Meet the Canadian Illustrator Julie Morstad

"The best illustrations usually add something else that's not in the text," Morstad says. "It should create a nice tension between what's said and what's shown — a new thing that exists neither without the words or without the pictures. Maurice Sendak was a big proponent of that concept, and I'm a believer! 

It's something that I strive for." Emily Carr News

Canada Post stamp designed by Julie Morstad in 2018

Julie Morstad graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2004 with a BFA. Morstad lives and works in Vancouver where she divides her time between drawing, illustration, animation, and design. The Vancouver-based creator won the 2022 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award for her solo project Time Is a Flower, which was also a finalist for the 2022 Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People’s Literature. You can see more of her work here - and she has prints for sale.

See inside this book her at Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast

Read the Kirkus Star review

Kirkus Star Review: This combination of poetry and art in praise of the familiar, 

natural world is sweetly, successfully dazzling.

I was a single mother with this little kid, and I was going to art school, so our biggest entertainment was going to the library. We would often get books from the discard pile, and there were always so many good mid-century works, like books by Margaret Wise Brown and Maurice Sendak. That introduced me to a lot of illustrators and writers that I probably saw as a kid but didn’t remember. I got really interested in the history of illustration and children’s books, and, of course, just enjoying them with my son informed a lot of what I did at art school. Even though I wasn’t necessarily making books, a lot of my art was sort of fairy-tale inspired.  Quill and Quire

Here is a detailed review by Betsy Bird for SLJ

For all those parents desperate to introduce their toddlers to poetry, or just folks 

who want to read their kids something beautiful for once, here is the answer to your prayers.

Vancouver artist Julie Morstad is so steeped in children’s literature that she named her daughter, Ida, after a character who rescues her sister from goblins in Maurice Sendak’s book, Outside Over There. (Galleries West) Here is an interview with Julie Morstad. 

I have always been inspired by the illustrations in children’s books. Some of my favorites are Mary Blair, Gyo Fujikawa, Alice and Martin Provensen, Barbara Cooney, Tove Jannson, Bruno Munari, and of course, Maurice Sendak. 

Here is a list of books illustrated by Julie Morstad. When you click on each book cover on her webpage you can see inside:

• When You Were Small (2006) – Illustrator, written by Sara O'Leary
• Milk Teeth (2007) – Illustrator
• Where You Came From (2008) – Illustrator, written by Sara O'Leary
• When I Was Small (2011) – Illustrator, written by Sara O'Leary
• The Wayside (2012) – Illustrator
• The Swing (2012) – Illustrator, written by Robert Louis Stevenson
• How To (2013) – Writer and illustrator
• Julia, Child (2014) – Illustrator, written by Kyo Maclear
• This Is Sadie, (2015) – Illustrator, written by Sara O'Leary
• Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova (2015) – Illustrator, written by Laurel Snyder
• Sometimes We Think You Are a Monkey (2015) – Illustrator, written by Johanna Skibsrud and Sarah Blacker
• Today (2016) – Writer and illustrator
• When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons (2016) – Illustrator, written by Julie Fogliano
• Singing Away the Dark (2017) – Illustrator, written by Caroline Woodward
• Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli (2018) – Illustrator, written by Kyo Maclear
• The Dress and the Girl (2018) – Illustrator, written by Camille Andros
• House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery (2018) – Illustrator, written by Liz Rosenberg
• It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way (2019) – Illustrator, written by Kyo Maclear
• Show Me A Sign (2020) – Illustrator, written by Ann Clare LeZotte
• Girl on a Motorcycle (2020) – Illustrator, written by Amy Novesky
• Time is a Flower (2022) – Writer and illustrator

See inside this book here.

The Puppets of Spelhorst

Here is the Kirkus Star review

Here is her newest book from 2024:

Bookseller blurb: A girl declares all the things she’ll do for her mother when she is all grown up—from climbing mountains and swimming across oceans, to picking the pinkest rose, to building the biggest bridge and a castle for her mother to live in, to taming a wild black horse for her mother to ride—ending with the friend she will bring her mother to keep her company while she travels the world. Originally published in 1964, A Rose, a Bridge, and a Wild Black Horse is a beloved picture book by renowned children’s book author Charlotte Zolotow, reenvisioned by her daughter, celebrated author Crescent Dragonwagon, and illustrated by award-winning artist Julie Morstad. The book includes an afterword by Crescent Dragonwagon about her mother and this special edition of their book.

