I can see where watching it at home couldn't compare to seeing it on "the big screen." It's not a movie I would buy for that very reason. But we enjoyed it at the theater.
My kids enjoyed the movie a lot. Yes, there's a book. Author is Dick King Smith - he's the same guy who wrote "A Mouse called Wolf" and "Babe: The Gallant Pig" (yes, that was later turned into a movie). He has others, too.
