10 The BFG (1989)


Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, Puffin, 978-0141365428, £6.99 pbk


I thoroughly enjoyed Steven Spielberg’s 2016 The BFG, starring Mark Rylance as the gentle giant, but for me the 1989 made-for-television animated BBC film by Cosgrove Hall is the one to beat. Compared to Spielberg’s cinematic wonder, the cartoon feels scrappy, low-fi and off-beat – and I love it all the more for it. David Jason’s giant wanders the streets of London at night, catching children’s dreams, when he


accidentally awakes Sophie and steals her from her orphanage. The giant is tender, scary and of course lots of fun, while their simple friendship is one of the most touching in children’s cinema.


Babe (1995)


The Sheep-Pig, Dick King-Smith, Puffin, 978-0141370217, £5.99 pbk


Dick King-Smith was already in his 60s by the time he achieved fame with his sixth children’s novel, The Sheep- Pig (1983), winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. His wise and kind books have a timeless quality that imbues children with a respect for nature and a love of animals. Back in the 1990s, when Babe hit our screens, speaking animatronic animals seemed like the height of technology. That is no longer the case, of course, but like


King-Smith’s books, the quality of the film endures.


Harry Potter series (2001-2011)


Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 978-1408855652, £7.99 pbk


Can it really be 17 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone? Having been just too old for JK Rowling’s series the first time around, I watched the films first and have more recently been enjoying the books with my children. It is the wrong way around, of course, for the magic was presented to me on screen, rather than


conjured up in my own mind. But, what magic! Who could resist the trials and tribulations of Hogwarts, Hermione Grainger’s intellect, Ron Weasley’s friendship and Harry Potter’s own struggle?


Hugo (2011)


The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick, Scholastic, 978-1407103488, £16.99 hbk


Inspired by the wonderful graphic and prose novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo tells the story of the birth of cinema and is itself a love letter to the craft of film. Music, lighting and 3D effects work in alchemical harmony, while the Parisian train station where Hugo (Asa Butterfield) lives behind the station clock teams with life, comedy


and drama. This family film will thrill all but the youngest of cinema- goers, but don’t miss out on the book – it’s a really special text.


The Hobbit trilogy (2012, 2013, 2014)


The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien, HarperCollins Children’s Books, 978-0007458424, £7.99 pbk


When the first of the three Hobbit films was released in 2012, it was as a prequel to the hugely successful Lord of the Rings series, which had already turned legions of fans back on to the wonder of JRR Tolkien. But for readers, it all starts with The Hobbit. For me, as for so many other children, The Hobbit was the first ‘big’


book I read, which as we know is its own kind of adventure. The epic voyage from hobbit hole to Misty Mountains is one of the most immersive experiences in both literature and cinema..


Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017)


Paddington, Michael Bond, illustrated R.W. Alley, HarperCollins Children’s Books, 978-0007236336, £6.99 pbk


Paddington Bear celebrated his 60th anniversary in 2018 and while we all love the little bear from Peru, you’d be forgiven for thinking there was little more to him than marmalade


sandwiches and a tatty duffle coat. The films already watch like timeless classics, and send us back to the books too, which remain remarkably fresh. In both there is a joyful anarchy, knowing humour and charm by the bucketload – plus, a powerful message about what it means to be accepted that feels authentic and strikes home.


Laura Fraine is a journalist based in the North East.


Books for Keeps No.233 November 2018 13


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