Best Children's Book to Film Adaptations

August 8, 2009

As any children's librarian will attest, once the cinematic version of a children's book
comes out, suddenly copies of the original text begin to disappear from library shelves.
But listing terrible children's book to film adaptations is like shooting fish in a big,
slippery, slimy barrel. How much more interesting to consider the good adaptations
instead. How very much more subjective. Inspired by both the San Francisco
Chronicle's blog post on the subject, NPR's recent piece, and the subsequent child_lit
listserv discussion, here is my own personal list of adaptations to full-length feature films
(sorry, Grinch) that I think worked particularly well. Some videos will spruce it up a bit
too, don't you think?

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - And right off the bat I cheat by including
a made-for-television movie. And a Canadian one at that! Shocking. That said, this was
one of the few instances where an actress (A) Had to play both pre and post-puberty and
(B) Had to make a character, that could easily go twee, not only likeable but loveable.
Megan Follows did so admirably. Here we see a scene that I always found incredibly
satisfying as a kid.

You can see the Megan Follows audition tape here too.

Babe by Dick King-Smith - In spite of the fact that it is based on a chapter book, the
movie felt inclined to add a touch more plot and drama to the script. Fortunately the
additions worked and the film has a very lighthearted sense with an occasional dark
undercurrent to give it some zing. Truth be told, I watched this movie more than once in
college. For lack of a good scene, we'll just watch the trailer.

The Brave Little Toaster by Thomas M. Disch - All right. So what am I trying to say
when I call these the best adaptations? Particularly when the films are clearly their own
beasts, as in the case of Toaster and friends? Well, sometimes it comes down to a great
film that was only vaguely based on the original text. Now my husband and I have a
debate as to what the best psychedelic children's film is. He's all about the Dr. Seuss
movie The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. Average scene from the film seen here:

Fah. You call that weird? I'm all about The Brave Little Toaster, which I will defend to
my grave. You be the judge. Which is stranger?

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - This film scared the living daylights out of
librarians when the trailer first premiered. Were they going to turn it into some crazy
fantasy flick? They were not. And with David Paterson, Katherine's son, having written
the screenplay, there was definitely somebody involved in the moviemaking process that
cared about the book. The result is possibly Walden Media's best film to date. It is also
one of the rare non-fantasy titles turned into a children's film. This scene I'll include
because when I watched it in the theater I found myself thinking, "A movie with kids
that's actually shot outdoors? With real trees? In this day and age? Woah."

Coraline by Neil Gaiman - Some of the kids in the bookgroup I run refused to see it after
viewing the trailer. They hated the idea that anything in the book had to be changed for
the film. We discussed how sometimes a book just has to have some things rearranged in
order to work on the big silver screen. Some children remain incredulous. Others adore
this movie. To my mind, it captures the heart of the novel and manages to be visually
stunning to boot. It's too new for any scenes to crop up online. We'll just go with the
trailer then.

Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas by Russell Hoban - Well, what can you say? It's
perfect from tip to toe. The ultimate Christmas children's book to film (sorry, The Best
Christmas Pageant Ever) to date. I wanted to include the song "When the River Meets
the Sea" but that's not available. The opening then:

And, of course, there are the bloopers.

The Harry Potter films (books by J.K. Rowling) - My blood-soaked rant about the last
movie aside, this is one of the more successful book to screen adaptations, and probably
the MOST successful children's book series to ever be adapted to celluloid. For
nostalgia's sake, here's the trailer for Film #1.

Holes by Louis Sachar - If the movie has committed any crime, it gave the world Shia
LeBoeuf. But back then he wasn't the one-handed inexplicable action star he is today.
He was just a skinny kid with frizzy hair trying to make things right. And sure, Stanley
Yelnats is supposed to be a large, chubby individual, but that skinnification was
seemingly the only change made between the book and the film. It didn't hurt matters
any that Louis Sachar helped write the screenplay, of course.

