What better way to get kids excited about reading books than a book based on a cool show or movie? DreamWorks movie Turbo (in theaters) and Smurfs 2 (coming soon) look like fun movies. Here are some cool books based on the movie for your young readers, great for independent reading or reading together. Spoiler alert: Watch the movie Turbo first if your child prefers not to know what happens in the movie before reading the books.
1. Turbo: Meet Turbo (preschool board book) is about how a snail’s dream comes true of being a racer in the Indy 500. Important lessons in life “No dream is too big, and no dreamer too small.” Turbo gets charged with super speed when he lands on a racing car and his dream of being a racer soon will come true. Along the way he meets Tito, who believes in him, and he enters him in the Indy 500 to race against real race car drivers.
2. Turbo: Meet Whiplash (preschool board book) discusses characters and is an introduction to the movie of Turbo. Whiplash is Turbo’s super friend. He and his pit crew take care of Turbo’s racing needs and are there when Turbo needs a friend.
3. Turbo: The Race is on! (Early elementary) is filled with fun, facts and figures about the Indy 500 and the movie Turbo. In the end, the book summarizes the one thing Turbo’s story is about, “believing in your dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.” This book interested me more than the kids. Meet the characters, find out how the racing shells are customized and what it means. Find out if Turbo will win the big race.
4. Turbo: The Ultimate Collector’s Storybook (elementary) includes stickers, collector’s cards, double sided poster, door hanger, book mark and picture frame. The story is fun and kept the kids interested. They were also excited about all the extras. The illustrations are vivid and descriptive.
5. The Smurfs 2: What It Takes to Be a Smurf (preschool/ elementary) is great for pretend play in addition to reading! Enjoy smurftastic games and even learn how to smurf a little French from the Smurf’s trip to Paris (fun facts about Paris too)
6. Mike the Knight: Adventures in Glendragon (preschool) is a book based on a show on Nickelodeon and available on DVD for the first time this summer, 2013. Navigate through mazes, look and finds, fill in the blanks and some drawings. Activities and stickers are included in this cute book, but reading the font in the book is a little tricky if your child is a reader.
Photos courtesy of Amazon.com