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Cartas de C. S. Lewis a los Niños
Here are collected many of his responses to those letters, in which he share his feelings about writing, school, animals, and of course, Narnia. With understanding and respect, proving why he remains one of the best loved children's authors of all time.
111 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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4291 people want to read
About the author
C.S. Lewis
1,209 books47.2k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
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November 23, 2020
C. S. Lewis was a special soul, one of those rare people who retain the best of youth even into old age. He had a rapport with children that was surely the product of his own child-like nature.
In his essay, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children,” he recounts an anecdote that, I think, provides some insight into his ability to speak to children as fluently and naturally as he does: “I have been told that Arthur Mee never met a child and never wished to: it was, from his point of view, a bit of luck that boys liked reading what he liked writing” (On Stories, 32). Now, unlike Mee, Lewis did know children and he had affectionate relationships with them. But the second part of that statement, that boys liked reading what Mee liked writing, I do believe can be applied to Lewis. He simply liked writing the kind of stories that children like reading. As he says of his children’s books, “I put in what I would have liked to read when I was a child and what I still like reading now that I am in my fifties” (On Stories, 31).
But no one who reads Lewis could possibly doubt this. One has only to read some of the essays collected in On Stories to see that Lewis was unabashedly fond of fairy tales, fantasy, and science fiction. When he wasn’t gushing over the fantasies of George MacDonald, he was singing the praises of E. Nesbit, J. R. R. Tolkien, and David Lindsay. With this in mind, it ceases to be surprising that a bachelor should get along so well with children. After all, parenthood does not automatically confer insight into the minds of children. Lewis gets along with children because he has never stopped being one. As he says to Phyllida: “Parts of me are still 12” (34). And that is what makes Letters to Children such a delight.
Lewis writes to his young correspondents much as he would to adults. He respects their intelligence. He never condescends or preaches. And he takes their questions, concerns, and ideas seriously. Of course, he doesn’t write to children exactly as he might to an adult. In his letter to Francine, for example, he says that his experiences in boarding school were “too horrid to tell anyone of your age” (102). Naturally he considers the innocence of children. But other than the omissions anyone with common sense would make when communicating with children, he writes simply as one person to another.
Many of the children who wrote to him thanked him for his books and asked questions about Narnia, including some rather deep theological questions, but some of his most charming letters are those that show Lewis at his most child-like. He shares with his goddaughter Sarah a poem he wrote about a rabbit that lives in the wood by his college. The little fellow, who Lewis calls Baron Biscuit, stood up and put his front paws on Lewis while Lewis was feeding him (21-22). There’s nothing like a cute anecdote involving a rabbit to endear someone to me. But that’s not all. He expresses his fondness for mice, which he never ever sets traps for in his room (32), thinks having a horse would be much better than having cars or planes (37), and suggests that if guinea pigs could talk they’d speak German (57).
I have but one complaint to make about this book and it has nothing to do with Lewis himself, but rather the editors Marjorie Lamp Mead and Lyle Wesley Dorsett. In their annotated bibliography they list The Chronicles of Narnia in the new order and claim that this is “the order in which Lewis preferred that they be read” (115). Since this is the book that includes the letter that started all this baloney, this review is the place for me to get up on my soapbox and denounce it. So here goes.
The only evidence that Lewis wanted his books reordered to convey a chronological history of Narnia ~ the sole piece of evidence ~ is a letter he wrote in reply to an eleven year old boy named Laurence on April 23, 1957. Little Laurence suggested that the seven books be read in chronological order and Lewis replied “I think I agree with your order for reading the books more than with your mother’s” (68). (Laurence’s mother believed they should be read in publication order.) Lewis goes on to say that when he wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, he had no intention to write any more Narnia books. “So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone reads them” (68).
The decision to reorder these books, then, hinges on nothing more than a letter Lewis wrote to a child. He lived for six more years after writing this letter, yet in those six years he did not make the change. If he really did prefer chronological order, why didn’t he make the change? Could it be that he didn’t actually have a preference for chronological order? That perhaps he was simply acknowledging and validating the preference of a clever child?
Earlier I said that Lewis writes to children much as he would to adults, that he doesn’t condescend to them, and my own statement might be used against me to claim that Lewis would not have validated Laurence’s preference if he didn’t truly agree with it. However, I do not believe there is a contradiction here. To be polite is not to condescend. Lewis does sometimes disagree with the children who write to him. In particular, he critiques Joan’s stories and poems, often giving her practical writing advice (80, 87, 103). He does this with sensitivity to the young writer’s feelings. But his correspondence with Laurence is quite different. Laurence is not submitting his own writing to Lewis for appraisal. He is expressing a preference for reading in chronological order. There is no reason for this preference to be criticized. I can’t imagine Lewis writing: ‘Dear Laurence, How positively stupid of you to read the books in chronological order. Stop doing so immediately. Yours, C. S. Lewis.’
Furthermore, if the argument that a single comment in a letter to a child is to be taken as proof of the author’s preference, then what of this comment he makes to Penny on April 13, 1957: “Thanks for your letter and the pictures. You draw donkeys better than Pauline Baynes does” (67)? Should the illustrations by Pauline Baynes be replaced by little Penny’s drawings? In a letter to Martin on January 22, 1957, clearly in response to some question or concern Martin had about Susan Pevensie, Lewis writes: “... perhaps she will get to Aslan’s country in the end ...” (67). This comment is written by Lewis after the final Narnia book had been published. Should The Chronicles of Narnia be rewritten to include Susan getting to Aslan’s country? Lewis always encourages the children in their creativity and I think his comment to Laurence should be read in the same vein as his comments to Penny and Martin.
