Children's Books Into Films
Read the book, then see the film—to my way of thinking, that's the ideal sequence. Here are the four children's films that I believe will make a splash in 2009 and—for those who want to read the book first—information about the stories they are based on.

Distributed by: Focus Films
Coraline
By Neil Gaiman
Illustratated by Dave McKean
HarperFestival: $6.99 (Paperback)

Half-Blood Prince
Distributed by: Warner Brothers
Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince
By J.K. Rowling
Illustrated by Mary GrandPré
Scholastic: $10.39 (Paperback)

Things Are
Distributed by: Warner Brothers
Where the Wild Things Are
By Maurice Sendak
Harper Collins: $12.21 (Hardcover)

Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Fantastic Mr. Fox
By Roald Dahl; illustrated by Quentin Blake
Puffin: $5.99 (Paperback)
Let me add that two interesting films are slated to appear next year. Tim Burton will offer a new Alice in Wonderland (featuring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter); it is scheduled for release on March 19, 2010. And Guillermo Del Toro is at work on a new, stop-motion version of Pinocchio; no release date is available. Both Burton and Del Toro have expressed disappointment with the earlier Disney versions of these stories and, not surprisingly, have promised darker versions. You might get cracking on reading those books as well.
Penguin: $9.00 (Paperback)
Penguin: $4.99 (Paperback)
Jerry Griswold is the Director of San Diego State University's National Center for the Study of Children's Literature. His most recent book is Feeling Like a Kid.