I am working on a series of posts featuring Canadian children's book illustrators partly because these are people I hope will be at the 2026 IBBY Congress in Ottawa and partly because, if they are there, I will be way better informed about their works.

So far I have explored Sydney Smith; Marie-Louise Gay; Isabelle Arsenault; Stéphane Jorisch; Barbara Reid; The Fan Brothers; and Qin Leng.

USBBY Outstanding International Books 2025

 

The annual Outstanding International Books list highlights exceptional books 

for children and young adults 

published or distributed in the United States that originated or 

were first published in a country other than the U.S. 

This year’s list includes 40 titles originating from 23 different countries that represent the best of 

children’s literature from around the world. USBBY’s goal is that these titles will help young 

people in the U.S. to see the world from diverse perspectives, introduce readers in the U.S. to 

outstanding artists and writers from other countries, help counteract stereotypes, bridge cultural 

gaps, build connections, and engage and prove accessible to young readers in the U.S.

Selection criteria include:

Books that represent the best of children’s literature from other countries 

Books that introduce readers in the United States to outstanding authors and illustrators from other countries 

Books that help children in the United States see the world from other points of view 

Books that provide a perspective or address a topic otherwise missing from children’s literature in the United States 

Books that exhibit a distinct cultural flavor 

Books that are accessible to readers in the United States 

​

Criteria for content and presentation include:

Artistic and literary merit 

Originality or creativity of approach 

Distinctiveness of topic 

Uniqueness of origin 

Qualities that engage and appeal to children 

We have one Australian book on the list this year but in the US it has a different title. Here is my blog post about The Letterbox Tree:

The Kirkus review said: This genre-blending book will appeal to many, including readers who love grappling with real-world problems, those who appreciate speculative fiction, and anyone seeking a thoughtful, character-driven coming-of-age story. ... A vividly rendered, evocative story about the power of connection and maintaining hope through despair.

If you want to share this with a group USBBY have created a PowerPoint. You can see all the titles here. 

The Bridge to Understanding Award formally acknowledges the work of adults who create programs that use children's books to explore cultures around the world in order to 

promote international understanding among children.

Here is my post about the list from 2023 which links to my earlier post about the 2022 list. You can see the 2024 list here. Sadly there were no Australian titles listed for 2024 but I did spy this fabulous book:

The Bear and the Wildcat

American Library Assocation’s 2025 Youth Media Awards Winners

You can see a list of all the awards and winners here. I am just focusing on books that might be of interest to children here in Australia or books that hopefully we will find in our libraries or bookstores in the coming months. Sadly some of these book will be very expensive here in Australia. I do recommend you check out all of the other winners - many are Young Adult titles perfect for High School libraries. 

In our Australian context it would be good to explore the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Lola, written by Karla Arenas Valenti, is the 2025 Pura Belpré Children’s Author Award winner. I previously talked about Loteria by Karla Arenas Valenti illustrated by Dana Sanmar. 

I am always keen to see the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English, in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States. One of the honor titles is Mr. Lepron’s Mystery Soup, written by Giovanna Zoboli, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio. I have this on order from a bookseller so I will be talking about it here on this blog soon. I was able to preview Mr Lepron's Mystery Soup at the IBBY Congress in Trieste last year. The Mildren L Batchelder winner John the Skeleton is already available here from Gleebooks. Here is the Kirkus Star review. 

John Newbery Medal

Kirkus review

Erin Entrada Kelly has won numerous awards, including the 2018 Newbery Medal for 

Hello, Universe a 2021 Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space.

Newbery Honor Books

• Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar 
• Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All written and illustrated by Chanel Miller 
• One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome 
• The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy (I am excited to read this one)

Randolph Caldecott Medal

Kirkus Star review

Caldecott Honor Books

Kirkus review

• Home in a Lunchbox illustrated and written by Cherry Mo 
• My Daddy Is a Cowboy illustrated by C.G. Esperanza, written by Stephanie Seals 
• Noodles on a Bicycle illustrated by Gracey Zhang, written by Kyo Maclear
• Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, written by Anita Yasuda 

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award

Read my blog post.

