Reading Harry Potter With A Four-and-a-half Year-old

The "What House are you in?" question gets a variety of answers. Most of the time it's Gryffindor, although occassionally he thinks he'd be a Hufflepuff. When he took the Pottermore quiz to be sorted into a House he was quite distraught when he was sorted into Ravenclaw (like his mama and papa). He really wanted to be a Gryffindor, so we assured him that the hat would take his preferences into account. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Despite my best efforts to convince him otherwise, I was alone in thinking it was a really bad idea to sneak out of Hogwarts and into a magical candy shop when a crazed murderer is on the hunt for you.   --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

It was "Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character" day at school, so you know what he was wearing today!  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

We spend a lot of time talking about the plot and the characters and not as much time reading the actual text. Three pages in half an hour is a pretty poor pace, but the conversation makes up for it.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

We read this chapter in two sittings: the first half early in the morning, before school, and the second half at bedtime later that day.   --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Possibly one of my favorite reading sessions, even if Darth Vader joined us for part of it. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

I'm rereading Book 4 to gague how age-appropriate it is, and my old battered Goblet of Fire paperback has become a real object of fascination in our house: he was holding it in his lap for most of this reading session. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

I'm consistently amazed by the details this guy remembers about this story. I also think this was when I first started to realize some of the random sounds he makes while listening are meant to be sound effects for the story. Listen for the creaking, clanking armor as Sir Cadogan runs through Hogwarts! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Our house lost heat on the coldest day of the year, so we read the first half of the chapter in our freezing cold living room and the second half at our friends' house, who let us stay there while they were out of town. This chapter gave both of us a lot of opportunities to flex and show off our Harry Potter knowledge.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

We're going to look at some pictures from the upcoming illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: you can look too! Visit https://www.pottermore.com/news/first-look-at-jim-kays-illustrated-edition-of-harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

When you're reading the illustrated editions it's hard to not flip ahead and look at pictures of hippogriffs. It's been almost a year since we read this book the first time, and I'm always amazed at the little details he remembers about them.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

We've gotten to the point where just the mention of Fred and George's names elicits a laugh. I call that a win! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

I have a cold, but you don't get to stop reading Harry Potter to your kid just because you have a cold! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

I'm such a sucker for the overly long bedtime reading session. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

In which J. K. Rowling's descriptive writing compels me to explain how it is possible for a woman to have a moustache. Parenting: always an adventure! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

We read the first half of this chapter for bedtime on Christmas Eve and the second half for bedtime on Christmas night.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

It's the first day of winter and there's no snow, which is predicibly disappointing.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

This came at the tail end of an epic reading session on the first day of winter, so of course we need to take a short little digression to talk about hot chocolate. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

We read this one fairly quietly, since mama and the new baby had fallen asleep on the couch next to us.  He was gripping my arm tightly the entire time: basilisks are no laughing matter when you're five. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

A little Harry Potter over breakfast. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support