From fall reading to family movie night

Written by Janeen Lewis

Pairing books with movies is an easy way to keep kids reading. While parents usually want their children to limit screen time, the silver screen may be the exception that encourages kids to read. Make movies, and the books that inspire them, the double feature that hooks kids on books.

Watching movies and books hand-in-hand gives parents the opportunity to discuss books with kids. For example, you can ask questions like these:

Which was better, the book or the movie?
What were some differences between the book and the movie? Did you like the changes?
Did the cast capture the personalities of the characters in the books?
How would you make the book different? How would you make the movie different?
If you could pick any book that wasn’t already a movie, which book would it be and why? Which actors and actresses would you cast in the movie? Would you change the beginning, middle, or ending?

Here is a list of 65 books in a variety of genres that have been made into movies for kids of all ages. Many of the movies that go with these books can be checked out at the library for free. Fill your bookshelves, pop some corn, and make it a double feature!

Picture books

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc
Eloise at the Plaza by Kay Thompson

Classics

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
The Wizard of OZ by L. Frank Baum
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Pippi Longstocking series by Astrid Lindgren
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Realistic Fiction

Call of the Wild by Jack London
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald
Holes by Louis Sachar
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Historical Fiction

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp (the movie is The Sound of Music)
American Girl series by various authors
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Fantasy

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Doctor Dolittle series by Hugh Lofting (the movie is titled Dolittle)
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine