I have two little girls and one of the goals I have had in raising them is creating a passion for reading. I have always been a big reader and I know when I was a child there was nothing like the escape into a wonderful book.
My big girl has had a little trouble learning to read and as a result I have noticed she isn’t as enthusiastic about books. Sigh…
I had a lighbulb moment when her 1st grade teacher started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the class. My little girl LOVED that book and she would come home every day bursting to tell me what happened to Charlie. We bought the movie for her and she loved it so much we bought the other version of the movie for her. And they watched it in class and months later she still takes about Charlie frequently.
So it got me thinking that this summer I wanted to create a Summer Book Club with my little girls and I thought we could pick out some read aloud books that were also made into movies. Hopefully these books will be just as exciting for her as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and once we are done reading- we can watch the movie to really bring the stories to life.
So if you want to try something similar with your little ones- here is a list I have compiled of books for children that you can also watch in a movie format.
I tried to choose the more popular stories and movies but I am sure there are so many more I didn’t include. If your family has some favorites, please be sure to leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you!
I could not resist buying this at Pottery Barn Kids when I saw the book recently. I remember watching this as a child myself and loving it. Note- Pippi talks about cannibals in the book and that gave my 6 year old nightmares ;). Next time I might glaze over cannibals or explain it a little differently.
Goodness this is such a classic and one for sure to read at some point with the kids. The movie is very sweet as well and I found it very true to the book.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory– book
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory– original movie
- Remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory— movie- note this is PG not G rated
*My little girl preferred the older version of the movie- she loved when Violet blows up like a balloon and the little old Grandpa kicking up his heels.
This is the one on our list to follow Pippi Longstocking. I can’t wait to do a themed movie night too with all sorts of Peach treats.
I got this book in the Target Dollar Spot last year of all places. I remember loving this story as a kid.
- Anne of Green Gables- book (12 stories for just $.99!)
- Anne of Green Gables- movie
We haven’t moved into the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series yet but I know these books are crazy popular.
American Girl- Meet Kitt– book
Kitt Kitredge Movie
**The girls discovered this one streaming on Amazon Prime and they loved the movie. They don’t seem to respond as strongly to the American Girl books as they do the movies but this is still a good one especially for American Girl fans.
Saige Paints the Sky– book
Saige Paints the Sky– movie
Again American Girl fans will love this one. I haven’t read the book yet but my girls loved the movie- great message in it!
We have read many Ramona books and they are always good ones. I believe we caught a little of this movie once too and it was cute.
My girls at 5 and 6 are still a tiny bit young for Harry Potter but I can’t wait to start these books with them! I am thinking 3rd grade – ish? Has anyone started these with younger kids?
This one I have heard raves about so it is also on our list after James and the Giant Peach.
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz– book
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz- movie
- The Legends of Oz– remake movie- not available yet. We saw it in theaters a few weeks ago and the girls liked it.
And by the way there is a really awesome animated hardcover book here for $12. This would be a great gift idea.
Pooh is just a classic and a must for any child’s library in my little old opinion.
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas– book
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas- Jim Carrey version
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas- cartoon version
*My girls love both the movie versions of the Grinch. Both movies absolutely capture their imaginations and have such a great message- I think these are appropriate for any time of year. These are usually on during the holiday season for free but it is nice to have the movies stream without a zillion commercials.
You could do Christmas in July and this would be so fun… hot chocolate, pj’s, marshmallows… Especially if the holiday season is as crazy for you as it is for us! Last year we never did get a chance to watch the Polar Express as a family.
We got this recently at the library and the girls did like this movie.
The Lorax movie is one of our favorites! I love the fun colors and the silliness of Dr Seuss with that great message buried in the story of taking care of Mother Earth. You can see some fun things I did last year when we saw this at the outdoor movies here. And I have some fun cupcakes for the Lorax that are easy to make here.
- Mary Poppins– book
- Mary Poppins- movie
- or for older children- Saving Mr Banks. I cried my head off at this movie 🙂
We have read these books but they can be a little tricky for small children. Some of the things in the books can be a little hard to explain so another option is to start with the My First Little House series of books (linked above).
UPDATE: And as of July 2016, The BFG by Roald Dahl will be a movie! My 8 year old loved this Book:
Whew! Lots of great books and again please share some of your favorites in the comments below!
Here are a few other resources for reading:
Free Summer Reading Programs for Kids
100 Books to Read in a Lifetime
I love this! So helpful. I think we will be checking a lot of these out from the library. We’ve really been working with my kinder on reading. She just wasn’t as interested in reading like her older sister was. Until recently, she found the Rainbow Fairy books. She’s hooked. Have you read them? I’ve been hearing from a lot of older girls that they also loved this series as beginning readers. Worth a try!
Thanks Amanda- we did check those out but they didn’t hold my daughter’s interest as much. We will for sure try again though- her interests change so much. Right now she loves the Magic Tree House books so those are the ones we read at night 🙂
Thanks for the list – good ideas! You should do the Christmas themed books on June 25 – 6 months to Christmas – just an idea.
My kids also loved the Magic Tree House series. My daughter is going to be a third grader in the fall. I just gave her permission to read the first Harry Potter book. She’s seen all the movies already and her 6th grade brother has read the series twice so she’s been dying to read it too.
If you haven’t tried them, the Harry Potter books on tape are awesome. The reader is amazing and it really helps at times when you can’t read like long car rides. Check your local library. My personal favorite series in second grade was The Boxcar Children. It hasn’t ben made into movies yet, but I loved the books. Other great series for older kids – the Divergent series is the newest book to movie out. The Hunger Games is in the same line – not for youngsters, but great for teens and good for family discussions. The Chronicles of Narnia series are also great children’s books made into movies. I am also looking forward to seeing The Giver.
By the way, another great way to help kids who are reluctant readers practice the skills is try turning down the television so that you can hear it only if the room is quiet. If people are talking, it should be difficult to hear. Then, turn on the closed caption. The words are always there and the kids begin to recognize them and coordinate them with the things they are hearing. This is not great for live CC though – too many spelling errors.
Oh I agree- the narrator for the Harry Potter books is fantastic- Jim something I think? I listened to those a few years ago and he always made me take the long way home 🙂