I puffy heart Roald Dahl. So when my son saw a “commercial” (aka “preview”) for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before one of his library videos, I agreed to put the movie on my library waiting list. I put the book on my waiting list as well.
The book arrived before the movie, so I had to start reading it to my kids. Every night. For them of course. Not me.
We were a few chapters into the book when our vacation at my mother’s house began. After searching through her plethora of movies, he found it. The old version, of course.
He loved the movie and watched it several times during our visit. And I think that watching the movie really helped him visualize the book as I continued to read through it every night. We discussed ways that the movie was similar and different to the book. We predicted what would happen in the next chapter based on his memory of the movie. We sang (or attempted) the Oompa Loompa’s songs.
Speech Therapy Ideas for chapter books that are popular movies:
1. Try reading a book of which your child has seen the movie version. Compare and contrast the movie and the book as you read.
2. Each night ask what happened in the previous chapter. After reading, orally review the chapter. For some children, remembering the sequencing of events can be very difficult and they need multiple repetitions for the story to come alive in their minds.
3. When something happens in the book that is different than the movie, immediately point it out in the shocked tone of voice. If the book was written first, you could act indignant that the movie director changed the author’s original work. Or you could act grateful that they left out a particularly boring scene.
4. Lavish over the rich vocabulary in the book. Talk to your child about word meanings, descriptions, and the value of books in lieu of (or in addition to) movies.