Thanks to my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything 

for adding this splendid book to her library.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book

Kirkus Review

Publisher page - Simon and Schuster

Vacation by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Mark Teague

Geisel Honor Books

Kirkus Review

Here is my post about other books in this series

• Fox versus Fox, written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor 
• Towed by Toad, written and illustrated by Jashar Awan 

Kirkus Review

I was also very pleased to see Louder than Hunger by John Schu received an honor in the Schneider Family Book Awards for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience. I read this book on my Kindle last year - please note it is a Young Adult title.

Kirkus Review

Here is a blog post about the winners from Literacious which links with Amazon if you would like to explore the award-winning books further. 

The Rise of Wolves by Kerr Thomson

"I, Innis Munro, a native of the island of Nin, do hereby proclaim and declare that I will endeavor to traverse the chasm known as Bonnie's Laddies Leap ... Upon successful execution of this challenge I will claim the rewards offered, to wit Lairdship of Nin and all accompanying lands and titles."

Why is Innis prepared to risk his life? He wants to stay on the island but his grandfather is unwell and if he is taken away Innis will have to move to Skye too. Innis also wants to preserve the wild areas of his island home and stop the building of a huge wind farm.

But there is something else going on here. Innis sees a wolf. Wolves have been extinct in Scotland for hundreds of years. And who is the mysterious boy who seems to be wandering around the island what is going on at this so-called wildlife sanctuary? 

The setting for this book is the part that really appealed to me - a small Scottish island. I have visited a few of these and I do understand High School aged children do have to travel to larger islands for their education and they do stay in hostel style accommodation so it made sense when Innis and his friend Kat went to school during the week on the island of Skye. I also enjoyed exploring the wild areas of this island of Nin especially the cliffs, caves and barrens.

Innis hears it first – a bloodcurdling howl that stops him dead in his tracks. And then he sees it. Silhouetted against the sky, head raised: unmistakeably, a wolf. Living on a remote Scottish island, Innis is no stranger to nature in its rawest form. But a wolf? Wolves became extinct in Scotland centuries ago. And Innis has other, more pressing things to worry about: his grandfather’s failing health and the threat of his unspoilt island being desecrated by the construction of a wind farm. If Innis has the courage to rise to an ancient challenge, it might just solve all his problems at once but, if it all goes horribly wrong, he could be paying with his life. This tale of conflict between ancient traditions and contemporary technology features a gripping plot, stunning setting, great characters, and an underlying theme of loyalty to family and friends. A multi-layered mystery adventure. Book Trust

Here is a sample of the story. 

About the author Kerr Thomson:

My first children's novel The Sound of Whales won the 2014 Times Children's Fiction Prize. My children's fiction, as well as being adventurous and relevant, has landscape and nature at its heart. My first novel was set on the fictitious Scottish island of Nin. It concerned the themes of place and identity and being different, as well as being a good old-fashioned adventure story with a big mystery and a hint of the supernatural. And there were whales! My second novel The Rise of Wolves is also set on Nin but with a different set of characters - other young islanders with their own adventures to be had and mysteries to solve. In this book it is wolves, long thought extinct from Scotland, that play an important role in the story. The Rise of Wolves was shortlisted for the Scottish Teen Book Award 2019.

Aspects of this story that are based on facts:

Rewilding 

• Providing the space and conditions for dynamic natural processes to shape and govern Scotland’s land and seas.
• Recognising the critical role of all species – including missing native species – in sustaining functioning food webs and other ecological interactions.
• Nurturing nature recovery at different scales and accepting that approaches to rewilding can look and feel quite different and still offer valuable benefits.
• Improving connectivity across fragmented habitats to give species more freedom to roam, supporting biodiversity recovery and climate resilience.
• Helping communities to prosper in a diverse, nature-based economy that works in tandem with ecological recovery.

Re-introducing Wolves

Advocates for the reintroduction of large carnivores to Scotland argue that they would bring ecological and economical benefits to Scotland and address some of the ecological imbalances affecting the country. In particular, it is argued that carnivores would exert top-down pressures on the overabundant deer population through directly killing and eating deer and create a landscape of fear, thereby helping habitats recover.

