S. Lewis

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, four English children are sent to their uncle's house in the country during World War 2. The youngest, Lucy, discovers a wardrobe that is a portal to a magical world, known as Narnia, filled with talking animals, fauns, nymphs, dwarves, and an evil queen who keeps the world always winter but never Christmas. When the rest of her brothers and sisters join her in Narnia, they meet the great Lion Aslan, and quickly become embroiled in a battle between good and evil that will determine the fate of Narnia itself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Release date: Apr 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9781974908332

C. S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures. Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.

Book preview

CHAPTER I

LUCY LOOKS INTO A WARDROBE

Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids. They were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office. He had no wife and he lived in a very large house with a housekeeper called Mrs. Macready and three servants. (Their names were Ivy, Margaret and Betty, but they do not come into the story much.) He himself was a very old man with shaggy white hair, which grew over most of his face as well as on his head, and they liked him almost at once; but on the first evening when he came out to meet them at the front door he was so odd-looking that Lucy (who was the youngest) was a little afraid of him, and Edmund (who was the next youngest) wanted to laugh and had to keep on pretending he was blowing his nose to hide it.

As soon as they had said good night to the Professor and gone upstairs on the first night, the boys came into the girls’ room and they all talked it over.

We’ve fallen on our feet and no mistake, said Peter. This is going to be perfectly splendid. That old chap will let us do anything we like.

I think he’s an old dear, said Susan.

Oh, come off it! said Edmund, who was tired and pretending not to be tired, which always made him bad-tempered. Don’t go on talking like that.

Like what? said Susan; and anyway, it’s time you were in bed.

Trying to talk like Mother, said Edmund. And who are you to say when I’m to go to bed? Go to bed yourself.

Hadn’t we all better go to bed? said Lucy. There’s sure to be a row if we’re heard talking here.

No there won’t, said Peter. I tell you this is the sort of house where no one’s going to mind what we do. Anyway, they won’t hear us. It’s about ten minutes’ walk from here down to that dining-room, and any amount of stairs and passages in between.

What’s that noise? said Lucy suddenly. It was a far larger house than she had ever been in before and the thought of all those long passages and rows of doors leading into empty rooms was beginning to make her feel a little creepy.

It’s only a bird, silly, said Edmund.

It’s an owl, said Peter. This is going to be a wonderful place for birds. I shall go to bed now. I say, let’s go and explore tomorrow. You might find anything in a place like this. Did you see those mountains as we came along? And the woods? There might be eagles. There might be stags. There’ll be hawks.

Badgers! said Lucy.

Snakes! said Edmund.

Foxes! said Susan.

But when next morning came, there was a steady rain falling, so thick that when you looked out of the window you could see neither the mountains nor the woods nor even the stream in the garden.

"Of course it would be raining!" said Edmund. They had just finished their breakfast with the Professor and were upstairs in the room he had set apart for them—a long, low room with two windows looking out in one direction and two in another.

Do stop grumbling, Ed, said Susan. Ten to one it’ll clear up in an hour or so. And in the meantime we’re pretty well off. There’s a wireless and lots of books.

Not for me, said Peter, I’m going to explore in the house.

Everyone agreed to this and that was how the adventures began. It was the sort of house that you never seem to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places. The first few doors they tried led only into spare bedrooms, as everyone had expected that they would; but soon they came to a very long room full of pictures and there they found a suit of armour; and after that was a room all hung with green, with a harp in one corner; and then came three steps down and five steps up, and then a kind of little upstairs hall and a door that led out onto a balcony, and then a whole series of rooms that led into each other and were lined with books—most of them very old books and some bigger than a Bible in a church. And shortly after that they looked into a room that was quite empty except for one big wardrobe; the sort that has a looking-glass in the door. There was nothing else in the room at all except a dead blue-bottle on the window-sill.

Nothing there! said Peter, and they all trooped out again—all except Lucy. She stayed behind because she thought it would be worthwhile trying the door of the wardrobe, even though she felt almost sure that it would be locked. To her surprise it opened quite easily, and two moth-balls dropped out.

Looking into the inside, she saw several coats hanging up—mostly long fur coats. There was nothing Lucy liked so much as the smell and feel of fur. She immediately stepped into the wardrobe and got in among the coats and rubbed her face against them, leaving the door open, of course, because she knew that it is very foolish to shut oneself into any wardrobe. Soon she went further in and found that there was a second row of coats hanging up behind the first one. It was almost quite dark in there and she kept her arms stretched out in front of her so as not to bump her face into the back of the wardrobe. She took a step further in—then two or three steps—always expecting to feel woodwork against the tips of her fingers. But she could not feel it.

