Are we too old now, or are we always children at heart?

[Ursa major]

Don't worry, Charlene: he's only clowning around.

[D_Davis]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

Don't worry, Charlene: he's only clowning around.

I'm not lion.

[CharleneHaines]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

Don't worry, Charlene: he's only clowning around.

I figured he was... But, I would awful responsible if it were true...

[Ursa major]

That's true - doing a pratfall onto sore-dust doesn't sound like fun.

[CharleneHaines]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

That's true - doing a pratfall onto sore-dust doesn't sound like fun.

Haha, no it sure doesn't...

[Teresa Edgerton]

Returning this thread to its regularly scheduled topic:

Originally Posted by The Procrastinator

I remember as a kid my dad had a nightly ritual of reading to us all in bed ... It was our favourite part of the evening and we have all grown into readers, with varying tastes, but we all enjoy fantasy.

I used to read to my four children on a regular basis. It "took" with the two oldest, who are voracious readers, but didn't work so well with the two youngest. But at least now that my youngest daughter is the mother of twins, she really seems to appreciate the value of reading to her own children. And oh how they love being read to! I have hopes that through the twins she may finally come to love some of the books that have meant so much to me.

Meanwhile, I have found a few new books to love, through reading them to Jack and Ethan. Jane Yolen's "How Does A Dinosaur ..." series is so charming and so funny. Yolen writes fantasy for all age groups, and I've been lukewarm on some of her other books that I've read (although some of her short fiction is beautiful) but the Dinosaur books are already favorites. This is partly due to the text, and partly due to the splendid illustrations.

[dwndrgn]

I'm late to the conversation but I'll throw in my two cents:

Never too old! I read every age level - and it only depends on the story itself, not the label.

The only issue I have with children's book sections is that I'm less likely to find something as I don't peruse those shelves often. But, now I think on it, that is a failing of mine for just not looking!

I have discovered though, that some books don't give me the same feeling as they did when I first read them. I thoroughly enjoyed the Thomas Covenant books as a kid but I couldn't finish the first of the series when attempting a reread. I don't recall exactly what it was that entranced me about the story back then but apparently it doesn't work that way for me anymore.

Since you also added some info about reading to children (which I would definitely do if I had any) but I didn't recall being read to as a child and it was confirmed for me recently that I wasn't - at least not on a regular basis. I remember a favored uncle singing to me though when it was bedtime.

[BookStop]

We used tor ead to our kids all the time when they were younger. The oldest children read to the younger as well, something my youngest doesn't get to do as we aren't having anymore kids. My oldest daughter also read to kids at story times back when I had the bookstore.

It's funny how much children like being read to, even the ones who may not grow into voracious readers themselves.

It's also amazing to me how I have some favorite young children's books that I never tire of. Mulberry Street, Nightmare in my Closet, Wlid Things, Giving Tree - I still have copies of those on the shelves although my kids probably haven't read them in 5 years or more.

[Steve S]

I think that good stories at all age levels can offer something to the reader. I have enjoyed reading books such as 'His Dark Materials' and Harry Potter and the fact that they are primarily aimed at children matters less to me than they are well written stories.

It would of course be unwise to continue to read children's books at the expense of all other fiction, but I think that they can remain a part of your literary diet whatever your age!