The editors of Letters to Children include a footnote to the letter to Laurence that says “Lewis later reaffirmed his preference for Laurence’s sequence” (68). They cite Walter Hooper’s book Past Watchful Dragons. There Hopper writes: “However, the right sequence as Lewis caused me to copy it down is this: The Magician’s Nephew (1955), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), The Horse and His Boy (1954), Prince Caspian (1951), The Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’ (1952), The Silver Chair (1953), and The Last Battle (1956)” (32).
But only a little later Hooper writes: “For the purpose of following, as it were, the mental processes of the author, I have chosen to summarize the books in the order in which they were written” (32-33). That order, of course, is the one generations of Narnia fans experienced, the one that begins with the Pevensie children discovering the entrance to Narnia in the old wardrobe, a discovery spoilt by reading The Magician’s Nephew first.
To my mind, Hooper’s statement that Lewis considered Laurence’s order to be the “right sequence” is undermined by his decision to summarize the books in publication order. By doing so, he demonstrates that the order in which Lewis wrote the books is the best order to experience the books. By reading the books in the order that presents “the mental processes of the author,” the reader experiences what Lewis experienced, the reader discovers Narnia as Lewis discovered Narnia. And isn’t that what we want? Don’t we want the magical experience that Lewis had when he discovered in his mind the “picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood” (On Stories 53)?
Now I’m not saying that someone who decides to read the books in chronological order is doing anything wrong. What I am saying is that chronological order should not be presented to new readers as the “right sequence” to read the books. If I had not read these books in the 70s, if I were a newbie and I read that the author preferred the books to be read in chronological order, I would have definitely read them in chronological order. After all, I would say to myself, who better to tell me how to experience these books than their author? The result would have been that the magical discovery of Narnia through the eyes of the Pevensie children would have been lost.
Rereaders might enjoy reading the prequel first, but first time readers should not be robbed of the experience of discovery. Prequels, by their nature, are not meant to be read first. On the contrary, prequels come into being when the history of something comes to be of interest and this only happens after that something is already known and loved. Only then does one ask, how did this come to be? I wonder if next we will all be told to read The Silmarillion before The Hobbit.
In his essay, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children,” he recounts an anecdote that, I think, provides some insight into his ability to speak to children as fluently and naturally as he does: “I have been told that Arthur Mee never met a child and never wished to: it was, from his point of view, a bit of luck that boys liked reading what he liked writing” (On Stories, 32). Now, unlike Mee, Lewis did know children and he had affectionate relationships with them. But the second part of that statement, that boys liked reading what Mee liked writing, I do believe can be applied to Lewis. He simply liked writing the kind of stories that children like reading. As he says of his children’s books, “I put in what I would have liked to read when I was a child and what I still like reading now that I am in my fifties” (On Stories, 31).
But no one who reads Lewis could possibly doubt this. One has only to read some of the essays collected in On Stories to see that Lewis was unabashedly fond of fairy tales, fantasy, and science fiction. When he wasn’t gushing over the fantasies of George MacDonald, he was singing the praises of E. Nesbit, J. R. R. Tolkien, and David Lindsay. With this in mind, it ceases to be surprising that a bachelor should get along so well with children. After all, parenthood does not automatically confer insight into the minds of children. Lewis gets along with children because he has never stopped being one. As he says to Phyllida: “Parts of me are still 12” (34). And that is what makes Letters to Children such a delight.
Lewis writes to his young correspondents much as he would to adults. He respects their intelligence. He never condescends or preaches. And he takes their questions, concerns, and ideas seriously. Of course, he doesn’t write to children exactly as he might to an adult. In his letter to Francine, for example, he says that his experiences in boarding school were “too horrid to tell anyone of your age” (102). Naturally he considers the innocence of children. But other than the omissions anyone with common sense would make when communicating with children, he writes simply as one person to another.
Many of the children who wrote to him thanked him for his books and asked questions about Narnia, including some rather deep theological questions, but some of his most charming letters are those that show Lewis at his most child-like. He shares with his goddaughter Sarah a poem he wrote about a rabbit that lives in the wood by his college. The little fellow, who Lewis calls Baron Biscuit, stood up and put his front paws on Lewis while Lewis was feeding him (21-22). There’s nothing like a cute anecdote involving a rabbit to endear someone to me. But that’s not all. He expresses his fondness for mice, which he never ever sets traps for in his room (32), thinks having a horse would be much better than having cars or planes (37), and suggests that if guinea pigs could talk they’d speak German (57).
I have but one complaint to make about this book and it has nothing to do with Lewis himself, but rather the editors Marjorie Lamp Mead and Lyle Wesley Dorsett. In their annotated bibliography they list The Chronicles of Narnia in the new order and claim that this is “the order in which Lewis preferred that they be read” (115). Since this is the book that includes the letter that started all this baloney, this review is the place for me to get up on my soapbox and denounce it. So here goes.
The only evidence that Lewis wanted his books reordered to convey a chronological history of Narnia ~ the sole piece of evidence ~ is a letter he wrote in reply to an eleven year old boy named Laurence on April 23, 1957. Little Laurence suggested that the seven books be read in chronological order and Lewis replied “I think I agree with your order for reading the books more than with your mother’s” (68). (Laurence’s mother believed they should be read in publication order.) Lewis goes on to say that when he wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, he had no intention to write any more Narnia books. “So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone reads them” (68).