I liked the Psych reference to Holes too, for that matter.

The Iron Giant by Ted Hughes - Which I have never seen nor read the book of. So my
inclusion of it here is based on hearsay and conjecture. Still, pretty much everyone I've
spoken to agrees that this was an amazing film based on the barest slip of a book.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - Some have called it cold, but I
though the first movie in this series had much to recommend it. Granted the dual sword-
fighting witch element was a little weird. But it somehow managed to be faithful to the
book while also ending up the correct length for a feature film. This trailer was once
shown to a group of children in my library (the Jefferson Market Branch) prior to the
film's release. Nice and long.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien - Not a scene from the film. Just
something I felt inclined to include. You have all seen these movies, after all. Nothing
more needs to be said, I think.

Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce - Another case where the author had a heavy hand in
the creation of the film. In this particular case, to the point where the book was pretty
much written in tandem with the film.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie - And no, I do not refer to the Disney animated version. Nor
Hook, for what it's worth. I'm talking about the delightfully bizarre version that came out
in 2003. I mention it because it took the very weird feel of the book and then cranked up
the bizarro factor another two notches. The fact that its Tinkerbell was also in Swimming
Pool the same year should surprise no one. And then there was the shirtless Hook
element. But that's neither here nor there.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket - A strange case of adapting three

books into one film. The movie wasn't perfect, but there was an oddly admirable intent at
work. It had the tone down, certainly, though one did wonder about the choice of
clothing. It was like Steampunk without the guts to go all the way. Can't fault the credits
a jot, of course.

The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum - I've always said that in this day and age someone
should really consider doing a straight and by-the-book adaptation of this novel. You
could have a real Tin Man! A real lion! You could do all the special effects perfectly!
But to be honest, the original movie musical is still amazing, and its special effects
continue to stand up after all these years. Who doesn't get chills when the music starts at
the beginning? Anyone? Anyone? Love that movie. Love it to death.

And now the confession. This isn't necessarily an original blog post on my part. Back in
2006 I wrote the piece The Top 21 Children's Books Made Into Films. But clearly I've
grown pickier in my choices in the intervening three years.

Posted by Elizabeth Bird on August 8, 2009 | Comments (13)

List of children's books made into feature

films
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This is a list of works of children's literature that have been made into feature films. The
title of the work is followed by the work's author, the title of the film, and the year of the
film. If a film has an alternate title based on geographical distribution, the title listed will
be that of the widest distribution area.

This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

This film-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Contents
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Non-fiction

[edit] Fiction
[edit] A

• Alias Madame Doubtfire, Anne Fine - Mrs. Doubtfire, 1993

• Alice series, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - Alice Upside Down, 2008
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll - Alice, 1981 ; Alice in
Wonderland, 1933, 1951, 1966, 1985, 1988 ; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,
1972 ; The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland, 1987
• Anne of Avonlea, Lucy Maud Montgomery - Anne of Avonlea, 1987
• Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables, 1919,
1934, 1956, 1972, 1985
• The Apple Dumpling Gang, Jack Bickham - The Apple Dumpling Gang, 1975
• Aquamarine, Alice Hoffman - Aquamarine, 2006
• Arrow to the Sun, Gerald McDermott - Arrow to the Sun, 1973
• Arthur series, Marc Brown - Arthur's Missing Pal, 2006
• Le Avventure di Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi - Pinocchio, 1940, 2002 ; The
Adventures of Pinocchio, 1936, 1996

