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Parents who grew up with a Hobbit habit get to share the love of their literary lives with family this weekend by taking the next generation to the latest installment of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic, 鈥�The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.鈥�

A reminder to kids and parents, beyond this point there be dragons.聽Of course, it may take a few tries to get today鈥檚 young fans who haven鈥檛 yet read the book to name that dragon correctly.

鈥淚t鈥檚 Smaug, not the Los Angeles stuff that comes from too many cars,鈥� son Ian, 18, said in frustration to younger brother, Quin, 10. 鈥淭hink, 鈥榮hock and awe,鈥� like 鈥楽maug is awesome and terrible.鈥欌�澛�

The thing about a book like 鈥淭he Hobbit鈥� is that no matter how many times you read the book, you just can鈥檛 resist the opportunity to see the dragon come to life and hear his deep, dark voice.

The original cartoon film featured the unforgettable Richard Boone as the voice of Smaug and Orson Bean as Hobbit Bilbo Baggins. All my kids watched that film, just as I did, and like me they still sing the songs from it.

In fact, Ian, 18, would not pronounce the first Hobbit film of the trilogy a winner until he鈥檇 heard the 鈥淢isty Mountains鈥� song lyrics by聽 music composed by聽,听,听,听and聽 performed in the film.

鈥淎s soon as the song started I knew this was going to be fantastic,鈥� Ian said at the time. 鈥淚t just transports you.鈥�

That鈥檚 what these books do for both children and adults, provide transportation to another time and place that can be eternally shared.

It is a place of honor, misfortune, heroism, darkness, light, puzzles, humor, and wonder that stands through time, generation gaps, video games, and social changes.

When I was a child, I read 鈥淭he Hobbit鈥� and 鈥淟ord of the Rings鈥� books so many times the bindings gave way and I would occasionally have to chase one of the thin pages as it tried to flutter away on fairy wings.

I wanted so badly to have my sons find the joy and solace of these good books that when they pronounced the Tolkien books 鈥渢oo big鈥� to attempt, I devised a plan worthy of Gandalf the white wizard himself.

My approach became to read one of my old favorites aloud to the boys while they ate popcorn or some other treat. I would always get them right up to some gripping point at which I would suddenly have to go do a very long string of errands, make phone calls, and do laundry.

Each and every time the boys would proceed to weaken from curiosity and take over the reading themselves.

Any time they faltered, I would go back to reading aloud and then use the same bait and switch tactic.

With my youngest, I find an eReader to be the best tool for reading because he gets into the book and never, ever sees how long it is. That old Kindle stays the exact same thickness weather he鈥檚 reading Dr. Seuss or War and Peace.

No matter how you do it, via read-aloud, Kindle, or going to the film first for motivation, it is vital to share your favorite books with your kids.

When it comes to finding ways to get kids to read and making storytelling a family tradition, we can again turn to Tolkien, who wrote in 鈥淭he Hobbit,鈥� 鈥淭here is nothing like looking, if you want to find something.鈥澛