Children's books produced as feature films

Dahl, Ronald. (2007). Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Ronald Dahl is a book about Charlie, a little boy who lives with his mom and both sets of grandparents. His family doesn't have much money, but he is lucky enough to be one of five children who finds a golden ticket inside a chocolate bar. The golden ticket gets each of the five children and one adult a tour in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The other four children take advantage of Mr. Wonka and something happens to each of them during their trip to the factory, but Charlie and his grandpa make it to the end of the tour. Charlie finds out that there is a prize waiting for him at the end of his journey...This is an excellent book and it makes me want to eat a chocolate bar! Dahl's imagination and humor makes this book so delicious that any child would want to read it. I am big fan of the original feature film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Honestly, I liked this film better than the book, which is an exception to my usual rule that books are always better than the movies. This film is so colorful and inviting. I really liked the soundtrack for this film, which is one of the big reasons why I like the film so much better. When you watch this movie the music is stuck in your head for days! Children will be easily humored by Wonka's eccentric ways and Charlie's experiences in this film.

Sachar, Louis. (2000). Holes.
Holes by Louis Sachar is about Stanley Yelnats, a boy whose family is plagued with a curse. Stanly is accused of stealing a pair of shoes donated by a famous basketball player, Clyde "Sweetfeet" Livingston, to a charity for a children's home. The judge doesn't believe Stanley when he says the shoes fell from the sky and hit him in the head and that he really didn't steal them. As a punishment he is sent to Camp Green Lake, a hot, miserable camp in the Texas desert. Everyday he is required to dig a hole for the Warden of the camp. At the camp, Stanley manages to uncover a hidden treasure, find true friends, and rids himself of the family curse. I loved this book. It was hilarious and down to earth. It also has a lot of hidden meanings that students can uncover. The feature film, Holes, which was based off this book was also excellent. It was also very interesting and funny. I think that kids would enjoy watching this movie and comparing it to the book. In my opinion, books are always better than the movie though, because movies can't add nearly as much detail as a book can, but it was definetely a movie worth watching.

Sendak, Maurice. (1988). Where the Wild Things Are.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is about a little boy, Max, who is in trouble with his mom. He is sent to be without supper. When he falls asleep he dreams he sails to an island where the "wild things" are and they make him king. I was an only child so I had to amuse myself. I really enjoyed playing dress up and pretending to be a doctor, teacher, or spy, so this book is right up my ally. I enjoy "escaping" to imaginary places. I was very excited to see Where the Wild Things Are as a feature film, but I was very dissapointed. The movie was not nearly as good as the book. Actually, I thought it was very borning and I couldn't even finish watching the whole thing. Although the movie followed the events of the book pretty closely it lacked humor and the spark of imagaination that has made the book a favorite to children for so many years.