I was pleased to hear from Child_Lit members about several generally positive reviews of the new movie version of Charlotte's Web, one from The New York Times and one from teacher Monica Edinger, which includes comments from her fourth grade students. I was also delighted to find a detailed review of Charlotte's Web, complete with a Topics to Talk About section, from Carey Bryson, the Guide to About: Kids Movies / TV. Charlotte's Web, written by E.B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams, is a classic children's novel. It is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it.
However, I do not recommend movie-related abbreviated versions of the book. When you have the best (the original book), why settle for less? I feel the same way about The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - loved the book, loved the movie, had no use for the movie-related picture book and beginning reader versions of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. How do you feel about the movie-related versions of children's books? Click on "comments" below and share your opinions.
Couldn’t agree more! I too loved the new movie, and of course the book is a regular yearly read (if not more often!). However, I feel that the movie-related products do much to take away from the magic of the original, and of course, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Don’t let your children or students become jaded to the original artwork because of the flashy movie-type book covers. Have your plan of action ready though, because kids are full of clever questions!
Absolutely correct! Why mess with it? The classic versions are so much more rich to me. The children (and adults) get so much more from the original works. Not to mention the wonderful family time spent reading them and the natural conversation that follows, you just can’t beat it. My family and I enjoy reading the original works and then seeing the movie. We haven’t seen the new Charlotte’s Web as of yet, but we are planning to.
i agree with your point of view. I think it would be too easy a child to settle for a book about the movie and thus miss the original book altogether. Children often delight and surprise us by reading books above their intended reading level simply because they are interested in a good story!
I agree, however, the movie adapted books are good for kids who are too young to read the novel. I read the wonderful novel to my daughter, and at the time she was 4 years old. She was BARLEY able to follow the more sophisticated language. So, for preschoolers, in this case, the movie books are better than no book.