75 Kids Books That Are Movies
One great way to get kids reading is to choose books that are paired with movies. There are so many wonderful kids books that are movies – classics and newer titles that are based on some of the most popular children’s books – including picture books and chapter books, so there’s truly is a kids book made into a movie for every reading age and stage.
If you’re homeschooling or sharing a book and movie pair in the classroom, these combinations provide a great basis for compare and contrast activities.
Also, reading kids books made into movies can be an effective strategy for motivating reluctant readers. You canwatch the movie before the book to provide important context for reading, or read the book aloud together before watching, or watch the movie once your child has finished the book as a reading reward.
Whether your children enjoy action, adventure, fantasy or even a little bit of a scare, there is a book with movie duo for them!
75 Kids Books That Are Movies
While the book/movie combinations below range in suitability for children from age five through to twelve years, I suggest checking out the reviews on the Common Sense Media website for titles you are unfamiliar with where you will find age recommendations from experts, parent reviewers and children.
If you are looking for book and movie combinations for older children, combine this list with our Tween & Teen Books That Are Movies post for more than 100 children’s books made into movies that are suitable for kids of all ages and their families!
Each book and movie listed below is linked to an Amazon store page – these are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Kids Picture Books That Are Movies
We love so many of the titles on this list of kids picture books that have been made into movies. How many do you recall reading?
1. Where the Wild Things Are
Follow Max on his adventure in his beloved wolf suit! Off to faraway islands where he finds a group of Wild Things who call him King. Together they cause havoc until Max smells something wonderful calling him back home.
2. Peter Rabbit
The tale of a very mischievous rabbit who finds his way into trouble in the gardens of Mr. McGregor who hates animals raiding his vegetables!
3. The Gruffalo
A mouse who faces being eaten by a range of forest foes invents a creature that is sure to strike fear in anyone – but little does the little mouse know, that the Gruffalo actually exists!
For more Julia Donaldson and short movies like this, check out our fun collection of Short Films from Children’s Books.
4. Horton Hears a Who
The classic tale of Horton, a pretty large elephant, who swears he hears the smallest of voices on a flower calling for help… but no one else believes him. Horton sets out to help the voices he hears.
5. Dumbo
The tale of a young elephant with ears bigger than he can carry and his fiercely protective mother. Nicknamed Dumbo on account of his ears, he faces new adventures when he discovers his ears can help him to fly!
6. The Cat in the Hat
When a brother and sister are stuck inside on a rainy day, the Cat in the Hat appears to add fun to the day, and in the process makes a huge mess. With mother on her way home soon the children despair – how will they clean ever it all up in time?
7. Chicken Little
When an acorn drops on Chicken Little’s head, he thinks the sky is falling and dashes off to tell the king, taking his feathered friends along with him. Unfortunately Foxy Loxy learns of the plan and tries to trick them all into becoming his dinner!
8. Curious George
A young monkey named George is taken from the jungle by the man in the yellow hat and starts a new life in the city. George however is a curious little one and gets into trouble just by being curious. Follow the pair along with all their misadventures.
9. The Lorax
A classic story from Dr. Seuss about The Lorax, a creature who speaks for the trees when their environment is threatened, reminding us all of the importance of speaking up for those that can’t speak for themselves.
10. Eloise
Eloise is a young girl growing up in The Plaza Hotel in New York. She’s only six but has courage and self-confidence beyond her years. She loves interacting with the many interesting people visiting the hotel, and has so much to teach everyone.
11. Madeline
Madeline lives in the beautiful city of Paris. She has no fear and is always the first to try to save the day with her kind words and actions, jumping into action when a friend falls ill and must go to hospital.
12. The Night at the Museum
When Larry becomes a nighttime security guard at the museum he thinks it’s going to be a piece of cake. After waking from a nap he finds all the dinosaur exhibits are missing, only to then discover them… ALIVE!
13. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
What if it was raining spaghetti noodles instead of rain! Listen to the tale a grandfather tells his grandchildren of a town where food rains from the sky.
14. The Story of Ferdinand
A friendly bull named Ferdinand is forced back into bullfighting after being free, but makes new friends along the way and teaches them some very important lessons.
15.The Polar Express
Billy has started to doubt that Santa is real. A magical train ride to the North Pole to make Christmas wishes helps Billy to rediscover the true magic of the holidays.
16. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The age-old tale of The Grinch who hates Whoville and all its joyful residents. He’s determined to destroy the holiday cheer of Christmas until discovering that he might actually enjoy Christmas himself.
Looking for family friendly Christmas movies? Check out this collection Christmas Movies for Kids.
Classic Children’s Books That Are Movies
We love so many of the titles of these classic children’s books that have been made into movies – with both novels and picture books making the list. These are books that have survived decades (even over a century in some cases!) and been enjoyed by generations of children, and re-imagined for the screen for modern audiences.
17. Mary Poppins
When the East Wind blows the magical Mary Poppins over Cherry Tree Lane and into the lives of the Banks children, life becomes a wonderful adventure.
18. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
When a young girl named Dorothy finds herself in a strange place after a tornado rips through her home in Kansas she must travel through the land, making friends and dodging a wicked witch, to find a way home.
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie Bucket is excited to find the last of five golden tickets to tour the famous Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. What he and the four other winners don’t know is that they are about to be taken on the wildest of sweet rides with many important lessons to learn.
20.The Adventures of Pinocchio
The classic tale of a wooden puppet named Pinocchio who wishes for nothing else than to be a real boy. He gets into all sorts of mischief – running away to join a puppet show, teaming up with a rascally fox and wily cat, and playing truant from school, until a talking cricket and his guardian fairy help restore Pinocchio to good behavior.
21. Peter Pan
When Wendy helps Peter chase down his shadow and reattach it, he offers her and he brothers the adventure of a lifetime – fly with him to his home in Neverland.
22. The Secret Garden
When Mary comes to live with her great uncle she discovers the gardens are a great place to escape the strange house and its mysterious noises. And then she discovers the key to a locked portion of the garden and then the adventures really begin.
23. The Iron Giant
A young boy discovers a giant made of iron eating anything metal in a junkyard, and is set out to save him from the world intent on destroying him.
24. The Borrowers
A family of tiny beings lives behind the walls “borrowing” their household items from the human beans above the floorboards. All is well until one member of the family is spotted upstairs by a human boy.
25. Harriet the Spy
Harriet investigates and reports in her journal every day, writing down anything and everything about everyone. When her journal falls into the wrong hands and everyone reads what she has to say about them, life becomes a lot more complicated for Harriet.
26. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
When faced with the task of moving her whole family sooner than expected, Mrs. Frisby has to enlist help from whomever she can find. The rats of NIMH set out to help her and her family, and she in turn repays them greatly with something dear to them all.
27. Beezus and Ramona
Having a little sister like Ramona isn’t always easy for Beezus Quimby. With a crazy imagination and an appetite for chaos, Ramona makes it hard for Beezus to be the responsible older sister she knows she ought to be…especially when Ramona threatens to ruin Beezus’ birthday party!
28. James and the Giant Peach
When tragedy strikes James is sent to live with two nasty aunts. He’s very lonely until one day something peculiar happens. At the end of the garden a peach starts to grow and grow. Inside that peach are seven insects waiting to take James on a magical adventure.
29. A Little Princess
A wealthy, imaginative young girl attends a strict girls boarding school. When her father is assumed dead in the war, Sara struggles as a penniless orphan, moving in to the servant’s quarters at the school. Ultimately Sara proves both resilient and kind to others in the face of her own struggles.
30. MatildaÂ
Matilda faces a whole new set of challenges when her dreadful parents send her off to a school with a horrid principal. Fortunately, a kind teacher takes her under her wing and together they find a way to get our from under those that are confining them.
31. Journey to the Center of the EarthÂ
When Professor Lidenbrock discovers a 16th-century manuscript that reveals a route to the earth’s core, he can’t resist the chance to investigate. Together with his whiz-kid nephew and an Icelandic guide, the professor heads for the crater of an extinct volcano. What bizarre creatures may lurk below? Will their supplies last? How will they return to the surface? A beloved classic science fiction story!
32. The Incredible Journey Â
An inquisitive Labrador retriever, friendly bull terrier, and courageous Siamese cat set out on an incredible journey through the Canadian wilderness to find their owner.
33. Stuart Little
A kind couple adopt a sweet, humanlike mouse, who faces danger from the couple’s cat and the disappointment of his new human brother. When two mice show up claiming to be his birth parents, Stuart learns an important lesson about family. A great movie for families, Stuart Little is very different from the likewise wonderful book of the same name.
