The Inexpensive Way to Keep Up With the 2019 Oscar Contenders

Who has the time, am I right? You’re busy people. The likelihood that you’ve had a chance to see all of the Oscar contenders for Best Picture this year is slim. I know some of you have done it, but it takes a concerned effort. To lighten the load, let me make it easy on you. You may not have time to see a film, but surely you’ve time to read a book for kids! They’re so short, and many of them cover the same ground as the film nominated. Don’t believe me? Just watch.

If you want to see:

The Favourite

Try:

My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems

I did think about going with Rabbit and Robot and Ribbit instead because, y’know, there’s a bunny in it (obviously), but this just has a better punch of a title, don’t you think?

If you want to see:

Bohemian Rhapsody

Try:

The Unruly Queen by E.S. Redmond

Aww. She even kind of looks like Freddie Mercury, don’t you agree?

If you want to see:

Green Book

Try:

Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, ill. Floyd Cooper

Spoiler Alert: You’ll find this to be MUCH better than the film. Particularly if you want to actually know something about that book.

We would have also accepted: The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis.

If you want to see:

A Star is Born

Try:

The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer, ill. Ekua Holmes

I sat through that whole dang film and not once did they even mention the Big Bang or how stars are technically formed. I mean it’s like they didn’t even care that . . . what’s that? The film wasn’t supposed to be about actual stars?

If you want to see:

Black Panther

Try:

The Ear, the Eye and the Arm by Nancy Farmer

Long before I knew what Afrofuturism was, there was another story about superheroes in the not-so-far future, and it won a Newbery Honor back in 1995. I made a display of Afrofuturism titles in my library not too long ago, and there was plenty of Black Panther fodder there. On the children’s side, though, I was only able to find this book. Let’s see if we can’t change that in the future, shall we?

And finally . . .

If you want to see:

Vice

Try:

Or, alternate thought, don’t!

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