My mom owned The Hobbit and The Trilogy and The Silm, I'm not sure when maybe before I was born. Anywho, she bought a graphic novel version of The Hobbit (still have it the binding is a little worn though), she began to read it to me at the age of either 3 or 4, because clearly I wouldn't have been able to read it myself, not understanding what some of the more complicated words meant. I fell in love with the story even picking the book up myself and trying to read it myself. But I could only understand the story by merely looking at the well drawn pictures and remembering the words my mom had spoken to me.
The full page illustration of Smaug is by far my favourite.
Me and my brother also roll played the Hobbit as well, with him being Bilbo and me Smaug (I had a red bath robe so it only made sense for me to be Smaug the Magnificent).
But sadly I only read the books until many years later when I noticed them on one of our bookshelves. I started reading shortly before the first movie came out after reading the actual novel of the Hobbit.
Well that's my story.
