Book Review “Disney’s Storybook Collection: 2015 Edition”

Age Range: 3 – 5 years
Grade Level: Preschool – Kindergarten
Series: Storybook Collection
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Disney Press
Release Date: May 5, 2015

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

When I think about “Disney’s Storybook Collection”, I travel all the way back to 1999 and I think of the book that I received from my wife (then girlfriend) as a birthday gift. I would really love to praise this latest edition and say that its the bees knees but it really didn’t WOW me. In fact, instead of containing new original stories, it features a bunch of simple retelling of existing Disney stories. So it is great for my daughter, since she doesn’t care about new stories and just loves seeing pictures of her favorite characters and hearing fun stories but not really super exciting for daddy, who is looking for something new and original.

So the only thing that is actually new in this book is that there are some new artwork included and edited text. But otherwise, this includes a lot of older stories taken from previous books. Here is a list of the stories includes in this latest edition “The Lion King”; “Wreck-It Ralph”; “The Princess and the Frog”; “Cinderella”; “Frozen”; “Robin Hood”; “101 Dalmatians”; “Peter Pan”; “Mulan”; “Aladdin”; “Beauty and the a Beast”; “Lady and the Tramp”; “Pinocchio”; “Lilo & Stitch”; “Sleeping Beauty”; “Tangled”; “The Little Mermaid”; “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. If you are looking for a really good and new Disney Storybook Collection, they released a new Christmas last Fall and that one was great featuring new, original stories. Skip this get that!

 

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Book Review “Star Wars: The Original Trilogy – Read-Along Storybook and CD”

Age Range: 6 – 8 years
Grade Level: 1 – 3
Series: Read-Along Storybook and CD
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press

Our Scores: 5 out of 5 stars

I am very excited that Disney has decided to release the original trilogy for “Star Wars” in a kid friendly Read-Along Storybook with a CD included. I have a 3 year old daughter and she loves “Star Wars” already and this is the perfect way to get introduced to the original trilogy in a fun and exciting way.

The books are fully illustrated with images by “Star Wars” artist Brian Rood. The images are crisp and the dialogue (though not original) easy to read. Included with this storybook series is a CD with word-for-word narration, music, and character voices. I find that it really engages my daughter with the beeps to turn the page and exciting sound effects.

“Star Wars: A New Hope”: Experience Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope like never before! Follow along as Luke Skywalker meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, rescues Princess Leia, and faces Darth Vader for the first time.

“Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”: The Rebellion faces its darkest hour in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Follow along as Luke Skywalker trains with Yoda to become a Jedi and defeat the fearsome Darth Vader.

“Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” The Rebellion begins a desperate mission to defeat the Empire once and for all in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Follow along as Luke Skywalker and the rest of the rebels take on the Empire’s deadliest weapon yet–a new Death Star.

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Book Review “Disney Christmas Storybook Collection”

Age Range: 3 – 5 years
Grade Level: Preschool – Kindergarten
Series: Storybook Collection
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Disney Press
Release Date: September 9, 2014

If you are a fan of the “Storybook Collection”, this is a third edition of this series. The holidays are just around the corner and what better way to spend it then with your favorite Disney and Pixar characters. This updated edition includes brand new Christmas-themed stories including new films like “Frozen”, “Wreck-It Ralph”, and “Tangled”. These films just so happen to be three of my daughters favorites. Also included is Cars, Monsters Inc and a Mickey Mouse story.

“Disney Christmas Storybook Collection” features 18 stories focusing on the magic of Christmas. The book is just so colorful and really well done. It is over 300 pages and a nice sturdy hardcover. The illustrations are beautiful and the stories are a lot of fun. I noticed a repeat with the “Frozen” stories from previous releases but my daughter doesn’t realized and still loves all of them. This has become a must read in our household and will continue through the holiday season.

 

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Book Review “Frozen Sing-Along Storybook”

Age Range: 6 – 8 years
Grade Level: 1 – 3
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Disney Press
Release Date: October 14, 2014

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

If there is a young girl in your house…why are you still reading this review?! You need to immediately go out and pick up this book, order it on Amazon with Prime shipping, I don’t care just get it. It is a must have for any “Frozen” fan. This deluxe picture book features the retelling of film “Frozen” through beautiful artwork. Of course if you are a “Frozen” fan you aren’t going to need this but if you so happy to be just discovering the film (were you living under a rock), also included are the full lyrics to each of the film songs! Wait, there is still more, what use is having the lyrics if there is no music? There is another added bonus, since this book also includes a CD featuring three instrumental tracks!

I am still shocked at the amazing fan response to this film but I am very happy that it did. When I saw the film in theaters, I was just blown away. It is rare that a such a brave film with such wonderful music and songs gets good play. I am sure all you parents are very tired of listening to “Let It Go” over and over…but do me a favor and next time your daughter is singing it look at their face and tell me that they aren’t happy. This film brings happiness to people and I am behind that. This book will continue that trend for sure!