The decision to reorder these books, then, hinges on nothing more than a letter Lewis wrote to a child. He lived for six more years after writing this letter, yet in those six years he did not make the change. If he really did prefer chronological order, why didn’t he make the change? Could it be that he didn’t actually have a preference for chronological order? That perhaps he was simply acknowledging and validating the preference of a clever child?
Earlier I said that Lewis writes to children much as he would to adults, that he doesn’t condescend to them, and my own statement might be used against me to claim that Lewis would not have validated Laurence’s preference if he didn’t truly agree with it. However, I do not believe there is a contradiction here. To be polite is not to condescend. Lewis does sometimes disagree with the children who write to him. In particular, he critiques Joan’s stories and poems, often giving her practical writing advice (80, 87, 103). He does this with sensitivity to the young writer’s feelings. But his correspondence with Laurence is quite different. Laurence is not submitting his own writing to Lewis for appraisal. He is expressing a preference for reading in chronological order. There is no reason for this preference to be criticized. I can’t imagine Lewis writing: ‘Dear Laurence, How positively stupid of you to read the books in chronological order. Stop doing so immediately. Yours, C. S. Lewis.’
Furthermore, if the argument that a single comment in a letter to a child is to be taken as proof of the author’s preference, then what of this comment he makes to Penny on April 13, 1957: “Thanks for your letter and the pictures. You draw donkeys better than Pauline Baynes does” (67)? Should the illustrations by Pauline Baynes be replaced by little Penny’s drawings? In a letter to Martin on January 22, 1957, clearly in response to some question or concern Martin had about Susan Pevensie, Lewis writes: “... perhaps she will get to Aslan’s country in the end ...” (67). This comment is written by Lewis after the final Narnia book had been published. Should The Chronicles of Narnia be rewritten to include Susan getting to Aslan’s country? Lewis always encourages the children in their creativity and I think his comment to Laurence should be read in the same vein as his comments to Penny and Martin.
The editors of Letters to Children include a footnote to the letter to Laurence that says “Lewis later reaffirmed his preference for Laurence’s sequence” (68). They cite Walter Hooper’s book Past Watchful Dragons. There Hopper writes: “However, the right sequence as Lewis caused me to copy it down is this: The Magician’s Nephew (1955), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), The Horse and His Boy (1954), Prince Caspian (1951), The Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’ (1952), The Silver Chair (1953), and The Last Battle (1956)” (32).
But only a little later Hooper writes: “For the purpose of following, as it were, the mental processes of the author, I have chosen to summarize the books in the order in which they were written” (32-33). That order, of course, is the one generations of Narnia fans experienced, the one that begins with the Pevensie children discovering the entrance to Narnia in the old wardrobe, a discovery spoilt by reading The Magician’s Nephew first.
To my mind, Hooper’s statement that Lewis considered Laurence’s order to be the “right sequence” is undermined by his decision to summarize the books in publication order. By doing so, he demonstrates that the order in which Lewis wrote the books is the best order to experience the books. By reading the books in the order that presents “the mental processes of the author,” the reader experiences what Lewis experienced, the reader discovers Narnia as Lewis discovered Narnia. And isn’t that what we want? Don’t we want the magical experience that Lewis had when he discovered in his mind the “picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood” (On Stories 53)?
Now I’m not saying that someone who decides to read the books in chronological order is doing anything wrong. What I am saying is that chronological order should not be presented to new readers as the “right sequence” to read the books. If I had not read these books in the 70s, if I were a newbie and I read that the author preferred the books to be read in chronological order, I would have definitely read them in chronological order. After all, I would say to myself, who better to tell me how to experience these books than their author? The result would have been that the magical discovery of Narnia through the eyes of the Pevensie children would have been lost.
Rereaders might enjoy reading the prequel first, but first time readers should not be robbed of the experience of discovery. Prequels, by their nature, are not meant to be read first. On the contrary, prequels come into being when the history of something comes to be of interest and this only happens after that something is already known and loved. Only then does one ask, how did this come to be? I wonder if next we will all be told to read The Silmarillion before The Hobbit.
January 9, 2019
I just love Lewis. If he writes it, I read it. These letters are especially chatty and full of life. In fact, being a somewhat over the top Lewis fan, I even cried when the letters were on my birthday, and as if I did not know the ending of the story I cried at the end too. There was something emotional about reading letters a person wrote not knowing their own expiration date. Maybe we are doing that very thing right now.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is Lewis's letters to a young writer named Joan. He treats almost as an adult Inkling in his no-holds-barred reviews of her writing. I wonder what became of Joan. She didn't seem to give up after some very hard words from Lewis. They wrote back and forth over many years.
Where are you, Joan?
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is Lewis's letters to a young writer named Joan. He treats almost as an adult Inkling in his no-holds-barred reviews of her writing. I wonder what became of Joan. She didn't seem to give up after some very hard words from Lewis. They wrote back and forth over many years.
Where are you, Joan?
September 2, 2022
“We hope that you enjoy these letters. They were written to children just like you who read and loved The Chronicles of Narnia. C. S. Lewis said that he wrote these tales because they were the sort of books he ‘would have liked to [have] read when [he] was a child.’ And though the letters in this book do not have your name on them, consider that they are yours. For surely, if he could have, C. S. Lewis would have written them to you.”