[edit] B

• Babar the Elephant series, Jean de Brunhoff - Babar: The Movie, 1989 ; Babar:
King of the Elephants, 1999
• The Baby-sitters Club series - The Baby-Sitters Club, 1995
• Ballet Shoes, Noel Streatfeild - Ballet Shoes, 1976, 2008
• Bambi, ein Leben im Walde (Bambi: A Life in the Woods), Felix Salten - Bambi,
1942
• Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo - Because of Winn-Dixie, 2005
• The BFG, Roald Dahl - The BFG, 1989
• Black Beauty, Anna Sewell - Black Beauty, 1946, 1971, 1994
• The Black Stallion series, Walter Farley - The Black Stallion, 1979, The Black
Stallion Returns, 1983
• The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander - The Black
Cauldron, 1985
 • The Borrowers , Mary Norton The Borrowers (TV miniseries), 1992; The
Borrowers (1997 film)
• The Brave Little Toaster, Thomas M. Disch - The Brave Little Toaster, 1987
• Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson - Bridge to Terabithia, 1985, 2007
• The Brothers Lionheart, Astrid Lindgren - The Brothers Lionheart (film) 1977

[edit] C

• The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss - The Cat in the Hat, 2003
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl - Willy Wonka & the Chocolate
Factory, 1971 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005
• Charlotte's Web, E. B. White - Charlotte's Web, 1973, 2006 ; Charlotte's Web 2:
Wilbur's Great Adventure, 2003
• The Cheetah Girls, Deborah Gregory - The Cheetah Girls, 2003 ; The Cheetah
Girls 2, 2006 ; The Cheetah Girls: One World, 2008
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, Ian Fleming - Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang, 1968
• The Christmas Box, Richard Paul Evans - The Christmas Box, 1995
• The City of Ember, Jeanne Duprau - City of Ember (film), 2008
• Clifford the Big Red Dog series, Norman Bridwell - Clifford's Really Big Movie,
2004
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Judi Barrett - Cloudy with a Chance of
Meatballs (film), 2009
• Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Dyan Sheldon - Confessions of a
Teenage Drama Queen, 2004
• Coraline, Neil Gaiman, Coraline (film), 2009
• Curious George, H. A. Rey and Margret Rey - Curious George, 2006

[edit] D

• Danny, the Champion of the World, Roald Dahl - Danny, the Champion of the
World, 1989
• A Day with Wilbur Robinson, William Joyce - Meet the Robinsons, 2007
• The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper - The Seeker (film), 2007
• O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc (The Two Who Stole the Moon, Kornel
Makuszyński - The Two Who Stole the Moon, 1962
• Dumbo, Harold Perl - Dumbo, 1941

[edit] E

• Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine - Ella Enchanted, 2004

• Eloise at Christmastime, Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight - Eloise at
Christmastime, 2003
• Eloise at the Plaza, Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight - Eloise at the Plaza, 2003
• Eragon, Christopher Paolini - Eragon, 2006
[edit] F

• The Face on the Milk Carton, Caroline B. Cooney - The Face on the Milk Carton,
1995
• Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl - Fantastic Mr. Fox (film), 2009
• Frække Frida og de frygtløse spioner, Lykke Nielsen - Frække Frida og de
frygtløse spioner, 1994
• Freaky Friday, Mary Rodgers - Freaky Friday, 1976, 1995, 2003
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E. L. Konigsburg - From
the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, 1973, 1995

[edit] G

• The Ghosts, Antonia Barber - The Amazing Mr Blunden, 1972

• The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman - Golden Compass (film), 2008
• Granpa, John Burningham - Granpa, 1989

[edit] H

• Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates, Mary Mapes Dodge and Alice Carsey - Hans
Brinker or the Silver Skates, 1962
• Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh - Harriet the Spy, 1996
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone, 2001
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets, 2002
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet
of Fire, 2005
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix, 2007
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince, 2009
• Hatchet (novel), Gary Paulsen, A Cry in the Wild 1990
• Heidi, Johanna Spyri - Heidi, 1937, 1952, 1968, 1978, 1993, 1995, 2005 ; Heidi's
Song, 1982
• Holes, Louis Sachar - Holes, 2003
• Hoot, Carl Hiaasen - Hoot, 2006
• Horton Hears a Who!, Dr. Seuss - Horton Hears a Who!, 2008
• How My Private, Personal Journal Became A Bestseller, Julia DeVillers - Read it
and Weep, 2006
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Dr. Seuss - How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,
2000
• How to Eat Fried Worms, Thomas Rockwell - How to Eat Fried Worms, 2006
 • The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Dodie Smith - One Hundred and One
Dalmatians, 1961; 101 Dalmatians, 1996; 102 Dalmatians, 2000

[edit] I

• I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith - I Capture the Castle, 2003

• I Want a Dog, Dayal Kaur Khalsa - I Want a Dog, 2003
• The Incredible Journey, Sheila Burnford - The Incredible Journey (film), 1963;
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, 1993
• The Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks - The Indian in the Cupboard,
1995
• Inkheart, Cornelia Funke - Inkheart, 2009
• The Iron Man, Ted Hughes - The Iron Giant, 1999
• Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell, 1964 film

[edit] J

• James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach (film), 1996
• Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes - Johnny Tremain, 1957
• Jumanji, Chris Van Allsburg - Jumanji, 1995
• The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Book, 1942, 1967, 1994 ; The
Jungle Book 2, 2003 ; Adventures of Mowgli, 1967
• Justin Morgan Had a Horse, Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis - Justin
Morgan Had a Horse, 1972

[edit] K

• Kit Kittredge: American Girl series, Valerie Tripp - Kit Kittredge: An American
Girl, 2008

[edit] L

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis - The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe, 1979, 1988, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe, 2005
• A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett - A Little Princess, 1917, 1939, 1975,
1986, 1995
• Little Women, Louisa May Alcott - Little Women, 1933, 1949, 1978, 1994
• The Littles, John Peterson - Here Come the Littles, 1985

[edit] M

• Madeline series, Ludwig Bemelmans - Madeline, 1998 ; Madeline: Lost in Paris,

1999
• Madicken series, Astrid Lindgren - Du är inte klok, Madicken, 1979 and
Madicken på Junibacken, 1980
 • The Magic Bed Knob and Bonfires and Broomsticks, Mary Norton - Bedknobs
and Broomsticks, 1971
• The Marvelous Land of Oz, L. Frank Baum - Journey Back to Oz, 1971
• Mary Poppins, P. L. Travers - Mary Poppins, 1964
• Matilda, Roald Dahl - Matilda, 1996
• Midnight and Jeremiah, Sterling North - So Dear to My Heart, 1948
• Mio, My Mio, Astrid Lindgren, - Mio in the Land of Faraway, 1987
• Miss Spider series, David Kirk - Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Kids, 2003
• Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite Henry - Misty, 1961
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien - The Secret of NIMH ,
1982
• My Friend Flicka, Mary O'Hara - My Friend Flicka, 1943, Flicka, 2006

[edit] N

• The Neverending Story (Die Unendliche Geschichte), Michael Ende - The

NeverEnding Story, 1984 ; The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, 1990 ;
The NeverEnding Story III, 1994
• New Moon (2009 film)- New moon, 2009
• Nim's Island, Wendy Orr and Kerry Millard - Nim's Island, 2008
• The Night at the Museum, Milan Trenc - "Night at the Museum

[edit] O

• Old Yeller, Frederick Benjamin Gipson - Old Yeller, 1957

• Ozma of Oz and The Marvelous Land of Oz, L. Frank Baum - Return to Oz, 1985

[edit] P

• The Patchwork Girl of Oz, L. Frank Baum - The Patchwork Girl of Oz, 1914
• Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren - Peppi Dlinnyychulok, 1982 ; The New
Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, 1988
• The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg - The Polar Express, 2004
• Pollyanna, Eleanor H. Porter - The Adventures of Pollyanna, 1982 ; Hayat
sevince güzel, 1971 ; Polly, 1989 ; Pollyanna, 1920, 1960, 1973 ; 2003
• Prince Caspian, C. S. Lewis - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, 2008
• The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot - The Princess Diaries, 2001
• Punk Farm, Jarrett J. Krosoczka - Punk Farm, (future)

