Picture Books with Movie Counterparts

Getting children hooked on reading at a young age is sometimes the key to creating a life long reader. Children are bombarded with other media such as movies, television, and video games and sometimes books get lost in the shuffle. Often connecting another media to books is a great way to get children to read. There are several great picture books that have wonderful movie counterparts. If you want to encourage your young reader to start and stay reading, try introducing these picture books with movie counterparts.

Horton Hears a Who. This wonderfully endearing story by iconic author Dr. Seuss, is a great picture book with a movie counterpart. Younger children will love reading this great book and fortunately, the movie is just about as charming. Sure, the movie does add a little to the story (considering an hour and a half long movie was created from a simple picture book, this was necessary), but the magic of Horton's sincerity and loyalty really does come through in the movie just as it does in the book. This picture book with a movie counterpart is best suited for children in grades K-4.

The Polar Express. The amazing illustrations and incredibly imaginative story by Chris VanAllsburg comes to life through computer animation in the movie version. The magical story of The Polar Express is told in a simple picture book, and although the screen version is longer, it really does capture Van Allsburg's magic. This picture book with a movie counterpart is best suited for children in grades 2-5.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. This adorable picture book by Judy Barrett has recently hit the big screen. This picture book turned movie actually turned out better than many skeptical fans of the book ever expected. The picture book is a short tale of a little boy who isn't into sports or cars, but rather likes inventing things and whose grandpa tells stories of a town where it rains breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The movie, written along the same lines, really does justice to this humorous and heartwarming picture book. This picture book and movie can be enjoyed by students in grades K-4.

Jumanji. Another magical picture book by Chris Van Allsburg, Jumanji follows the adventure of two bored siblings who find a board game in a nearby park. They quickly learn that there is more than meets the eye to this incredible, and frightening, board game. The movie, with Robin Williams, adds much more to the game, but still captures Van Allsburg's adventurous plot. This picture book with a movie counterpart is great for grades 2-6.

There are dozens of picture books out there with movie counterparts. These four picture books turned movies, in my opinion, are four of the best screen adaptations available. If you enjoy reading a book to your children and then watching the movie, choose one of these four picture books for a great experience for the entire family.