Read more here. 

Lairds in Scotland

In contemporary Scotland, anyone can become a Laird, Lord, or Lady of the Glen by participating in land ownership initiatives. These initiatives allow individuals to legally own a small plot of land and adopt a corresponding title. Becoming a Laird or Lady is a symbolic gesture, signifying your connection to Scottish heritage and commitment to preserving its traditions.

Meet the Canadian illustrator Stéphane Jorisch

Read more about this series here on the blog Kinderbookswitheverything

Blurb: Suki's favorite possession is her blue cotton kimono. A gift from her obachan, it holds special memories of her grandmother's visit last summer. And Suki is going to wear it on her first day back to school — no matter what anyone says.When it's Suki's turn to share with her classmates what she did during the summer, she tells them about the street festival she attended with her obachan and the circle dance that they took part in. In fact, she gets so carried away reminiscing that she's soon humming the music and dancing away, much to the delight of her entire class!  Read more here. 

Read more here

Stéphane Jorisch is an illustrator whose imaginative work has won many awards, including the prestigious Governor General’s Award for Children’s Illustration. His works are produced in watercolor, gouache and also pen and ink, following in the footsteps of his father who illustrated comic strips for newspapers in Europe. Stéphane’s first book, Oma’s Quilt, won the Ruth Schwartz Children’s Book Award and was shortlisted for the Blue Spruce Award. His second project, Suki’s Kimono, was named an Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award Honour Book. Stéphane has illustrated two titles in the KCP Visions in Poetry series, including Jabberwocky, and his latest, The Owl and The Pussycat. They both won the Governor General’s Awards for Illustration. In addition to his books for young people, Stéphane Jorisch also illustrates for magazines and has created designs for the renowned Cirque de Soleil. Stéphane was born in Brussels and grew up in Lachine, Quebec. He now lives in Montreal.  Kids Can Press

Stephanie Jorisch has illustrated over 80 books in English and French.  Here are a few titles:

• The Riddlemaster, written by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Tradewind Books)
• What Does It Mean To Be Kind?, written by Rana DiOrio (Little Pickle Press)
• Betty Bunny Loves Easter, written by Michael Kaplan (Dial)
• A Gift for Sophie, written by Gilles Vigneault (The Secret Mountain)
• Oma’s Quilt (Kids Can Press)
• Suki’s Kimono (Kids Can Press)
• Jabberwocky (Kids Can Press)
• Footwork: The Story of Fred and Adele Astaire (Candlewick Press)
• Granddad’s Fishing Buddy (Penguin)
• The Owl and the Pussycat (Kids Can Press)

I wonder if Stéphane Jorisch will attend the 2026 IBBY Congress in Ottawa. I do hope the bookshop at the congress has some of his books for sale although many are now sadly out of print. 

Blurb: A heartwarming tale about friendship and sharing wisdom between generations, accompanied by 9 songs. Sophie and Emilio spend their days enjoying life’s small discoveries in a tiny seaside village with their best pet friend “Sir” and a mischievous crow. Sophie’s regular visits and gift exchanges with her great-uncle lead to teachings about how value is determined by the intentions of the heart. The wisdom found in Old Man Tom’s eloquent quote, “It’s all in the nature of things,” sums up this poetic tale of friendship, values, mentorship, overcoming loss, and rites of passage. An accompanying CD includes the narrated story along with nine folk-infused songs performed by Martha Wainwright, Paul Campagne, and Thomas Hellman, among others.

Blurb: When the girl in the red hat finds the courage to be kind to the new student in class, her kindness spreads. Kind act by kind act, her whole community experiences the magical shift that happens when everyone understands—and acts on—what it means to be kind.

Blurb: Monsieur Oliphant's cake shop, the only bakery game in town, has long had customers lining up outside its door for Oliphant's delicious jelly rolls and marvelous wedding cakes . . . until the day cookie concocter Mademoiselle Fée takes over the old shoemaker's shop. And it isn't long before the divine piemaker Madame Clotilde soon moves into the old bric-a-brac shop. Three different bakers all trying to outclass one another means their little cul-de-sac is packed with customers every day and night, so, one morning, when everyone is bumpling and jostling each other with their cakes, cookies and pies, a food disaster -- a massacre of cream, a devastation of crumbs -- is inevitable! Only one little girl has the drive (or appetite?) to find a solution, but can it last?