34. Anne of Green Gables
Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm where she proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.
35. How to Eat Fried Worms Â
Billy is a normal kid with no money who wants a new minibike. To earn the money his friend Alan bets Billy $50 that he can’t eat 15 worms in 15 days. Billy and his friend Joe get creative with ways to prepare the worms so they’re more edible- boiled, fried, topped with ketchup, mustard, horseradish, even whipped cream!
36. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Â
A mysterious gift from her mother launches Clara on a journey to four secret realms where she discovers her greatest strength could change the world.
Recently Published Children’s Books Made Into Movies
I love seeing titles that my children enjoy reading now being transformed from book to movie too!
37. The Bad Guys
They sound like bad guys, they look like bad guys and they smell like bad guys, but Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark are out to update their image one good deed at a time!
38. Mr Stink
Mr Stink stinks! Chloe makes friends with Mr Stink, the local tramp and decides to hide him in the garden shed when it looks like he might be driven out of town.
39. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
When Greg nervously enters middle school he is happy to have his somewhat daggy best friend by his side. But what happens when his friend becomes more popular than he is?
40. Dragonkeeper
The fate of ancient China rests on the shoulders of one young girl, Ping, who goes on a quest to save a dragon and finds a crucial and mysterious stone that’s vital to the dragon legacy.
41. Hoot
DRoy is the new kid in town and it’s hard enough trying to make friends but now he will learn a lesson in standing up for what is right as well as he helps his new friends stop a pancake house being built on land that is home to a colony of endangered owls.
42. The Spiderwick Chronicles
When twins Jared and Simon and their older sister Mallory discover that there’s a magical world existing parallel to our own- the world of faerie – crazy things start happening, much to the bewilderment and frustration of their mother. Now the kids must figure out what (or who) is behind the mischief.
43. Coraline
A young girl explores her new home while her parents work, only to discover a secret, alternative world complete with a new set of parents. Not everything is as it seems though with a spooky turn of events that leave Coraline to make an important choice.
44. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Â
A young boy discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers.
45. The Tale of Despereaux
The intertwined story of Desperaux Tilling, who loves music, a princess, Miggery Sow, who has just one simple wish, and Roscuro, who just wants a life in the light. Follow the trio as they each find their own way until their stories all combine.
46. Guardians of Ga’hoole
A young owl named Soren is kicked from his nest by his older brother and adopted by a mysterious school for orphaned owl. There is more to his new home than meets the eye and he and his friends must find a way to escape and save their kind from grave danger.
47. Inkheart
A surprising adventure begins when Meggie’s father is reading a story and the evil character comes to life in their living room. The family must figure out a way to use the same magic that brought evil to their world to overcome and conquer it.
48. The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. Until a mechanical person, a key, notebook, and a hidden message all lead to a much bigger adventure for Hugo.
49. How to Train Your Dragon
Follow the adventures of a Viking boy known as Hiccup as he discovers the world of dragons, and even befriends one and begins to train it so he and his fellow Vikings can ride them.
50. Captain UnderpantsÂ
George and Harold are best friends who enjoy making their own comic books. Together they’ve created the greatest superhero in the history of their elementary school: Captain Underpants! His true identity is SO secret, even HE doesn’t know who he is!
51. Howl’s Moving Castle
Sophie finds her life changed when she is literally swept off her feet by the handsome, mysterious wizard Howl. In search of a cure to a witch’s curse, Sophie boards his magnificent moving castle into a new life of wonder and adventure.
52. Flora and UlyssesÂ
An engaging and very funny story of 10 year old, natural-born cynic, Flora and her friend Ulysses, a squirrel who suddenly acquires superpowers. The two of them become instant soulmates, with Ulysses a wonderful antidote to the family difficulties Flora faces..
53. Artemis Fowl Â
Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old genius and a criminal mastermind. He finds himself in an epic battle against a race of powerful, high-tech fairies, who may be behind his father’s disappearance!
54. Better Nate Than Ever
Thirteen-year-old Nate has big Broadway dreams. But when he isn’t cast in the school play, he and his best friend Libby sneak off to the Big Apple, where Nate’s journey is turned upside down..
55. Swindle
After a mean collector named Swindle cons him out of his most valuable baseball card, Griffin Bing must put together a band of misfits to break into Swindle’s compound and recapture the card. A team of six clever kids enact a daring plan to track down a swindler and bring him to justice.