[edit] R

• Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Kate Douglas Wiggin - Rebecca of Sunnybrook

Farm, 1917, 1932, 1938
• The Rescuers, Margery Sharp - The Rescuers, 1977 ; The Rescuers Down Under,
1990
• A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L'Engle - A Ring of Endless Light, 2002
 • Ronia the Robber's Daughter, Astrid Lindgren - Ronia, the Robber's Daughter
(film), 1984

[edit] S

• Searching for David's Heart, Cherie Bennett - Searching for David's Heart, 2004
• The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden, 1949, 1993
• A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket - Lemony Snicket's A Series of
Unfortunate Events, 2004
• The Sheep Pig, Dick King-Smith - Babe, 1995 ; Babe: Pig in the City, 1998
• Shrek!, William Steig - Shrek, 2001
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares - The Sisterhood of the
Traveling Pants, 2005
• Sounder, William H. Armstrong, Sounder (film), 1972
• Spiderwick series, Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black - The Spiderwick Chronicles
2008
• Starik Khottabych, Lazar Lagin - Old Khottabych, 1956
• Storm Boy, Colin Thiele - Storm Boy, 1976
• Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz - Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker, 2007
• Stuart Little, E. B. White - Stuart Little, 1999 ; Stuart Little 2, 2002 ; Stuart Little
3: Call of the Wild, 2006
• The Stupids series, Harry G. Allard and James Marshall - The Stupids, 1996

[edit] T

• Tale of Despereaux, Kate Dicamillo - Tale of Despereaux, 2008

• "Toomai of the Elephants", Rudyard Kipling - Elephant Boy, 1937
• Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island, 1920, 1934, 1950,
1972, 1990 ; Muppet Treasure Island, 1996 ; Treasure Planet, 2002
• Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting, 1981, 2002
• T*Witches, H. B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld - Twitches, 2005
• Twilight, Stephenie Meyer - Twilight, (2008)

[edit] U

• Undercover Cat, Gordon and Mildred Gordon - That Darn Cat!, 1965 ; That
Darn Cat, 1997

[edit] V

• The Vampire's Assistant, Darren Shan - Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's

Assistant, 2009
• The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle and Doctor Dolittle's Circus, Hugh Lofting -
Doctor Dolittle, 1967
[edit] W

• The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby, Charles Kingsley - The Water
Babies, 1978
• The Water Horse, Dick King-Smith, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, 2007
• Watership Down, Richard Adams, Watership Down (film), 1978; Watership
Down (TV series), 1999
• We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, Hudson Talbott - We're Back! A Dinosaur's
Story, 1993
• The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin - Get a Clue, 1997
• Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls - Where the Red Fern Grows, 1974,
2003
• Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak - Where the Wild Things Are, 2009
• The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.
Toad, 1949 ; The Wind in the Willows, 1983, 1985, 1995, 1996, 2006
• Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, A. A. Milne - Winnie the Pooh
and a Day for Eeyore, 1983 ; Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, 1968 ;
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, 1966 ; Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!,
1974
• A Wish for Wings That Work, Berkeley Breathed - A Wish for Wings That Work,
1991
• The Witches, Roald Dahl - The Witches, 1990
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,
1910 ; His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz, 1914 ; Wizard of Oz, 1925 ; The Wizard
of Oz, 1939 ; The Wizard of Mars, 1965 ; Ayşecik ve Sihirli Cüceler Rüyalar
Ülkesinde, 1971 ; The Wiz, 1978 ; The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, 2005
• A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time, 2003

[edit] Y

• The Yearling, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings - The Yearling (film), 1946

[edit] Z

• Zathura, Chris Van Allsburg - Zathura, 2005

• Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, Marilyn Sadler - Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century,
1999