This must be a simply enormous wardrobe! thought Lucy, going still further in and pushing the soft folds of the coats aside to make room for her. Then she noticed that there was something crunching under her feet. I wonder is that more mothballs? she thought, stooping down to feel it with her hand. But instead of feeling the hard, smooth wood of the floor of the wardrobe, she felt something soft and powdery and extremely cold. This is very queer, she said, and went on a step or two further.

Next moment she found that what was rubbing against her face and hands was no longer soft fur but something hard and rough and even prickly. Why, it is just like branches of trees! exclaimed Lucy. And then she saw that there was a light ahead of her; not a few inches away where the back of the wardrobe ought to have been, but a long way off. Something cold and soft was falling on her. A moment later she found that she was standing in the middle of a wood at night-time with snow under her feet and snowflakes falling through the air.

Lucy felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well. She looked back over her shoulder and there, between the dark tree-trunks, she could still see the open doorway of the wardrobe and even catch a glimpse of the empty room from which she had set out. (She had, of course, left the door open, for she knew that it is a very silly thing to shut oneself into a wardrobe.) It seemed to be still daylight there. I can always get back if anything goes wrong, thought Lucy. She began to walk forward, crunch-crunch, over the snow and through the wood towards the other light.

In about ten minutes she reached it and found that it was a lamp-post. As she stood looking at it, wondering why there was a lamp-post in the middle of a wood and wondering what to do next, she heard a pitter patter of feet coming towards her. And soon after that a very strange person stepped out from among the trees into the light of the lamp-post.

He was only a little taller than Lucy herself and he carried over his head an umbrella, white with snow. From the waist upwards he was like a man, but his legs were shaped like a goat’s (the hair on them was glossy black) and instead of feet he had goat’s hoofs. He also had a tail, but Lucy did not notice this at first because it was neatly caught up over the arm that held the umbrella so as to keep it from trailing in the snow. He had a red woollen muffler round his neck and his skin was rather reddish too. He had a strange, but pleasant little face with a short pointed beard and curly hair, and out of the hair there stuck two horns, one on each side of his forehead. One of his hands, as I have said, held the umbrella: in the other arm he carried several brown paper parcels. What with the parcels and the snow it looked just as if he had been doing his Christmas shopping. He was a Faun. And when he saw Lucy he gave such a start of surprise that he dropped all his parcels.

Goodness gracious me! exclaimed the Faun.

CHAPTER II

WHAT LUCY FOUND THERE

Good evening, said Lucy. But the Faun was so busy picking up his parcels that at first he did not reply. When he had finished he made her a little bow.

Good evening, good evening, said the Faun. Excuse me—I don’t want to be inquisitive—but should I be right in thinking that you are a Daughter of Eve?

My name’s Lucy, said she, not quite understanding him.

But you are—forgive me—you are what they call a girl? asked the Faun.

Of course I’m a girl, said Lucy.

You are in fact Human?

Of course I’m human, said Lucy, still a little puzzled.

To be sure, to be sure, said the Faun. How stupid of me! But I’ve never seen a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve before. I am delighted. That is to say— and then he stopped as if he had been going to say something he had not intended but had remembered in time. Delighted, delighted, he went on. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tumnus.

I am very pleased to meet you, Mr. Tumnus, said Lucy.

And may I ask, O Lucy, Daughter of Eve, said Mr. Tumnus, how you have come into Narnia?

Narnia? What’s that? said Lucy.

This is the land of Narnia, said the Faun, where we are now; all that lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea. And you—you have come from the wild woods of the west?

I—I got in through the wardrobe in the spare room, said Lucy.

