I read this to my son (4) over the course of several months and I'm not sure which was more delightful: the voice of Tolkien telling an excellent children's story in perfectly paced sections or my son's reaction to each chapter and the way he liked to go over the book when we weren't reading (his favorite part was section in Mirkwood Forest, particularly the spiders - truly my son, the kid loves horror).

I'm sure he'll have me reading this again soon.