Films ruining the pleasure of reading for DD

[OlympicGoldPennies]

DD loves reading and devours books, but she also has a lazy streak! Recently my MIL bought the film of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I had recently bought the book for DD so I asked her not to show her the film until DD1 had read the book.

I asked DD this week if she had started the book and she said she had but then my MIL had shown her the film and now she won't read the rest of the book.

I'm really fed up about this and feel that DD has lost the chance to enjoy such a fabulous story using her own imagination. Also it means that the same thing is likely to happen with Harry Potter, isn't it. I'm taking matters into my own hands now on that front and I'm reading her HP and the Philosopher's Stone at the moment. She's capable of reading it but isn't old enough for it yet IYSWIM (she's recently turned 7).

AIBU to be annoyed? How can I stop this happening again?

Blimey, jumping from Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to Harry Potter just to get in first is a bit extreme OP?

Blimey- you must have plenty of time on your hands to worry about stuff like this! Particularly about Hsrry Potter, where the films are significanly better than the books on all fronts!

Could just bout understand if you were talking about "proper" books- I dithered a lot about dd watching the TV adaptation of Pride and Perjudice, for example, but for comic book stuff like HP I would go for the film every time!

Yabu!!

YANBU I would prefer the DCs to read or listen to the book first before seeing the film but it's impossible to control. We have read the first two Harry Potters to them and seen the two films. Now they want to see the third film without listening to the story. But I am going to insist because I think the films are too scary for DD if she doesn't know what's going to happen.

One argument to get your DCs and GPs round to your way of thinking is that they usually miss out loads of good detail in the films.

But in the end you need to let her read what she wants to read so that it remains a pleasure. Our kids childhood is never going to be what ours was but it'll be rich in different ways.

Perhaps you could start a thread about fab children's stories which haven't been made into blockbusters!

Poor precious little thing

She'll have to manage like everyone else I'm afraid

She hasn't 'lost the chance' she simply has the story so fresh in her mind she isn't interested yet.

Sometimes a film can make you want to read a book. Sometimes we like to choose our own books. I had the whole Narnia series ready for my eldest book worm, he's not interested. He's not interested because I harp on about how wonderful the series is, I've set him up to be disappointed rather than allow him to discover it himself.

I have stopped buying books to give to him, I've stopped recommending books to him because as soon as I do, he's not interested. What I do now, is fill my shelves with all my own 'classics', and lo and behold, they've started going missing all on their own.

seems a bit weird if you've told mil not to show her the film yet she did!

Is it really that big a jump? She's been desperate to read HP for ages but she's just not old enough to read it all by her self I think, so i thought it would be a nice thing for us to read together. She could read the Lion, the Witch etc by herself.

No more time than you, Seeker.

I tried that approach Somewhereelse but neither she (not my MIL) see that as relevant!

aldiwhore - taking the stealth attack may work. And yes it may be that it's fresh in her mind.

southeastastra..yy tell me about it. but in all other respects she's blardy luvverly.

sorry - "neither she (nor my MIL)"

Sometimes a good film can inspire you to read the book though, I saw the first Harry Potter film not having read the book or really knowing anything about HP, bought the book shortly after and then the next three books which were all that were released at the time. Your DD is still quite young, give it time for her to want to read books like the narnia ones, they are quite long for a 7 year old.

I know what you mean, and I agree that once they've seen a film, there's less incentive to read a book. Especially in the case of something like CS Lewis which is actually not as accessible as more modern books (great though it is).

However, there are lots of books out there, which haven't been made into films.
If she reads a lot, that's great. And I think that the right kinds of films are just as stimulating as books.

I also agree with aldi - sometimes our own love of a book and understandable desire to share it just doesn't have the desired effect ......

seeker whaaaat? The hp books kick the films arses in every respect!

Just get books that haven't been made into films. Job done.

