My dad read Lewis’s Narnia series to us as we lay in our beds, my brother on one side of the hallway, I on the other, my dad sitting on the floor between our open doors. Sometimes an elders’ meeting or a pastoral need would keep Dad out past bedtime, but, most nights, he sat under the hall light and invited us on an adventure in another world. 

My own children came to Narnia via audiobook; we listened together to David Suchet voicing Aslan while the miles between home and school sped past. And sometimes, when the kids were late coming out at dismissal, I’d sit in the car and listen all by myself, furtively wiping tears from my cheeks and rewinding the track before the school doors flung open.

In the 25 years between my readings, something changed. A story that once seemed like an epic journey now seems like a place to rest—a spot to sit quietly and to see the loveliness of Christ with fresh eyes and a childlike faith. 

Kathryn Butler’s recent article, “Narnia Is for Grown-Ups, Too” reminded me of this experience and made me consider if there are other books from my childhood that could similarly refresh my adult heart. As Butler notes, kid lit can offer redemptive plot lines and hopeful happy endings to encourage us on weary days. “As children, great stories point our young, flourishing minds to the gospel,” she writes. “As adults, such stories steep us in gospel hope when we need it most.”

I’m still making my summer vacation reading list, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlotte’s Web, The Trumpet of the Swan, or A Wrinkle in Time make the cut. I’ll read those tales once again, but I’m almost certain they’ll be different this time.