As National Book Month comes to a close, and the chill of fall arrives, cuddle up and watch a movie based on book together with your kids! One of the best ways my kids have come to understand the difference between the special world a book creates in your imagination and watching a video is to watch a movie based on a book they have read. While books rely on the every reader’s imagination to make the story come to life, movies visually tell the story of a book based on one person’s idea.
It is rare to sit through a movie based on a book with a child and not hear “they skipped a part” and “where is that guy – they forgot to put him in!” It is interesting to have children realize how the time and engagement they put into making a book come alive in their mind belongs uniquely to them – no one else has “seen” the book the same way that they have.
So finish reading a book together and then watch the movie!
Charlotte’s Web
Based on the book by E.B. White
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Based on the book by Juli Barrett
Coraline
Based on the book by Neil Gaiman
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Based on the book by Jeff Kinney
Harriet the Spy
Based on the book by Louise Fitzhugh
Holes
Based on the book by Louis Sachar
Hugo
Based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
James and the Giant Peach
Based on the book by Roald Dahl
The Jungle Book
Based on the book by Rudyard Kipling
The Lightening Thief
Based on the book by Rick Riordan
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Based on the book by C.S. Lewis
Ramona and Beezus
Based on Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Based on The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Based on the books by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Zathura
Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg
