With hobbits, wizards and trolls, nobody could deny that J.R.R Tolkien's writing wasn't fantastical. And yet, something's going down in the Shire that even the great author couldn't have predicted.
That something is Tess Daly.
The Shire. Children. The Hobbit. And...Tess Daly
The TV presenter and, it would seem, children's fantasy fiction fan, has been encouraging schoolchildren to sit down to a Hobbit-style Second Breakfast to celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Hobbit's publication, which takes place on 21 September.
Daly's encouraging schools to down tools and transform their classroom into an extension of the Shire to celebrate the book's big birthday with the essential Hobbit principles of good food, friendship and camaraderie. The best will win a screening of the upcoming film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
We'd personally never need an excuse to sit down at 11am, eat something and read Tolkein, especially when a Hobbit hole is concerned. However, for the more reluctant, we're pretty sure the opportunity of tea with Tess might be a persuader.