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

My Dobby voice got huge belly laughs the first time we read this book. This second time it got huge smiles, which you obviously can't see. I never heard what my Dobby voice sounded like until I listened to this recording and, well... I'd like to apologize to everyone who has to listen to my Dobby voice. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Welcome to The Chamber of Secrets! We had to skip the last chapter of Sorcerer's Stone because it was deemed too scary, so if you're wondering what happened to Harry as he entered the final room protecting the Stone, well, sorry, we constantly spoiled that big reveal through the entire reading of Sorcerer's Stone (it was Quirrel all along!). Don't worry, Griffindor wins the House Cup! Also, become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter/support --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

We begin with a brief detour back to the troll illustrations in Chapter 10 (which includes a wonderful two-page spread about trolls from Newt Scamander's Fantastic Beasts) and end by playing Harry Potter, which almost always means I'm Ron and I'm trying to keep Crookshanks from eating Scabbers. I honestly have no idea if we're actually going to be able to read the next chapter. We might seriously skip it. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

It's been a while since we've read Harry Potter: partly because we've been on vacation and partly because I think he might be a little nervous to reread the Voldemort chapter again. But then we found out Harry and the Potters would be playing near us, so I decided to take him. He was a little overwhelmed by the volume of the show while we were there, but he wouldn't stop talking about it on the way home. And so I pulled out our little audio recorder, we had a long discussion about the show, and then read the next chapter and half. And then... I realized our recorder's battery had died mid-chapter and we had lost everything. I was devastated. Like, I think I freaked him out a bit by how upset I was. He was ready to move on, but he was willing to sit and talk about the show a little more with me. Our Felix Felicis had run out, though, and we couldn't quite capture lightning in a bottle twice. We'll read more soon: I think the show helped get him energized about Harry Potter again. --- Support this podcast: h

We read this half of the chapter the day before his preschool graduation, and his feelings on it seem to have changed dramatically. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

We read this chapter a few days before his pre-school graduation, which I learned he has a LOT of feelings about. Transitions are hard, man. This is also the episode where we reveal our Potter Puppet Pals fandom. (Note to parents: screen Potter Puppet Pals before watching them with your young kids unless you're cool with them running around the playground shouting "Hagrid's butt crack" and other such wizard swears. Trust me, you don't want that.) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Recorded this one on Father's Day. Sitting and reading together was really all I wanted. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

It's hard to read a chapter in a book when someone keeps pulling out their "wand" (i.e. a stick they found on a walk a month ago that they use as a wand ALL. THE. TIME.) to do the Leg Locking Curse on you, but somehow we manage. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

A short one. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Pro-tip: when you ask to read Harry Potter at bedtime you end up going to bed waaay later than you usually do. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

If you don't know what a limp looks like you won't learn from this episode because you obviously can't see the limping demonstration, but if you're curious what a limping demonstration sounds like, well, you're in luck! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Probably our favorite chapter, since we can show off our knowledge of both Quidditch and troll anatomy. A debate ensues about whether trolls are "pea brains" or "pee brains." --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Have you ever heard the sounds of a kid tickling himself? Well, if not, today's your lucky day. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

I was surprised he let me read this to him: a babysitter had read it to him the night before and he usually resists re-reading chapters. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

It's early on a Sunday morning and Mama is still asleep, so we need to find a quiet activity to keep Crookshanks from making too much noise. Reading Harry Potter fit the bill. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Finishing up the chapter at bedtime. He's learned that if he wants to stay up later than usual he just needs to request Harry Potter as his bedtime story: we'll keep reading long after "lights out" has passed if the story is good, and the story is always good. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Mama was making brownies in the next room, so you can occasionally hear the clatter of pans as we read. We had to stop abruptly, but we picked the story up at bedtime. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

Darth Vader finishes reading the chapter at bedtime. Fortunately, he has a button on the front of his suit (his uniform? his costume? what do you call Darth Vader's outfit?) that changes his voice from his James Earl Jones voice into Papa's voice. Perfect for reading. And lucky thing, too: we might have had to listen to a whole episode read in a really bad Darth Vader voice. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

The first time we read this book he wanted to read it constantly. Since this is a second reading he's never super enthusiastic about sitting down to read Harry Potter, but once we get going he doesn't want to stop. We stopped a few pages short of the end of the chapter, but only because it was getting late and we had to run out to get some ingredients for dinner (we finished the chapter at bedtime). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support

The further adventures of Crookshanks the cat. Includes a very astute question about why someone would choose to be evil, which I did my best to answer in an age-appropriate way (the ability to pose interesting and astute questions is a very common characteristic of four-year-olds... and cats too, I suppose). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reading-harry-potter0/support