I feel super blessed that my kids love to read. They read solo, listen to audiobooks, and enjoy family read alouds. Together, we keep our library, local bookstore, and Amazon in business it seems! Lately, our favorite thing to do has been to read a chapter book and then plan a family movie night to watch the film rendition.
We haven’t accomplished this entire list yet, but we will! I hope you’ll join us in exploring these amazing books and their movie counterparts.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
This was the first duo we ever did! We listened to the book on audio – highly recommend – and then visited the grocery store for a “pick your one favorite candy” adventure. We watched, sang along, and nibbled our treats while Gene Wilder work his candy magic.
Charlotte’s Web is both a sweet and heartbreaking story. My sweet boys cried at one part! The animated movie is a great wrap up and if you can tie in a visit to a farm for a hands-on experience fit that in too!
Our book club read this chapter book as our first group story and then we all met up for the movie and Stuart Little inspired snacks. It was super fun!
Beware, the book and Mr. Popper’s Penguins movie are VERY different. Still, it made for an intriguing conversation as we compared and contrasted all the similarities and differences.
A classic that takes a little time to work through, but such a beautiful story. And there are now five different films portraying Marmee and her girls adventures in the late 19th century.
Prepare a Swiss snack or treat and read Heidi before diving into the darling Shirley Temple film variation. Your family will want to either plan a getaway to Switzerland or binge all the Shirley Temple classics.
Sometimes you just might like the BFG movie more than the book, and that was the case for us with the BFG! Still, we enjoyed the book … the movie just brought it all to life!
Perhaps one of our very favorite read alouds; the book has so much more than the Wizard of Oz movie we’ve all come to know and love. Again, another wonderful compare/contrast exercise.
After reading and watching The Borrowers my kids are convinced that little people live in our walls and floors too. I love how good stories explode imaginations like that 🙂
Did you know this popular story started as a novel? In fact, it’s a whole series! So much to read … and lots to watch too thanks to the movies and miniseries.
Rudyard Kipling’s classic has been obviously popularized by Disney, but the classic is just that – a classic not to be missed! Then, watch both the animated and real life versions – they’re both wonderful!
Oh sweet Paddington! So many adventures and so many memories snuggled up reading and then enjoying the 2014 movie … with a side of marmalade of course.