Ah! said Mr. Tumnus in

Reviews for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

[karnoefel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Clive Staples Lewis, Jack voor zijn vrienden, werd geboren in 1898 in Belfast. Als kleine jongen was hij dol op sprookjes, fantasieverhalen, mythen en legendes. Daarom besloot hij ze als volwassene zelf te gaan schrijven. Op zijn 16e creëerde hij al een faun die zich met een paraplu en een pakketje onder zijn arm verplaatste in een met sneeuw overdekt bos. C.S. Lewis studeerde klassieke talen, Engels, literatuur en filosofie. In de periode dat hij doceerde aan de universiteit aan Oxford, maakten hij en zijn goede vriend J.R.R. Tolkien, de schrijver van de In de ban van de ring trilogie, deel uit van de Inklings. Een informele schrijversgroep, waarvan de leden elkaar ontmoetten in een plaatselijke pub om ideeën voor verhalen te bespreken. De fascinatie van Lewis voor sprookjes, mythen en oude legenden, samen met inspiratie die hij kreeg uit zijn kindertijd, bracht hem tot het schrijven. De faun kreeg gezelschap van een witte heks en overweldigende leeuw. Hun verhaal werd Het betoverde land achter de kleerkast (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe). Het boek kwam in 1950 uit en groeide later uit tot een van de meest geliefde boeken aller tijden. De Kronieken van Narnia waren Lewis' eerste poging tot het schrijven van kinderboeken, iets wat hem in eerste instantie afgeraden werd door zijn vrienden en uitgever. Men dacht dat het zijn reputatie als serieuze schrijver zou schaden wanneer hij zich aan dat genre zou wagen. Het betoverde land achter de kleerkast, werd ook maar matigjes ontvangen en moest het vooral hebben van mond-tot-mond reclame. Toch volgden er nog zes boeken, waardoor de ongelooflijke populaire Kronieken van Narnia ontstonden. Het laatste deel uit de serie, Het laatste gevecht, werd geëerd met de Carnegie Medal, een van de hoogste onderscheidingen in Engeland voor kinderboeken. De Kronieken van Narnia waren de enige kinderboeken van C.S. Lewis, daarna verschenen echter nog vele boeken voor volwassenen, waaronder fantasy verhalen en verzamelde brieven. Hiermee verwierf Lewis grote faam in Groot-Brittannië en daarbuiten. Op bol.com vind je alle boeken van C.S. Lewis, waaronder het nieuwste boek van C.S. Lewis.

[sean191 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The one that started it all. Sure, it's Lewis so it has heavy Christian overtones...but as a kid, they flew right over my head and as an adult, although I know they're there...it doesn't make a difference one way or the other. It's a good fantastical tale and a story that challenges kids but also is manageable for younger ones. My 8-year-old enjoyed it, my 6-year-old enjoyed it more. They're looking forward to the next Narnia installment and I still have them all after 30+ years.

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Who am I to critique C.S. Lewis? I didn't like the book but I recognize an excellent work. I just don't like fantasy. It was on the Elementary Battle of
the Books list which is why I read it.

[hiddenlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's amazing what's hidden under the covers of books. So many people think this is Christian. It's not. It's roots go much further back into secret knowledge.

[dylangoeagles · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful adventure story to a new world

[stpnwlf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first of the Chronicles of Narnia - one of the finest fantasy stories ever. Period.

[emhromp2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A classic story about forgiveness and heroism. Loved it! Gives an extra dimension for Christians.

[dquazzo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a wonderful novel of spiritual skepticism and redemption. a classic. i could read again and again.

[heidilove_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

one of the books that started it all for me. loved this.

[hredwards · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent classic fable for children of all ages. Really explains the sacrifice Christ made for all of us.

[susan139 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first in the chronicles, and probably the best of all the 7 books.

[crowyhead · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A truly magical novel and deservedly considered a classic.

[catherine_gv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This one was good too. I loved the winter-temperature :D...

[pwaites_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Like The Golden Compass, I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as part of my job as a course tutor for a college first year seminar on gender and leadership in young adult fantasy. This context obviously effected my experience of the book and this resulting review.I should also probably mention that while I’d never read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe before, I knew quite a bit about it going in. For most of my childhood my family went to an Episcopalian church (think the American version of Church of England), and they loved this book. I remember being shown the old animated movie and attending a two person play (the actors represented different characters with different hats) put on in the church’s cafeteria. I remember it being stressed that not only was C.S. Lewis Christian, he was specifically Anglican, and it was something the church was really proud of. So while I may not have read the book, I came in knowing the rough shape of the story.But since everyone kept telling me to read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I naturally refused. What can I say? I’ve always been stubborn. Therefore, I don’t think I have the childhood nostalgia that a lot of people have for The Chronicles of Narnia. And since I haven’t read the rest of the books in this series, my comments on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe‘s presentation of gender and leadership will be focused solely on this book.But before I get into anything else, I can see how children could love The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Even reading this as a twenty year old college student, I could feel the magic and appeal of Narnia from Lewis’s descriptions of a snow crusted world. And The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is very much a kid’s book. It’s fairly thin, and there’s not a whole lot of complexity to it (which made it much less fun to analyze than some of the other books the class read). So yes, it’s probably unfair of me to judge it as an adult reader, but just remember that experiences are subjective and star ratings are ultimately meaningless.The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was published in 1950, and it falls in line with the gender norms of that era – i.e. it’s pretty straightforwardly sexist. The most notable example is Father Christmas telling Lucy and Susan that battles are ugly when women fight (and not just ugly in general?), and there’s other, more subtle instances as well. Like how the beavers follow 1950’s/40’s gender norms to an almost comical degree. Mr. Beaver goes out fishing to provide for the family. Mrs. Beaver cooks and cleans, and she gets a sewing machine from Father Christmas.The class spent a fair bit of time discussing Lucy and Susan. Lucy is the more active character; she discovers Narnia, she’s depicted as brave and strong willed. Susan’s a wet blanket without much characterization and whom the other children accuse of trying to mother them. What does the contrast between the two say about gender in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? Lucy falls into less gendered patterns than Susan, but is it because she’s younger? Is the implication that when girls grow up, they become like Susan? And is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing? I don’t have any answers, but they’re questions I find interesting.Jadis is another character who falls into some old gendered tropes. She’s beautiful, alluring, and evil. There’s an element of the Temptress archetype to her, but she’s also sort of a perverted mother figure – she beguiles Edmund by wrapping him in furs, feeding him sweets, and promising to adopt him. The dissonance between these two roles was strange, and it goes to show how much of her character relates to her gender. I think if she were an evil king instead of an evil queen, we’d get a very different book.The class also spent some time discussing leadership, the difference between a good leader and an effective leader (Jadis certainly wasn’t good, but she was possibly effective), and whether or not Aslan was really a good leader. As one of the other students pointed out, he doesn’t really do anything. He sacrifices himself for Edmund and he’s got some magic breath, but does that make him a good leader? And why was he waiting around for these four random children? Why not just save Narnia himself? “Because prophecy” is not a good answer.I struggled with what I was going to say about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I mentioned earlier that it feels thin, and I stand by that. It wasn’t much fun to read as an adult, and I didn’t enjoy the analysis as much as I have with some of the other YA fantasy books the course is doing.Review from The Illustrated Page.

[faith_murri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this.

The Writing and Worldbuilding

I absolutely loved the writing style! It was very similar to J.M. Barrie, with fun asides and little comments throughout. Though definitely targeted at children, it is readable and enjoyable by all.

I loved the themes, the pacing, the world, and the characters. It was phenomenal.

The Characters

Peter, Susan, and Lucy: They were all so fun and I enjoyed following them and experiencing Narnia through them.

Edmund: Freaking Edmund. He was such a good character. His arc was awesome and quite deep, actually. Definitely my favorite character.

the White Witch: I was surprised at just how scary she actually was. Really, she was legitimately frightening!

Aslan: I was worried that he would be preachy, but honestly he was sincerely powerful and strong and just pretty darn great.

Conclusion

I am so happy that I read this. It was really great. Such a funny, emotional, and powerful story. Freaking fantastic!

[therebelprince · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

You'd have to be pretty hard-hearted not to enjoy "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", at least as a nostalgia hit. There's no surprise that it has become such a prominent part of so many childhoods, with its fascinating idea of a world reached through someone's wardrobe, where bored children on summer holiday can find white witches and talking lions. It's an ideal escapist story for kids (very much in the 'Harry Potter' vein) and - unlike a lot of today's rather bland children's literature - has a real sense of being a story that can be shared. Lewis' narrative voice is wonderful, somewhere between "kindly adult" and "co-conspirator".

Of course, there is the religious element, which isn't so prominent here as in the later books, but which can leave an uncomfortable taste. Not that I think we should begrudge all items from other eras because of their cultural biases, but if I ever have children, I'd want to be able to explain to them why they should take the whole resurrection business with a grain of salt! Still, it doesn't take away from the childhood magic of this book, even if Philip Pullman is probably a worthy successor-cum-replacement!

[borrows0n0wants · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great children's fantasy book. It is exciting but the focus is more on telling the story than shocking the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as well as the series.

[paradiseporch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I understand why children have loved this, although I came at it decades too late. Also, the hit-you-over-the-head similarities to Christianity bothered me.

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Chronicles of Narnia really define my childhood in so many ways. I remember being read to at night before bed as my parents made their way through each of these books and my imagination went running rampant. I absolutely adored each one of these stories, the children and their tumbles into Narnia, the lessons that they learned from Aslan and his people, and the greater implications it had on me as a reader and human being. I adore British literature, and especially children's British literature from the master, C.S. Lewis!