“I’m so glad you like Till We Have Faces, because so few people do. It is my biggest ‘flop’ for years, and so of course I think it my best book.”
“Dear Lucy… It makes me, I think, more humble than proud to know that Aslan has allowed me to be the means of making Him more real to you. Because He could have used anyone—as He made a donkey preach a good sermon to Balaam.”
“I’ve been reading Pride and Prejudice on and off all my life and it doesn’t wear out a bit.”
These are just a few of the gems I’ve uncovered whilst reading this book of letters. I love C. S. Lewis and his heart for stories and children. It’s also bittersweet and heartbreaking that he penned his last letter the day before he died to a young boy named Phillip:
“Dear Phillip… To begin with, may I congratulate you on writing such a remarkably good letter; I certainly could not have written it at your age. And to go on with, thank you for telling me that you like my books, a thing an author is always pleased to hear. It is a funny thing that all children who have written to me see at once who Aslan is, and grown ups never do!”
This letter touched me so much, and it reminded me that all authors, traditional or indie or somewhere in between, are all the same. We love hearing how our stories have inspired hearts.
All in all, I read this entire book in one sitting. It was super encouraging and instilled a deeper love and appreciation for the Narnian storyteller & God who gave him breath.
Highly recommend this book!
“I’m so glad you like Till We Have Faces, because so few people do. It is my biggest ‘flop’ for years, and so of course I think it my best book.”
“Dear Lucy… It makes me, I think, more humble than proud to know that Aslan has allowed me to be the means of making Him more real to you. Because He could have used anyone—as He made a donkey preach a good sermon to Balaam.”
“I’ve been reading Pride and Prejudice on and off all my life and it doesn’t wear out a bit.”
These are just a few of the gems I’ve uncovered whilst reading this book of letters. I love C. S. Lewis and his heart for stories and children. It’s also bittersweet and heartbreaking that he penned his last letter the day before he died to a young boy named Phillip:
“Dear Phillip… To begin with, may I congratulate you on writing such a remarkably good letter; I certainly could not have written it at your age. And to go on with, thank you for telling me that you like my books, a thing an author is always pleased to hear. It is a funny thing that all children who have written to me see at once who Aslan is, and grown ups never do!”
This letter touched me so much, and it reminded me that all authors, traditional or indie or somewhere in between, are all the same. We love hearing how our stories have inspired hearts.
All in all, I read this entire book in one sitting. It was super encouraging and instilled a deeper love and appreciation for the Narnian storyteller & God who gave him breath.
Highly recommend this book!
March 15, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. C. S. Lewis in my opinion is a great author. The letters that he wrote back to the children were very understandable. My favorite was when he explained how to pronounce Aslan and the meaning of him. I would recommend this book to anyone young or old.
August 31, 2024
As delightful as you’d expect! Too fragmented to warrant 4-stars because it’s just a collection of letters, but if you love Lewis, there is nothing not to love about how he writes to children.
January 23, 2016
Satisfying and lovely. I don't have many cohesive thoughts, just warmth and satisfaction from reading it. Lewis's letters are encouraging, instructive, and occasionally just about mundane things like the weather.
I love how often he encourages children to write their own Narnia stories. He answers lots of questions about the Narnia books which is nice because every fangirl wants that little bit of more.
I love how intelligently he writes to children. He peppers his letters with references to other books and texts.
I love that he preferred Till We Have Faces so much because that is my favorite.
It really is delightful that all his words of wisdom to these particular children are available for all children.
I am so glad I own this one. I foresee many happy re-reads in the future.
I love how often he encourages children to write their own Narnia stories. He answers lots of questions about the Narnia books which is nice because every fangirl wants that little bit of more.
I love how intelligently he writes to children. He peppers his letters with references to other books and texts.
I love that he preferred Till We Have Faces so much because that is my favorite.
It really is delightful that all his words of wisdom to these particular children are available for all children.
I am so glad I own this one. I foresee many happy re-reads in the future.
February 14, 2024
“If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, and I hope you may always do so.”
June 14, 2025
These are so sweet and a perfect follow-up to The Mythmakers (which I just finished reading).
Also Im always down for some more Narnia/C.S. Lewis lore!
Also Im always down for some more Narnia/C.S. Lewis lore!
September 4, 2019
Selección de la correspondencia que mantuvo Lewis con varios lectores infantiles de sus diferentes obras (no sólo de Narnia, como indica el título). La edición es un poco irregular (creo que sucede lo mismo en la original inglesa) dado que sólo se tienen las cartas del autor, normalmente respuestas a cartas de esos niños, por lo que no siempre es fácil seguir el hilo y queda la sensación de que se pierde información por el camino (por ejemplo, cuando un lector envía una poesía y Lewis le da consejos generales, no se incluye la poesía por lo que se está un poco a ciegas). Por lo demás, la obra es sencilla y cotidiana. Sobresalen algunas cartas con consejos de escritura, varias peticiones de oración, explicaciones filosóficas y religiosas de algunos aspectos, así como de realidades presentes en los libros de caballería y en las propias obras de Narnia y de la Trilogía Cósmica.
