kid books that would rock on screen

My nephews are finally getting to an age where I can read them stories. Personally, this is one those parenting things that I look forward to the most. That and Halloween costumes. In true Hall form, we still own all of our childhood books – really, the contents of our old bookshelves are the only items that I can justify keeping after all these years.

It’s really cool, though. Gabriel’s been fixated on Where the Wild Things Are (I think he identifies with Max). I’d like to get the recent movie version for him because it was so astoundingly inspired and lovely. Film adaptations of classic children’s lit can make me a bit uneasy, but this one was superb. It got me thinking – what other kid books would make killer movies? And then I compiled a list. Because that’s what I do.

Liz's Top Picks for Kids Books that Should be Made into Movies (as it stands after 2 minutes of thought):

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery – Ok, so they actually DID attempt a movie version of this French masterpiece in 1974. My roommate and I checked it out of the library once, but it was rotten. They added all these super lame songs – it was just dumb. I don’t know. I adore this book, and I adore it exactly as it is – as a book. But I still think someone in the world must be creative and insightful enough to pull this adaptation off.

The Rainbow Goblins by Count Ul de Rico – If you were never lucky enough to have had this story read to you as a child, I feel bad for you. My soul ached the first time I looked at it as an adult. The illustrations captivated me as a kid – my sisters and I would just stare at the rich, drippy, vibrant pictures forever. Then we would laugh at the last page because it showed one of the goblin’s naked butts. I’m inclined to think Tim Burton could direct this shit out of this book-turned-movie. Only because it’s so dark and visually gripping. But then, his Alice in Wonderland was mediocre, at best. So.

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Clearly – Ol’ Bev was my number 1. Beezus and Ramona was my favorite of all her “Ramona” books because it cut Beezus some slack. I always identified with Beezus since she was the older, more serious sister who didn’t demand everyone’s attention 24/7. After I started writing this entry, I did a little youtube action for trailers since I'd heard someone was making this movie already. I felt a little woozy after watching - ok, this is mostly diehard nostalgia talking, but - the friendship between Beezus and Henry Huggins is, well, sacred. And linking the two romantically - just yuck. C'mon people. Way to choke my childhood dreams. (Also, they got the title wrong by reversing the two names - this book is about BEEZUS! GEEZ...)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – This book is so strange and almost frightening and I could probably pick it up today and be just as mesmerized as the 11-year-old version of myself. There was a made-for-TV version several years ago that I’m pretty sure my mom taped for me and then I never watched it.

You can’t go wrong with Dr. Seuss (or can you?) At any rate, I’m patiently awaiting production of his pro-nature The Lorax. Woot WoOt.

Also, will someone just get the darn Hobbit done soon! The world needs a Tolkien movie sans Elijah Wood pronto!