On putting books on hold...

My son and I have been reading through The Hobbit.  We finished it this afternoon, and tonight he said, "Ok, now we're ready to read through The Lord of the Rings (TLOTR)."  I reminded him that it is a REALLY long book, and that this version has no pictures.  He says he knows, but wants to read it, because "now I know who Bilbo Baggins is."  He then reminded me that we began reading TLOTR over 6 months ago, and that the first words in the book were "Bilbo Baggins", and, he says, "Now that I  know who Bilbo is, we can read TLOTR."  Sure enough, I opened to the first page, and the first sentence introduces Bilbo Baggins.

Now, I understand the importance of putting off an item of interest until one is ready to enjoy it the most, but most 5 year-olds have no context for such endeavors.  A good lesson learned today by all in the family.