[allieburks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is about four children who discover a new world called Narnia through a wardrobe. Lucy finds the world first, then Edmund, then the other two, Peter and Susan. Edmund encounters the white witch the first time he goes to Narnia and gets deceived by her. Once they all are in Narnia together, they, they experience many unique animals who can talk and have an adventure of a lifetime. This book is categorized as fantasy because what happens in the story could never happen, but it is definitely believable because of the themes of the story. Genre: Fantasy, Age Appropriateness: Intermediate

[bythebeatles · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As a Christian, I found the relation of this book to the story of Christ's death and return a fun twist to a well know tale. A book that I have read on more than one ocation, and one certainly good enough to have a film based on it.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my second favorite of the series, but the one I most highly recommend (you're more likely able to find people to talk about it with than The Horse and His Boy). Incredibly imaginative and beautiful. If you are religious, you can enjoy the immense allegory in the series, if not, enjoy it for the marvel that it is.

[cars27_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

really loved the book one of my favourites

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia although it was published first (in 1950). It tells the story of four ordinary children who go through the back of a wardrobe and end up in the land of Narnia. The White Witch needs 2 boys and 2 girls to maintain her hold over Narnia, according to an old legend.

[cuviper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What can I say -- this is a classic. The obvious Aslan == Jesus connection is not that interesting, but this is a solid fantasy novel regardless. I'm currently reading through the whole series in chronological order (vs. the original published order), and some things are better understood this way, like the origin of the light post. However, I still think LWW makes a stronger start for the series than The Magician's Nephew.

[amelish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the wonderfulest book of all the chronicles because it is standalone, and perfect. No explanations needed, it is what it is.

[thach_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Characters:Aslan, The White Witch, Peter Pevensie, Susan Pevensie, Edmund Pevensie - Lucy Pevensie, Tumnus, Professor Kirke. Mr. Beaver, Mrs. Beaver, Dwarf, Maugrim, Father Christmas, and Emperor-over-the-SeaSetting: Set after WW2, but was mosly in a fantasy land called NarniaTheme: The theme is that one should not over consume. The occurance of over eating or glutony was indicated often, as Edmund consuming the Turkish delight.Genre: fantasyGolden quote (optional): Summary: The starts as four young kids are sent to the countryside to escape the WW2. They are moved to Professor Kirke's place where they find a wadrobe. In the wardrobe they are sent to a fantasy land where there are mythical creatures and beings. In this land, is where they become leaders and conquer evil doers such as the White Witch. At the end, they return to their original place but not sure if their voyage was real or not. Audience:Young adult, middle school. Curriculum ties: social issues, also religious issues with Christiatnity. Awards (optional):Personal response:Reading this novel was a great pleasure. It let me dive into a fantasy land where children have the opportunity to become adults. In this story, there are many issues that arise which have biblical references. Aslan, for instance, created the land and basically runs the place. Overall, this story puts the reader into a fantasy land where they can be part of roles that they wouldnt think they could fit in.

[btivis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is the ulitmate in fantasy children's literature. While visiting the professor's house, four siblings begin to look around at all the things the professor possesses. During this time, one of the sisters finds a wardrobe and crawls in to hide. It is there she finds the pathway that leads her to Narnia. When she returns, she tells her siblings about what she found, but they do not believe her. She finally convinces them to follow her back. They encounter many strange beasts, a lion and a witch while they are there. The story keeps you wondering who will prevail over the kingdom, be it the evil witch or the lion.I loved this book. I never read any of the Narnia books as a child because I never was a fan of fantasy. I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did.I would just like to read this book aloud to my students. I think there are plenty of activities that you could use to go along with it, but I think this would be a fun book to let them lay in the floor and listen to.

[fishoutoforder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A favourite from my childhood.

[firecrackerscribe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I still can't believe that I never read these books as a child. I remember watching "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," on PBS (I think it was a BBC version (of course)), and it was lovely. Anyway, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" was as enchanting as I thought it would be. I chose not to be irritated by the Christian undertones and just enjoyed the story. I was, however, a little irritated about the comments about Susan and Lucy not being allowed to fight because women shouldn't be in battle. Then I remembered these books were written ages ago.

I love how Lewis asserts himself as an author and injects himself into the story. It's almost as though he's assuring young readers that, as enchanting as this place is, don't worry, when things get bad, it's not real.