August 2, 2020
As you can imagine, C. S. Lewis had many young fans who loved his books, especially the Chronicles of Narnia. And many of those kids wrote to him, some of them repeatedly! In fact, he carried on a years-long correspondence with quite a number of young people, even critiquing stories they sent him and so on. Now, some of these letters were from his godchildren, or the children of friends, but many are from complete strangers.
And the kindness, the warmth, the compassion, and the understanding that he showed them just... endeared him to me in a way I was not expecting. Lewis clearly remembered what it had been like to BE a child, and since that's something I also vividly recall, I feel a kinship to him now.
This is a wonderful collection, and I loved it.
And the kindness, the warmth, the compassion, and the understanding that he showed them just... endeared him to me in a way I was not expecting. Lewis clearly remembered what it had been like to BE a child, and since that's something I also vividly recall, I feel a kinship to him now.
This is a wonderful collection, and I loved it.
October 15, 2021
Yes, I'm one of those people who just loves C. S. Lewis, and, no, I'm not going to apologize for it.
This was totally charming—particularly because Lewis takes children seriously, which all adults should, and it's beautiful to see through his written correspondence.
Also, I probably need to read more of his fiction. I've only read two of the Narnia series and none of the other stories (unless you count the Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce, which I suppose you could, but they seem different from his others as they are more satire/allegory than anything else he's written). I did like The Four Loves and Mere Christianity as well.
This was totally charming—particularly because Lewis takes children seriously, which all adults should, and it's beautiful to see through his written correspondence.
Also, I probably need to read more of his fiction. I've only read two of the Narnia series and none of the other stories (unless you count the Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce, which I suppose you could, but they seem different from his others as they are more satire/allegory than anything else he's written). I did like The Four Loves and Mere Christianity as well.
December 13, 2022
This was such a sweet collection to read. C.S. Lewis was a very special person.
12/22-This book is a treasure. He never dumbs down his responses to his letters. Always engaging and sometimes a mentor. Each letter is answered so personally and never a blanket response. His last letter back to a child was the day before he died.
It’s a wonderful collection that I feel gives a lot of insight to the man he was. Even more so than biographies on him.
12/22-This book is a treasure. He never dumbs down his responses to his letters. Always engaging and sometimes a mentor. Each letter is answered so personally and never a blanket response. His last letter back to a child was the day before he died.
It’s a wonderful collection that I feel gives a lot of insight to the man he was. Even more so than biographies on him.
March 28, 2019
Pure joy. This is my second time through this little volume of letters and it is just as enjoyable as last time. Lewis’ letters here contain a lot of compassion, clarifying bits about Narnia, and one particularly moving letter to a boy who was afraid he was loving Aslan more than Jesus. It’s odd to read someone else’s mail, but it helps you really get to know Lewis.
December 28, 2021
The letters CS Lewis wrote to children seem to reveal that he remained young at heart to the end of his days, and we are all better for it. Perhaps some of his most endearing writing.
“Reepicheep in your colored picture has just the right perky, cheeky expression. I love real mice.”
“Reepicheep in your colored picture has just the right perky, cheeky expression. I love real mice.”
July 8, 2022
Short and sweet. A delightful detour from my reading piles. I love how he writes to children and I thought his personality shown out in his letters to them.
March 12, 2016
Although C.S. Lewis never had any children of his own and was long a bachelor Oxbridge don whose only marriage was a marriage of convenience that turned into something more before his wife died only a few years later, he has had a lasting fame as a thoughtful children’s author, most notably of the seven volumes of the Chronicles of Narnia. It is therefore little surprise, given this skill in writing for children, that Lewis carried on a series of shy epistolary friendships with a wide variety of children, which the editors have placed in a short book that demonstrates C.S. Lewis’ shyness and timidity as a person as well as his genuine respect and concern and honesty in dealing with children. There is a lot that one can tell about someone based on their writings to and about children, and what it says about C.S. Lewis’ character is that he viewed children with respect, was both kind and honest with them, and took their thoughts and feelings seriously.
The contents of this book are well-designed to convey to an expected audience of C.S. Lewis fans, especially those young people who are greatly interested in the Narnia series, the essential level of respect and fondness that Lewis had for his younger readers who were brave enough to write him. The book begins with a kind and tender introduction by one of C.S. Lewis’ stepsons, and then proceeds to a short biography of Lewis’ difficult childhood marked by experiences of abuse in private school, the death of his mother and the emotional distance of his father, and the gift of a wonderful teacher who helped Lewis develop his intellectual capacities and succeed in the world of academics for which he was temperamentally and mentally well-suited. The main body of the book, which is short at about 120 pages, consists of Lewis’ letters to children, some of which were long friendships extending over many years as the children grew up into their teenage years and young adulthood. Lewis’ letters are mostly short, and filled with wit and honesty and a great deal of compassion, and are worthy models to those who wish to carry on successful correspondence with young people. After the letters, which are arranged in a chronological fashion, there is a short bibliography of Lewis’ children’s literature and some of the best books about that literature.