Sorry, missed that she's 7. The books are very difficult for a 7 year old, I'd say. It would probably mean her waiting a year or so before she can read and fully understand the book

I have found that it's useful to see a film after reading the book especially for the Brontes. A film opens up the books more and it doesn't seem so much like hard work especially if you are studying it for an exam. My son was doing Russian Literature, including Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, at school and I thought it would do him good to see a film or play. There was only one performance, unfortunately, and it was too far away. The films ought to be after reading the books though because they do change the original stories somewhat.

... and try having a child who only reads joke books, cartoons and graphic novels, and listens to Audiobooks. They are all stories, all imaginative and enjoyable.

YANBU. I feel the same way. I think you could let her have a go at reading HP on her own, if she has the necessary reading skills she should be fine with it. I found that my DDs sometimes 'got into it more' if they were reading it themselves, maybe because they felt in control of it, rather than passively listening IYSWIM. I remember that DD1 was in 8 when the fourth book came out and read that herself, and had already read the first 3 alone.

How about books like The Secret Garden, Little Princess, Railway Children, Heidi for your DD? They are great classic children's books, all also films but not the high-profile blockbusters so not nearly as attractive to watch! My daughters adored these.

I disagree. DS2 is an avid reader and then realised you could just watch the films. Get her to read one book THEN watch the film. I did this with DS, he read a book, then watched the film, then complained about all the bits they missed out o/changed from the book. He was 7, he is now 8 and always tells people to read the book first.

He has seen the Harry Potter films without reading the books because he couldn't really get into the books but I'm sure he will come aroud to them too in his own time.

Take a step back OP, she is 7 and has plenty of time to read classics. DD1 is 12 and loves to read but has suddenly ditched all classics in favour of bloomin' Jacqueline Wilson, however I am letting her get ion with it and know she'll come around - I was into sweet valley high (bleugh!) at her age but got back into classics again at aroud 14.

Let her choose her own reading material but also, let her watch the odd film AFTER the book, it will help.

Sorry, that should say 'DD1 was 8'.

I agree that often a good film inspires you to read the book (ds is currently reading HP after having loved the movies).
Plus there are lots of books for 7 yr old children that haven't been mande into films

ps: I agree with Seeker, that the HP movies are even better than the books. Is it a sacrilege, do you think?

This all smacks a bit of telling children what to read eg some books= good, others = bad. Children can quickly be turned off reading if it becomes an intellectual pursuit and not a relaxing pleasure.

It may come as a surprise, but not all books are made into films.

The OP has said that her daughter loves to read, Jamie.

And who said the HP films are better than the books? You're mad! I've never known anyone get over excited about a new HP film coming out, whereas the anticipation when a new book was coming out was tremendous.

I found with my DCs that it didn't make a huge amount of difference. Where there is a film made of a book then I've noticed DS tends to read the books before seeing the films and DD tends to be the other way round. It doesn't bother me as they're both absolutely voracious readers and pick books that interest them.

Thinking about it, neither of mine read Harry Potter until they were about nine or ten. The later books, in particular, can be quite hard going as there is a lot of fleshing out of back-stories rather than advancement of the main plot(s). When my DD was seven our bedtime books were more things like Pippi Longstocking, Mrs Pepperpot, Clarice Bean, Iggy and Me, Roald Dahl and the like.

As far as The Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe goes in particular, when I was a boy I tried several times to read it and gave up part-way through each time. I just didn't find it a particularly gripping story. And this is a boy who was such an enthusiastic reader I got several books out from the library every week and even used to read the back of the cornflakes packet during breakfast just so I could be reading something.

Imp - that's kind of my point. Let her get on with it. Although, as I said I do understand when your child doesn't want to read a book you love. But there are lots of books out there

DD (10) prefers to read the book first, DS (8) prefers to see the film (if there is one) and seems inspired to read books if he's seen the films.

When DD was seven the books she read were much as Snorbs describes.

The both love Mr Gum & Doctor Proctor which have no films (yet..)!