When I was very young, my mother used to read to me regularly in the evening before bed. One of my favorite books was The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe which she had also read to my older two sisters years earlier. However, for me, it must have been my enjoyment of the book which led to my parents giving me the other six books of the series as a Christmas gift when I was in first grade. We read these books together during the year, and then I often read them by myself over the next few years, eventually graduating to C. S. Lewis's science fiction series in my early teens.
When I got married, I shared the Narnia series with my new husband and read them all to him, and then in turn read them all to our three children when they reached the appropriate age, usually 8 or 9.
When my mother was 93 and in hospice, I pulled out The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and started reading it to her. It ended up being the evening before she died. We only got part way through the first chapter, but I treasure the time sharing with her a book that we both enjoyed so much many decades ago.
The the Narnia series is the gift I received as a child that was by far the most special to me and the gift I still treasure today. I hope someday I will be able to read the books to my grandchildren.
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