In terms of the contents of the letters themselves, they reveal C.S. Lewis to be a man of striking tenderness and sensitivity to the concerns of children, but an honest and fair-minded reader and critic of their own efforts at literary and artistic production as well. Several of the letters were written to Lewis’ goddaughter, and they show him to have been a very shy man, whose gloominess upon the loss of his wife led him to decline an invitation to her wedding and who admitted his own shyness rather honestly: “If I had come and we had met, I am afraid you might have found me very shy and dull. (By the way, always remember that old people can be quite as shy with young people as young people can be with old. This explains what must seem to you the idiotic way in which so many grown-ups talk with you). But I will try to do what I can by a letter (25).” Another of his frequent correspondents was an accomplished young woman who divided her time between New York and Florida, about which he has several immensely witty comments: “Congratulations on your 98% in Latin. What a drole idea in Florida, to give credits not for what you know but for hours spent in a classroom! Rather like judging the condition of an animal not by its weight or shape but by the amount of food that had been offered it! (88),” as well as his mildly flirtatious “I see you’ve grown into a pretty woman. It must be a nice thing to be (108).” Many of the letters deal, as might be expected, with Lewis’ writings, mostly the Chronicles of Narnia but also Till We Have Faces and the Space trilogy. The end result is a beautiful set of letters that demonstrates Lewis’ wit and decency as a man, and his willingness to answer many of the same questions over and over again with graciousness and good humor.
The contents of this book are well-designed to convey to an expected audience of C.S. Lewis fans, especially those young people who are greatly interested in the Narnia series, the essential level of respect and fondness that Lewis had for his younger readers who were brave enough to write him. The book begins with a kind and tender introduction by one of C.S. Lewis’ stepsons, and then proceeds to a short biography of Lewis’ difficult childhood marked by experiences of abuse in private school, the death of his mother and the emotional distance of his father, and the gift of a wonderful teacher who helped Lewis develop his intellectual capacities and succeed in the world of academics for which he was temperamentally and mentally well-suited. The main body of the book, which is short at about 120 pages, consists of Lewis’ letters to children, some of which were long friendships extending over many years as the children grew up into their teenage years and young adulthood. Lewis’ letters are mostly short, and filled with wit and honesty and a great deal of compassion, and are worthy models to those who wish to carry on successful correspondence with young people. After the letters, which are arranged in a chronological fashion, there is a short bibliography of Lewis’ children’s literature and some of the best books about that literature.
In terms of the contents of the letters themselves, they reveal C.S. Lewis to be a man of striking tenderness and sensitivity to the concerns of children, but an honest and fair-minded reader and critic of their own efforts at literary and artistic production as well. Several of the letters were written to Lewis’ goddaughter, and they show him to have been a very shy man, whose gloominess upon the loss of his wife led him to decline an invitation to her wedding and who admitted his own shyness rather honestly: “If I had come and we had met, I am afraid you might have found me very shy and dull. (By the way, always remember that old people can be quite as shy with young people as young people can be with old. This explains what must seem to you the idiotic way in which so many grown-ups talk with you). But I will try to do what I can by a letter (25).” Another of his frequent correspondents was an accomplished young woman who divided her time between New York and Florida, about which he has several immensely witty comments: “Congratulations on your 98% in Latin. What a drole idea in Florida, to give credits not for what you know but for hours spent in a classroom! Rather like judging the condition of an animal not by its weight or shape but by the amount of food that had been offered it! (88),” as well as his mildly flirtatious “I see you’ve grown into a pretty woman. It must be a nice thing to be (108).” Many of the letters deal, as might be expected, with Lewis’ writings, mostly the Chronicles of Narnia but also Till We Have Faces and the Space trilogy. The end result is a beautiful set of letters that demonstrates Lewis’ wit and decency as a man, and his willingness to answer many of the same questions over and over again with graciousness and good humor.
December 28, 2019
If you don’t already love C.S. Lewis (and you really should), this little book will make you crazy about him. It’s a selection from hundreds of letters he wrote to children from all over the world in response to their questions and comments about his books—mostly the Narnia series. Some of the letters he wrote just after his wife passed away, and he was still so thoughtful.
.
He was the perfect correspondent! Listen to this:
.
“Dear [Children],
“Thank both Martin and Micky for their nice letters. Do you mean Miriam _fell_ into the stove? ‘Was put on’ sounds as if you did it on purpose—were you thinking of having her for dinner? I do hope she will soon be better. Burns are horrid.”
&
“Dear Fifth Graders,”
“... I am tall, fat, rather bald, red-faced, double-chinned, black-haired, have a deep voice, and wear glasses for reading.”
.
My favorite thing was that he addressed a few of the questions I have always had about the Narnia series, like this: “ I feel sure I’m right to make them grow up in Narnia. Of course they will grow up in this world too...You see, I don’t think age matters so much as people think. Parts of me are still 12 and I think other parts were already 50 when I was 12: so I don’t feel it v.[ery] odd that they grow up in Narnia while they are children in England.”
.
What a delightful man!
.
He was the perfect correspondent! Listen to this:
.
“Dear [Children],
“Thank both Martin and Micky for their nice letters. Do you mean Miriam _fell_ into the stove? ‘Was put on’ sounds as if you did it on purpose—were you thinking of having her for dinner? I do hope she will soon be better. Burns are horrid.”
&
“Dear Fifth Graders,”
“... I am tall, fat, rather bald, red-faced, double-chinned, black-haired, have a deep voice, and wear glasses for reading.”
.
My favorite thing was that he addressed a few of the questions I have always had about the Narnia series, like this: “ I feel sure I’m right to make them grow up in Narnia. Of course they will grow up in this world too...You see, I don’t think age matters so much as people think. Parts of me are still 12 and I think other parts were already 50 when I was 12: so I don’t feel it v.[ery] odd that they grow up in Narnia while they are children in England.”
.
What a delightful man!
