4750 Pages and Counting?

When my oldest two children were in kindergarten and first grade, I begain reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone aloud to them. It was wonderful. We waited until Ethan, then a toddler was asleep, and then we cuddled in my bed and read fifteen or twenty minutes each night. They hung on every word. At their insistence, I reread it once we finished. Then I read the second book twice. I read the third book once and moved on to the fourth. By the fifth, Ethan started listening in sometimes. Occasionally we have taken Harry with us while we wait at doctors' offices and the school bus stop. He has come on all of our family vacations for three years now. I read the sixth book, and last night I finished the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. As I finished, my daughter Hayden and I had tears in our eyes, both from the story and from the emotion of ending this great experience. We have read dozens, maybe hundreds of other chapter books and picture books during this time as well, but our daily time with Harry was a treasured ritual. On the other hand, my vocal chords are glad of the rest. Well, they thought they were going to get a rest. My husband Bill said to me, "I really think you ought to start at the beginning and read them to Ethan as well." I'm not sure if he is sincere or if that is some sort of Muggle joke.