The “which comes first – books or movies” post a couple of weeks ago kicked up some decent discussion, and that sent me back to the topic, looking at it from a slightly different angle this time.
…As I mentioned in the original post, my stepchildren’s mother has a rule that the kids cannot see a movie based on a book unless they have read the book first, and it’s a rule that she wants followed in both households. As a mother and a reader, I understand this thinking – the main concern is that the kids will feel like they already know the story and won’t want to read the book, and we don’t want to discourage reading. I’m a rabid reader and a book blogger; I’m always in favor of encouraging reading. Even so, I don’t really agree with her on this, and their father agrees even less, frankly.
The kids in this case are established readers who appreciate the joys of getting lost in a good book, and I don’t think they’re in serious danger of having that habit broken by a movie or two. On the other hand, their father and I wonder if making reading the book a prerequisite to seeing the movie has taken some of the fun out of reading, or pushed them to read books they weren’t ready for just because they wanted to see the movie. The Boy has already read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on his own so that he’d be permitted to watch it on DVD – and not to take away from that accomplishment, but I just don’t think that the material in the later Harry Potter books or movies is really appropriate for kids that young. They may have the reading skills, but they may not be ready for some of the themes and subject matter. (And I think The Boy is aware of this at some level himself, since he stalled in his reading of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix months ago, despite the promise of the film version.)
The rule does have a few loopholes and dodges, though:
- The “I didn’t know it was a book” loophole works pretty well for some movies, especially those based on less-familiar young-adult novels, because much of the time it’s true – it worked with Stardust and Inkheart, for example. (Well, I knew they were books first, but I’m a book blogger. Also, I’m the stepmom, which means that sometimes I just keep my mouth shut.)
- The “easier to ask for forgiveness than permission” gambit worked when Tall Girl, then just ten years old (and not nearly so tall), saw all three of The Lord of the Rings movies at a friend’s house and didn’t say anything about it until afterward.
- I’m not sure exactly how we got around it with The Princess Bride, to be honest, except perhaps that most people know that one better as a movie in the first place…
Please head over to the Los Angeles Moms Blog (it’s not for moms only, trust me!) to read the rest of my thoughts on kids and reading and books and movies!
If you liked this post, check these out:
Share this:
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Join 2,318 other subscribers
Such and interesting rule. Makes a lot of sense. I wish I had followed it instead of seeing Revolutionary Road before reading it. Even though it is so beautifully written, I just couldn’t read it yet because diCaprio just kept worming his way into my imagination.
Vanessa (Chefdruck) – You say that like it’s a bad thing :-). When I get around to reading Marley & Me, I’ll keep visualizing Owen Wilson as John Grogan, and I have NO problem with that. Seriously, that actually doesn’t bother me, but I can see how it might be distracting.
I mentioned the rule you mentioned in this post to my husband yesterday over dinner and he figures it could have its uses if your children do not read–it’s a way to encourage them to do so, but if they already read on their own, it could end up having the opposite effect and put them off of reading.
While I prefer to read the book before seeing the movie, sometimes it is helpful (like with Shakespeare) to do it the other way around.
Wendy (Literary Feline) – I agree with your husband’s point, and so does my husband. Pushing people to read can be counterproductive to their enjoying it.
Shakespeare is an interesting case, since his writing (except for the sonnets, of course) was intended to be acted out, and only came to be read later on. In something where the language is complex and could get in the way of following the story, seeing it in action first would definitely be helpful.
That’s a parenting rule I don’t think I’ve heard of before. Interesting if it works well, but I would be worried that it would make reading seem more a punishment than an enjoyable activity. I don’t think I would be able to give my kids this rule, but thankfully my boys read constantly and prefer to read the books before the movies come out. They must have gotten that habit from me, I’m always saying “Ohh such and such is a movie now? I’m glad I read the book / I must read the book.” 🙂
Joanne – I wonder about the same thing, and I know that their dad does too. It’s not a rule I would have come up with myself – you can’t make someone love something just because you do.