April 14, 2017
I envy these children their luck in corresponding with Lewis. The brilliant man died when my mother was only five years old, so I missed out by miles in my chance, but it was wonderful to read these collected responses. Lewis was so humble in receiving praise and encouraging to those who expressed an interest in writing. I was thoroughly impressed by his discussion of theology, how he never spoke down to any of these children, never tried to dumb things down. It also amused me that he even encouraged his young fans to write fanfiction, for lack of a better term, stating "...there will be no more of these stories. But why don't you try to write one yourself? ...and if you try, I'm sure you will find it great fun." He seems like he was a wonderful man and I am glad that I am at least lucky enough to know him through him many works.
October 10, 2023
I really enjoyed this peak into Lewis conversing with children. I love that he never seemed to talk down to them, something I detested as a child and try to never do it with children. He also fully grasped that they comprehend the Kingdom of God more simply and fully than most grown ups.
I further enjoyed his continued hatred for maths of any kind, his encouragement and his correction on questions asked, his graciousness and patience even when dealing with significant health issues and his faithfulness to continue to write letters. And there are quite a few books I have to add to my spreadsheet of books that Lewis read, but with notes on the ones he doesn’t think are worth spending time on, which I felt was helpful!
A wonderful and easy quick read that gives a look-see into one of the greatest writers. It makes me want to dive into the 3 volume set of his letters!
I further enjoyed his continued hatred for maths of any kind, his encouragement and his correction on questions asked, his graciousness and patience even when dealing with significant health issues and his faithfulness to continue to write letters. And there are quite a few books I have to add to my spreadsheet of books that Lewis read, but with notes on the ones he doesn’t think are worth spending time on, which I felt was helpful!
A wonderful and easy quick read that gives a look-see into one of the greatest writers. It makes me want to dive into the 3 volume set of his letters!
April 5, 2021
The way you speak to children says a lot about you, and—once again—Lewis did not disappoint. A short, enjoyable read.
April 11, 2022
People’s letters are so interesting, and this collection of Lewis’ letters to children is no exception. His letters were warm and clever and insightful. This is a great book for Narnia fans because many of the letters are Lewis answering fan mail from young readers and responding to their questions. He addresses how to pronounce Aslan and the question of Susan in the Last Battle and how he was inspired to write the novels. I found myself growing sadder as I got closer to the end, knowing that his death was coming nearer. The book concludes with the last letter he wrote the day before he died. Highly recommended for Narnia fans.
February 21, 2024
This short book is a small collection of some of the letters C.S. Lewis wrote to reply to his fans, specifically the children that wrote to him. I've always wondered how much correspondence celebrities get and how much they choose to interact with their fans. Lewis seemingly devoted a significant amount of time each morning to reply to each and every letter he received. I wonder if he would have been able to write a great deal more had he not spent this time this way. However, the impact of the time he spent writing his fans is less easily seen than yet another published book. And more than that, these letters are not simple, quick responses. Lewis clearly gave each letter he received great thought and in turn put great thought into each of his replies.
What's more impressive is that he was able to remember certain lines of correspondence over a period of years. His interactions with 'Joan' were remarkable because she would often send him poetry and he would ruthlessly critique it each time, never patronizing her.
C.S. Lewis was a man of solid faith in Christianity and his letters show as much. In one of his final exchanges with Joan she questioned if a reconciliation between Lucifer and Gabriel was possible. Lewis gave an inflexible response about how the mixture of light and dark produces fog and that he would very much like his own Health to conquer his Illness definitively. This response I found to be less thoughtful, but very indicative of the type of faith Lewis held. The curious conception of a three-dimensional Lucifer rather than a stand-in for all evil is a fascinating idea and one Lewis seemed totally unwilling to explore.
Ultimately, what's to be gleaned here is that Lewis treated each and every interaction with these fans with the utmost respect. He never talked down to children and always tried to motivate their own creativity and curiosity. He sets a great example of how to interact with children. But then, did anyone expect anything less from the author of the Chronicles of Narnia?
What's more impressive is that he was able to remember certain lines of correspondence over a period of years. His interactions with 'Joan' were remarkable because she would often send him poetry and he would ruthlessly critique it each time, never patronizing her.
C.S. Lewis was a man of solid faith in Christianity and his letters show as much. In one of his final exchanges with Joan she questioned if a reconciliation between Lucifer and Gabriel was possible. Lewis gave an inflexible response about how the mixture of light and dark produces fog and that he would very much like his own Health to conquer his Illness definitively. This response I found to be less thoughtful, but very indicative of the type of faith Lewis held. The curious conception of a three-dimensional Lucifer rather than a stand-in for all evil is a fascinating idea and one Lewis seemed totally unwilling to explore.
Ultimately, what's to be gleaned here is that Lewis treated each and every interaction with these fans with the utmost respect. He never talked down to children and always tried to motivate their own creativity and curiosity. He sets a great example of how to interact with children. But then, did anyone expect anything less from the author of the Chronicles of Narnia?
May 3, 2022
Ugh I just love Lewis! And even more so after seeing his letters to children. He accepted their criticism, answered their questions with such wit and humor and humility, and encouraged them in their writing. I loved the letter to the mom who was worried her son loved Aslan more than Jesus.
November 15, 2023
Oh to be pen-pals with the kind, witty, British author of your favorite books 🥹 Some gems from this book:
"Congratulations on {your new baby sister}....I never saw a picture of a baby shower before. I had to put my umbrella up to look at it.