Blurb: In 1905, four-and-a-half-year-old Fred Astaire put on his first pair of dancing shoes -- and from that moment, his life was filled with singing, dancing, and fancy footwork. Fred’s older sister, Adele, was the real dancer, but Fred worked hard to get all the steps just right, and it wasn’t long before he was the one capturing headlines and stealing the show. In this fascinating story of child stars who hoof their way to knockout success on Broadway and beyond, Roxane Orgill and Stéphane Jorisch team up for a bravura performance, capturing the sophistication, fluidity, and grace of two of the biggest names in dance history.

Kirkus review: Jorisch’s bright watercolors cleverly extend the story, which, with dashes of humor and delightful classroom extensions, should satisfy kids and teachers alike.

Here is the cover and an illustration from The Owl and the Pussycat. See more here.

Cora Seen and Heard by Zanni Louise

"Do you ever feel like you're living inside a shell? Something hard and impenetrable? You think it's transparent - that people can see you. Then you realise they can't. No one can see you. The real you."

I read this book in one sitting and for an hour or two I was right inside Cora's head listening to her worries and the way she tries to navigate relationships with her peers and her family.

Readers who have had previous experience with books like this - realistic middle grade fiction - are sure to work out the major plot point long before the main character but that just adds to your reading enjoyment as you keep turning the pages desperate for Cora to 'see the obvious' about the old lady who lives just down the road from her new home and also understand why Elle has secrets. 

Just after grandad dies, Cora, her sister Bekah, along with mum Wendy and Dad Hank, have moved from Queensland to a small town in Tasmania. Dad has a talent for renovation, but this project could test him. They have bought an old, run down, disused theatre. In past years this was an important place in the town because it is where the famous jazz singer Clair de Lune once performed. 

Cora finds school difficult - she is always on the outside and she finds it very hard to make friends. Moving to a new school and new town Cora is determined to reinvent herself - moving from Cora 1.0 to Cora 2.0. She does have some ideas about how to do this but once again so many things go wrong. Luckily the kids in her new class, especially Elle, do know how to make a new friend and before long Cora finds herself part of a small team who are chosen to take on a community project. 

Cora 1.0 survived in her previous school by hiding out in the library. When things go wrong in the new school she finds the library again but then the Teacher-Librarian tells her the library is going to be changed into a classroom and there will be no Teacher-Librarian employed next year. Cora knows this has to be her community project. As an aside it is interesting to see which library books are mentioned in this story - Goosebumps; Heartstopper (Young Adult graphic novel); and Okay for Now by Gary D Schmidt. There are also lots of popular culture references to current musicians and bands and television shows such as The Voice. 

Here is some life advice from Cora:

• The louder your voice, the stronger you become.
• Flick your hair confidently as you follow your bestie onto the bus.
• Be amazing. You've got this.
• Find a cause.

Publisher blurb: Cora Lane gets tongue-tied, is often ignored and would rather hide in the library than step onto a stage. However, when her parents decide to renovate an old theatre in small-town Tasmania, Cora realises this is the perfect opportunity for her to reinvent her personality. Enter Cora 2.0, stage left.

When Cora quickly slips back into her old ways and has once again made friends with the librarian. rather than kids her own age, she feels lost. Frustrated she’s not the person she wants to be, she shares her deepest feelings with her imaginary pen pal. The last thing she’d expect is for her letters to go missing. And now, the real Cora Lane is about to go public, but is she ready?

This is one of those books that I have found difficult to pin down in terms of a suggested reader. Soiler alert - Cora does get her first period so that means I would say this book is for 11+. Her sister decides she is bisexual and forms a new relationship with her girlfriend. That means I would say this book is a Young Adult title. It also feels at times there is just one issue to many for the characters to grapple with - Elle has dyslexia; grandma is an alcoholic; and mum is trying to cope with the raw grief of losing her father and helping her elderly mother who now lives over 2000km away. 

The publisher offers this advice: This novel contains references to alcoholism, sexuality, puberty, abuse.

Here is a set of detailed Teacher Notes from the publisher Walker Books Australia. 

