April 15th is National Canadian Film Day, a massive, coast-to-coast-to-coast salute to Canadian cinema! To celebrate, we’ve put together a list of Canadian films inspired by Canadian children’s books. Happy watching, and happy reading!
1. Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure (2006)
Franklin, a young and inquisitive turtle, finds his visit to his grandmother’s house disrupted by his new cousin Sam who he instantly butts heads with. Their rivalry is put on hold, however, when Granny Turtle becomes ill and the family bands together to care for her. When she tells the kids a story about a time capsule at Turtle Lake that she buried when she was a child, Franklin and Sam devise a plan.
This film was inspired by the beloved Franklin the Turtle books authored by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark since 1986. We recommend checking out Storytime with Franklin: A Collection of Six Favorites for blast of nostalgia!
2. Anne of Green Gables (1985)
On turn-of-the-20th-century Prince Edward Island, siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to take in an orphaned boy to help them on their farm. Instead, they get freckle-faced, red-haired Anne Shirley. The stubborn and outspoken 11-year-old girl’s fiery spirit and imagination are sure to turn life upside down on the peaceful island, and add a lot of love into the Cuthberts’ lives.
Originally published in 1908, Anne of Green Gables has endured as one of the most beloved stories in Canadian literature. Revisit your favourite Anne stories in the beautifully illustrated Anne of Green Gables: Stories for Young Readers.
3. Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang (1999)
After a shopping trip gone wrong, Jacob Two Two goes on an adventure to liberate a terrible prison run by a crazy wrestler. Based on the classic Mordecai Richler novel.
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang was originally published in 1975. It was rereleased in 2009 in an illustrated hardcover edition.
4. La mystérieuse mademoiselle C./The Mysterious Miss C. (2002)
The newest supply teacher at St-Cécile Elementary School, known only as Miss C, is undeniably unusual. This was apparent from the moment she arrives at the school, soaked from head to toe while speaking to a small rock. With her boundless spirit and unparalleled imagination, Miss C. reinvigorates her class of students, and the school as a whole, by encouraging every child to embrace what makes them unique. The film is based on the popular children’s book series from Québécois author Dominique Demers. Check out La Nouvelle Maîtresse and La Mystérieuse Bibliothécaire.
5. Window Horses (2016)
This extraordinary animated feature tells the tale of Rosie, a young Canadian poet of Chinese and Persian descent. Rosie lives in Vancouver with her Chinese grandparents and dreams of travelling and seeing the world. When she receives an invitation to a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran, Rosie embarks on a journey that unravels a personal mystery and brings her closer to her Persian roots.
This animated movie was later adapted as a graphic novel: Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming.
6. The Breadwinner (2017)
Parvana is an 11-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. When her father is wrongfully arrested, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy in order to be able to get a job and help to support her family. Working alongside her friend Shauzia, Parvana discovers a new world of freedom and danger. With courage and imagination, Parvana draws strength from the fantastical stories she invents, as she embarks on a quest to find her father and reunite her family.
This award-winning animated film is based on the 2000 book by Deborah Ellis. The book has since been rereleased as a graphic novel and in a 15th anniversary edition.
7. Fanny (2025)
A family secret comes to light, sending Montreal teenager Fanny back to her hometown, despite the protests of her grief-stricken father. As she learns more about the life she once knew, it becomes clear that the community is hiding something from her, and she becomes determined to uncover the circumstances of her mother’s death. Based on the first book in the beloved Québécois YA series, Fanny Cloutier l'année où j'ai failli rater mon adolescence, available in English as The Year My Life Turned Upside Down.
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Book list curated by Spencer Miller