The Hobbit

Written by J. R. R Tolkien and prelude to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is a wonderful tale of fantasy and adventure that holds equal entertainment and joy for both children and adults. A real classic to be sure, this tale of adventure, riches, courage, and change, is a work of timeless genius and a real masterpiece that will never grow aged or become outdated. 

Bilbo Baggins is a respectable hobbit, for he has never had any adventures or did anything unexpected. But his comfortable and contented world is shaken and shattered when a wizard named Gandalf appears on his doorstep and enlists his help in a quest to help a group of dwarves reclaim a great treasure that was stolen from their kin many years ago by the dragon Smaug the Magnificent. Soon, poor little Bilbo is whisked away from his warm and safe hobbit hole, set upon a great journey and, although reluctantly at first, Bilbo soon surprises both the dwarves and himself by his resourcefulness and his skills as a burglar. 

Tolkien’s creation of wonderful creatures, both good and evil, has captivated readers for years and this particular publication of the timeless tale is accompanied by stunning illustrations done by Alan Lee. No matter how much you love reading, there is a childhood part of everyone that just loves to sit and look at pictures of what’s happening the story and, aside from Tolkien himself, Alan Lee was the perfect illustrator of this tale. 

What I love particularly about Tolkien’s style of writing is that it is very reminiscent of story time, as he depicts the events of the adventure in the third person register, but sometimes then speaks directly to the reader with phrases such as: 

“now if you wish, like the dwarves, to hear news of Smaug, you must go back again to the evening when he smashed the door and flew off in rage two days before.” 

I find it really lovely that the entire tale, though it uses a more mature form of dialogue than the modern fantasies of today, which makes it a little harder for young children to really understand what is going on, creates that feeling of sitting in the circle and listening to an adult read at story time, like in school. In this way, The Hobbit is really the perfect family book as it’s gripping and joyful for the adult to read and just as wondrous for a child to be read to. It’s the perfect bedtime story. 

Filled with action, adventure, treasure, magic, feasting, goblins, elves, battles, and a great dragon, The Hobbit is a timeless tale that, I don’t think, will ever grow old. It’s easy, it’s engaging, it’s wondrous, it’s completely classic, and has established Tolkien as one of my favourite authors of all time. 

There he lay, a vast red-golden dragon, fast asleep; a thrumming from his jaws and nostrils. and wisps of smoke, but his fires were low in slumber.