56. Rise of the Guardians
A fun-filled, magical adventure featuring the legendary guardians of childhood – Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Sandman. When the evil Pitch threatens to take over the world, it’s up to these beloved heroes to protect the hopes and dreams of children everywhere.
57. The Princess Diaries
A young girl from New York learns her father is the prince of a small, European country, and she’s the only heir to his throne. Forced to endure princess lessons from the grandmother she’s just met, Mia thinks there is just no way she’s princess material…or is she?
58. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Â
A young boy discovers he’s the descendant of the Greek god, Poseidon. When he is accused of stealing Zeus’ Âlightning bolt – the most powerful weapon ever created, he sets out on an adventure to prove his innocence, recover the bolt and prevent a war amongst the gods that could destroy the human world!
59. StargirlÂ
An unassuming high schooler finds himself inexplicably drawn to a free-spirited new girl, whose unconventional ways change how they see themselves and each other.
Kids Books That Are Movies for Family Movie Night
These kids book to movie adaptations are perfect for family movie night!
60. Nim’s Island
Nim is a modern day Robinson Crusoe so she’s not worried when her dad sails away for three days, leaving her alone on their island. But when her dad doesn’t return she’ll need to be strong, resourceful and brave in her search for him.
61. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad DayÂ
From starting the day with gum in his hair to just about everything going wrong, Alexander experiences the absolute worst day ever. What do you do on a day like that? Well, you may think about going to Australia, or you may just be glad to find that some days are like that for other people too.
62. Fantastic Mr. Fox
A clever fox by the name of Mr. Fox has been stealing from the area farmers and they team up to corner and get rid of the thief. Little do they know they’ve gone a fight on their hands against the fantastic Mr. Fox!
63. Freaky Friday Â
Annabel wants nothing more than her mother to leave her alone. She doesn’t want to do chores, babysit, or do anything her mother asks. One day she wakes up to find she has switched bodies with her mother, requiring her to take on all the tasks her mother usually does. Can she do it?
64. Mr Popper’s Penguins
Mr Popper wants to be an explorer so much! When his favorite arctic explorer sends him a surprise, he isn’t sure what to do with it! And before he knows it he has a whole flock of penguins living in his home and he couldn’t be happier…or could he?
65. A Bear Called Paddington
When the Brown family discover a small bear named Paddington in a train station they are not prepared for the trouble he’d find thanks to his curious nature.
66. The One and Only Ivan
Having spent 27 years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, a captive gorilla, Ivan, is accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle anymore. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home through new eyes. A wonderful story of friendship and the significance of the place we call home.
67. Jumanji
Peter and Judy find a mysterious game that warns once the game is started it will never end. Little do they know how true that really is! A story of epic adventures, with many twists and turns.
68. The BFG
When the BFG (the Big Friendly Giant) carries Sophie off into the night little do they know that they are at the beginning of an adventure to stop nasty giants from enacting a horrible plan..
69. Charlotte’s Web
The story of a runt of the litter piglet named Wilbur, Fern (the girl who saved him), and Charlotte (the spider who weaves words into her webs). Follow the group as they learn about friendship, life, and even death, together.
70. Zathura
When the Budwing brothers discover a new game in their basement they are hurled into a space-filled environment that tests their bond as family and teaches them to work together.
71. The Jungle BookÂ
Saved from the jaws of the evil tiger Shere Khan, a young man-child, Mowgli, is adopted by a wolf pack and taught the law of the jungle by lovable Baloo the bear and Bhageera the panther.
72. Lyle, Lyle Crocodile
After moving to New York City, the Primm family’s life changes forever when they discover, Lyle, a singing crocodile, hiding in the attic.
73. WonderÂ
Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he’s being sent to a real school – and he’s dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted – but can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, behind his terrible facial abnormality?
74. Paper PlanesÂ
A young Australian boy named Dylan realises he has a talent for making paper planes and becomes determined to win the World Paper Plane Championships. Along his journey, he makes friends, finds out who his enemies are, and deals with family issues he’s been avoiding.
75. The Peanuts MovieÂ
Based on the beloved Peanuts comic strips, The Peanuts Movie shares the sweet story of Charlie Brown’s crush on his red haired neighbor.
For more ideas for family movie night, be sure to check out our list of Best Family Movies.
More Great Book & Movie Resources
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