Each of these reviews has more plot details:

Brilliant in every way, Zanni Louise has created another amazing novel with a chain of personal stories and happenings about reinvention, loneliness, friendship, and family being the twine that binds things together. Kids' Book Review

Zanni Louise’s latest middle grade book focuses on the confusing feelings young people have at the age of about twelve, when primary school is finishing, when they’re hitting puberty and girls are going through lots of emotional changes and conflicts with friends and family, and where big changes can mean great upheaval – and not just a physical move or change. ... This story is as much about acceptance of the flaws in others as it is about flaws in ourselves, and the coming together of communities to celebrate the past and future. The Book Muse

What a very lovely and warm journey of self-discovery it is, and I am supremely sure that young readers will embrace this one ... Just So Stories

It was rather difficult writing the synopsis of Cora Seen and Heard as it has so many themes, all of which are explored with sensitivity, insight, and cleverly crafted writing. Reading Time

Here is another Australian book with the title Clair de Lune.  You are sure to know the famous music by Debussy but that is not especially relevant to this book because this character Clare de Lune is a jazz singer. I previously talked about another book by Zanni Louise - Queenie in seven moves. 

Companion books:

The Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart

Ode to a Nobody

Read the book then see the movie

Pete's Dragon was a favourite movie of my childhood. I especially loved the soundtrack and the song Candle on the Water (you can hear it here). I do need to say, though, this movie is not based on a book but hopefully this image has caught your eye. 

I entered a competition the other day (I won - isn't that amazing). I should add that only around 19 people entered, and many did not quite answer the question - to name a movie made from a book and to say why. Also, I assumed, even though it didn't state this, that they wanted a children's book adaption - after all this competition was from the Children's Book Council of Australia. Since this prize was the book Dragon Keeper by Carol Wilkinson I thought it was a good idea to include a movie/book that featured a splendid dragon.

IT'S A GIVEAWAY! 🐉 
You already know this fantastic story by Carole Wilkinson – winner of the 2004 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers! – and now it's a magical film on the big screen. 
To celebrate, we have double-passes to see DRAGONKEEPER at the cinema, plus a copy of the book. 
To go in the draw: Like this post
Tell us your favourite book-to-film adaption (and why!)
DRAGONKEEPER is in cinemas now!

Here are the two movies I listed:

This is a splendid movie adaption of the classic novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Naturally I listed this because it is by Michael Ende author of the book that inspired this blog - 

Momo and also I listed this because it features a brilliant dragon named Falkor. 

Here are other children's movies that were mentioned (there were several adult movies too):

• The BFG book by Roald Dahl
• The Wizard of Oz book by Frank L Baum
• Harry Potter movie series by JK Rowling
• Storm Boy book by Colin Thiele
• Runt book by Craig Silvey
• Clifford book by Norman Bridwell
• How to train your dragon book by Cressida Cowell

Here are some of my own favourites:

Based on the book Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Based on the book by Roald Dahl - this movie has an amazing performance by Judi Dench

Based on the book by Natalie Babbitt

Book by Kate DiCamillo 

My only tiny quibble with this one is in my mind the dog was smaller.

Because of Winn Dixie

Book Mary Poppins by PL Travers

Kiki's Delivery Service book by Eiko Kadono

I also found a list of the fifty best children's movies from Rotten Tomatoes and they listed Babe (book The Sheep Pig by Dick King Smith); The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse; A little Princess (book by Frances Hodgson Burnett); Matilda (book by Roald Dahl); and Paddington (book by Michael Bond). 

To this list I would add Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (book by Ian Fleming); Stuart Little (book by EB White); Charlotte's Web (book by EB White); The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (book by CS Lewis); The Secret of NIMH (book Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien); and Homeward Bound (book The Incredible Journey by Shelia Burnford). And on this list I was reminded about Holes by Louis Sachar and Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome.

Did you know Shrek was actually a book (by William Steig) first?

This last one is not a movie you could see in a cinema but I adore it. 

This movie was by made by Weston Woods in 1984. 

Based on the book Corduroy by Don Freeman

These last two books are 32 page picture books turned into full length movies. Other examples are Magic Beach - recently released here in Australia, The Polar Express, Where the Wild things are, Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs, Jumanji by Chris van Allsburg and Peter Rabbit. Check out this list.