"I am delighted to hear that you approve of The Magician's Nephew; it would have been awkward if the one dedicated to you had turned out to be just the one of the whole series that you couldn't stand!"
(To a mother of a boy who was afraid he loved Aslan more than Jesus): "Will this help?....He must be a corker of a boy; I hope you are prepared for the possibility he might turn out a saint. I daresay the saint' mothers have, in some ways, a rough time!"
"Well, I can't say I have had a happy Easter, for I have lately gotten married and my wife is very, very, ill. I am sure that Aslan knows best and whether he leaves her with me or takes her to His own country, He will do what is right."
"Congratulations on {your new baby sister}....I never saw a picture of a baby shower before. I had to put my umbrella up to look at it.
"I am delighted to hear that you approve of The Magician's Nephew; it would have been awkward if the one dedicated to you had turned out to be just the one of the whole series that you couldn't stand!"
(To a mother of a boy who was afraid he loved Aslan more than Jesus): "Will this help?....He must be a corker of a boy; I hope you are prepared for the possibility he might turn out a saint. I daresay the saint' mothers have, in some ways, a rough time!"
"Well, I can't say I have had a happy Easter, for I have lately gotten married and my wife is very, very, ill. I am sure that Aslan knows best and whether he leaves her with me or takes her to His own country, He will do what is right."
November 2, 2012
I love this book. It’s a small collection of C.S. Lewis’ responses to letters that children wrote to him about his Narnia books. The letters are so nice … he takes the children and their news/concerns/ideas seriously and responds to them with interest and concern – as though he were responding to an adult. I’d love to get a letter like that even now!
March 9, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this slight volume. The intimate and mundane details of Lewis' life are fascinating to me, and it is always helpful to see how others write letters. I'm afraid my letters are rather pedestrian. I highly recommend this book!
December 6, 2015
A través de estas cartas conoces muchos datos interesantes: cómo se forjó Narnia, la relación entre Jack y sus lectores, el carácter del escritor y algunos hechos de su vida que le marcaron en su obra literaria.
August 14, 2017
Okay, so on top of everything else, the man answered his fan-mail. WHY WAS HE PERFECT?!?!
(All right, so he wasn't perfect, but sometimes I feel like I'm dangerously close to putting him on that pedestal.)
(All right, so he wasn't perfect, but sometimes I feel like I'm dangerously close to putting him on that pedestal.)
February 16, 2024
Any lover of Lewis who worries they might love him just a bit too much should read this book. I think in a way he is even more real and unvarnished in these letters to children than in his letters to adults which also seem like a clearer window into Jack the human being than his more intentionally public works which make it hard to see him as less than a saint in whatever way you take that title.
Three things happen reading these letters. You see the limits of Jack Lewis the Introvert who even in his generosity has limits and foibles that seem to come more from his homebodiness than from a man of perfect moral stance - though he does apologize sincerely for his weaknesses. Second, there is a special tenderness in how directly he addresses these children, with open, honest praise, criticism or inquiry as appropriate. How lucky these young ones were to have such a pen pal. Third, I can’t think of a place where an author provides such an open book into his writing philosophy. He gives excellent writing advice, but also clearly says what he meant and intended by various works. These letters would provide a fascinating study of the writing process.
And for my fellow Pints with Jack fans, if he’s wrong about the Narnia reading order, mightn’t he also be wrong about Till We Have Faces?
Three things happen reading these letters. You see the limits of Jack Lewis the Introvert who even in his generosity has limits and foibles that seem to come more from his homebodiness than from a man of perfect moral stance - though he does apologize sincerely for his weaknesses. Second, there is a special tenderness in how directly he addresses these children, with open, honest praise, criticism or inquiry as appropriate. How lucky these young ones were to have such a pen pal. Third, I can’t think of a place where an author provides such an open book into his writing philosophy. He gives excellent writing advice, but also clearly says what he meant and intended by various works. These letters would provide a fascinating study of the writing process.
And for my fellow Pints with Jack fans, if he’s wrong about the Narnia reading order, mightn’t he also be wrong about Till We Have Faces?
May 29, 2024
★★★★★
I absolutely love this book! The letters are so sweet and have such good advice on life, writing and faith. I learned so many things about Lewis and his writing process. I love that the book opens with a forward from his stepson as well as a brief biography on Lewis’ childhood along with the “seeds” of inspiration for his Narnia books.
This is a wonderful behind the scenes to this author I love and admire.
The end brought me close to tears. There are things that made me think of my grandpa who recently passed (the letters go from 1944 all the way to the day before Lewis dies). I suppose meeting death in this story at the end made me remember. I just wanted to cry when finishing.
Still, I love this book! I know it will be one I will come to again and again. Especially those parts he gives writing advice.
I absolutely love this book! The letters are so sweet and have such good advice on life, writing and faith. I learned so many things about Lewis and his writing process. I love that the book opens with a forward from his stepson as well as a brief biography on Lewis’ childhood along with the “seeds” of inspiration for his Narnia books.
This is a wonderful behind the scenes to this author I love and admire.
The end brought me close to tears. There are things that made me think of my grandpa who recently passed (the letters go from 1944 all the way to the day before Lewis dies). I suppose meeting death in this story at the end made me remember. I just wanted to cry when finishing.
Still, I love this book! I know it will be one I will come to again and again. Especially those parts he gives writing advice.
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