Narnia finally got my girls reading at Christmas time However, doing this is not always straightforward. My son, now 15, has always been a prolific reader; he finds the mechanics easy and the drive to read a book within himself. My elder daughter, who is nine, as yet hasn't got the bug. When she finds a book that she enjoys, she will read it, but reading can feel like a chore. My youngest child, at three, loves books but is, at the moment a non-reader, so she is reliant on me to read to her. I chose The Magician's Nephew as it explains the genesis of Narnia. In it, we meet Aslan and learn how he creates the Kingdom of Narnia, where the King and Queen hail from, and how the White Witch inhabits the land. You might expect that my youngest daughter would be too young to enjoy or appreciate this book, but this is not the case. Good and evil, punishment and redemption all feature in The Magician's Nephew, all themes that are prevalent in her beloved fairy stories. So for her, this story is an extension of those. The few beautiful illustrations are important, but she is more than happy to merely listen to the considered, lyrical language of C S Lewis; she lights up as she imagines the scenes. She enjoys the anticipation of the story too; and the telling of the story over many days tests her memory. Before reading, we always have a recap, and she loves to recall names and plot details. The experience is obviously different for my elder daughter. She sees the story through more sophisticated eyes, she uses her wider knowledge and draws comparisons with other things. She can see the biblical allegory and understands the symbolism behind Aslan and the White Witch - things that, as a child, completely passed me by. My most resounding memories of the book are Digory and Polly's exploration of the attic above the house and the tray of glowing green and yellow rings that allow them to travel to the Wood between the Worlds. What is so wonderful about this book and many others that have become classics, is their ability to unleash the imagination and to let it roam freely. For an older child, great books allow them to take on the persona of another, to imagine how they might behave in the same situation. The characters meet moral challenges along the way, not always making the right decision, so this makes for interesting discussions. Such is the influence of Narnia in our household, we have a home-made Christmas decoration in honour of the White Witch I am amazed at how much I am enjoying re-reading this book; Aslan's creation of Narnia must be one of the best passages of fiction I have read for years. In revisiting the book, I feel like I have found a much-loved old sweater, something comforting and cosy. I have introduced my daughters to a world that has been in my consciousness for as long as I can remember, and now they will carry it around, too.