[I know I'm responding more than a year later, but hey, I just came across the movie.]
As the OP says, there is no abusive father in this movie. The man gets (reasonably) stressed and says/does some things he regrets, but nothing he does can be considered abusive (not unless you think raising your voice at a child or physically moving him because he won't budge is abusive, which I do not). As for all the things that were added, well, the book is all of something like 182 pages, which does not translate into a standard movie length, exactly, especially since the source material is a children's novel with a lot of 'wasted' page space in the beginning (very short chapters leaving half a page blank to start). Because of the type of story it is, there needed to be added substance to make it a full movie, and in order to make that substance worth while, it had to be dramatic/suspenseful. Part of all this also has to do with how well scenes translate from writing into actual scenes we watch. Some things are all well and good to be read, but then they might not come off well or become boring when watched. This is normal and there's nothing wrong with a written scene that does not translate well into a visual scene that lacks narrative. Because of this, some scenes also needed to be altered or removed in order for the movie to be engaging throughout. This is standard procedure in just about any adaptation and (usually) benefits the movie.
I've watched the movie and read the book. I will admit, I read the book after watching the movie. My age and when (and where) the book was published conflicted on what I was reading at the time, so this book wouldn't have been in the sections I was looking in for material. Now I'm more able to appreciate all age levels and genres of fiction and often come across younger books from movie adaptations. This is one of those cases where I don't think one has to read the book first to appreciate both. The book is excellent and the movie is very good, and both are done in such a way that viewing or reading one first neither detracts from or enhances the experience of the other. I do think anyone who watches this movie should definitely read the book, and I think almost any fan of the book should be happy with this adaptation.
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