Book First, Then Movie

Book first, then movie has been the rule in our house for as long as I can remember. I remember my mother whispering it to me when I begged her to let me watch The Wizard Of Oz for the first time.

“Nan, you only get to experience the story for the first time ONCE! Book first, then movie! You will likely love the movie, but you’ll adore the book.” she said.   She said it which such an authoritative tone that I knew better than to argue with her.

She called me Nan, but you can call me NJ. My real name is Nancyjo.

And that is the way my childhood went.

Malone and I recently had the opportunity to sink our teeth into the book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. When we were finished with the book, we watched the movie. This post was inspired by the 50th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. Malone and I received a copy of the book from the publisher. All opinions are our own. There are affiliate links present within this post.

10 Reasons To Read The Book First And Then Watch The Movie

1. You only get to experience a story for the first time once.

2. Unless it is a picture book, a book gives a richer version of the story and plot than a movie.

3. Reading the book first and then watching the movie will give you an inside track to what is about to happen. But at the same time, you won’t know EXACTLY how it is done in the movie. The sorting hat scene in Harry Potter comes to mind here. I knew it was coming in the movie, but I was amazed at how the movie portrayed it.

4. Amazing visual details from the book come to life on the big screen. Often times, the way a movie translates details of the book are much more visually stunning than what I pictured when I read the book. The example that sticks out to me the most is the flame dress that Katniss wore in The Hunger Games.

5.  You can really understand what is motivating a character. I love that books are often written in such a way that we get to “hear” what exactly is going on inside a person’s head. This doesn’t happen much in the movies at all. And if it did, the movie would be TOO long!

6. Speaking of long movies, by reading a book first and then watching the movie, you get the full story! Nothing about the plot has been cut out to make sure it fits into the allotted time frame.

7. The book will be true to itself but the movie director might take entertainment liberties and change the story up to make it more appealing to a movie audience. I can’t tell you how many movies based on a book that I’ve been to where the ending isn’t the same as it is in the book!

8. You can take your experience further by comparing and contrasting the book and the movie. This is especially great if you are working through a book first then watching the movie with your kids.

9. There is nothing like getting hooked into a good book. All of the production budget in the world cannot buy the experience of falling in love with a good book.

10. You’ll get bragging rights! You can be one of those people who can claim they loved the book more than the movie.

 

This post was inspired by the classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. To celebrate, Penguin Young Readers Group, in partnership with Dylan’s Candy Bar, the world-famous candy emporium, and First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides books for children from low-income families, is launching a year-long international celebration.

Head over to From Left to Write to learn how you and your child can have a chance to win the Golden Ticket Sweepstakes where the grand prize is a magical trip to New York City plus much more! For every entry submitted, Penguin Young Readers Group will make a donation to First Book. Then, join From Left to Write on July 24 as we discuss Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. As a book club member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.