 

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Book Review “Disney Princess Royal Treasury: Read-and-Play Storybook”

Age Range: 6 – 8 years
Grade Level: 1 – 3
Series: Read-and-Play Storybook
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Disney Press; Har/Psc edition (July 29, 2014)

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Disney Princess Royal Treasury: Read-and-Play Storybook” is a very pretty book. It is a 4-in-1 padded storybook that features stories for our favorite princess (or I should say specifically my daughters) Ariel, Aurora, Rapunzel, and Tiana.

Official Premise: Rescue a sacred dolphin with Ariel; go on an adventure with Rapunzel and Maximus; befriend a baby dragon with Aurora, and spend an evening with Tiana and Stella the dog in this 4-in-1 storybook

If the four stories aren’t enough to draw you in, like most of Disney’s books there is a code included to download the Disney Princess Royal Salon app. It is a very cute app and allow you to dress up and style your favorite princesses!

 

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Book Review “Disney Junior Storybook Collection”

Age Range: 3 – 5 years
Grade Level: Preschool – Kindergarten
Series: Storybook Collection
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Disney Press
Release Date: August 5, 2014

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

I have been purchasing Disney’s Storybook Collection for many many years now. Now with a child of my own, I enjoy introducing her to these great stories but I always wished they had something aimed at the Disney Junior brand. My daughter loves the classic Disney movies but she literally watches Disney Junior EVERY single day, so she loves these characters right now much more. It is just the way it is. So we asked and Disney answered with “Disney Junior Storybook Collection”. This is THE BOOK to get if you have a kid that is answer from a Preschool to Kindergarten. A must have for any parent. This will save your life.

Official Premise: Sail the Never Sea with Jake and the crew, diagnose toys with Doc in her backyard clinic, experience royal fun with Sofia, practice your best roar with Henry Hugglemonster, visit Minnie’s Bow-tique, and join the Clubhouse’s gang all in one book! This beautifully illustrated storybook collection includes gilded pages, over 250 full-color illustrations, and 18 stories featuring your favorite Disney Junior characters and shows: Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Minnie’s Bow-Toons, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

This is a real nice book and a great coffee table book as well for the kids. It is hardcover with some beautiful images throughout. It is not a cheap book either, it feels like it has some weight to it and I like that. There are 18 stores from all of your kids favorite Disney Junior shows. Here is hoping that this is only volume one for Disney Junior because with all the new shows that the station is cranking out. There are tons are great content just waiting to get adapted here.  Keep them coming Disney!

 

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Book Review “Disney Princess Sleeping Beauty Read-Along Storybook and CD”

Age Range: 3 – 5 years
Grade Level: Preschool – Kindergarten
Series: Read-Along Storybook and CD
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Disney Press
Release Date: July 29, 2014

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Sleeping Beauty” is such a great story and one of my favorite. It also houses on of Disney best villains to date, “Maleficent”. This latest Read-Along Storybook and CD relives the classic animated film. You follow along as Aurora grows up with the good fairies, meets the prince of her dreams, and overcomes Maleficent’s evil curse. If you are looking to introduce your kids to “Sleeping Beauty”, this would be a good way to ease them in before watching the film or to enjoy after the film.

The CD itself is quite impressive since it feature real character voices and sound effects, which both add so much to the story. This actually feels like a big production and allow you to enjoy the book with a more visual aspect. My daughter has this Disney Princess CD player/jewelry chest above in her room and we have taken advantage of this storybook-and-CD set many times in the last weeks and I am sure it is only the beginning.

 

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Book Review “Walt Disney’s Classic Storybook (Volume 3)”

Age Range: 3 – 5 years
Grade Level: Preschool – Kindergarten
Series: Storybook Collection (Book 3)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Disney Press; 3 edition
Release Date: June 17, 2014

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

When my wife and I started dating back in 1999, she gave me the first volume of the Walt Disney’s Classic Storybook. I have always loved that book. The stories are so timeless and give you the ability to open it up at any time and revisit your favorite Disney stories very easily. I thought to myself that I was going to hang on to this book until I have kids one day and then this would make a great bedtime book. Fast forward 15 years, we have a two year old together now and there is a third volume of this series released perfect timing for our daughter bedtime story reading tradition. If you love Disney, this book is a must own.

This new third edition of Walt Disney’s Classic Storybook Collection retells some of Disney’s best known stories, including “Cinderella”, “Peter Pan”. “Lady and the Tramp”, “The Love Bug”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Bambi” and “Pinocchio”. Also included are some lesser-known but still classic tales such as “Pluto Pup Goes to Sea” and “The Flying Car”. This updated collection also contains over 300 beautiful pieces of vintage art as well as gilded pages. This book is perfect to just flip through of to look at the wonderful artwork or to sit down and read these wonderful stories. Each story is not to long either, so as I stated they are perfect for bedtime stories. I hope Disney doesn’t wait too long to release a fourth volume because we are already half way through the book.

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Book Review “Cars / Planes: Fly-and-Drive – Read-Along Storybook”

Age Range: 6 – 8 years
Grade Level: 1 – 3
Series: Read-Along Storybook and CD
Hardcover: 136 pages
Publisher: Disney Press (June 3, 2014)

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

The World of “Cars” is such a vast world created by Disney and Pixar. When “Cars” was released, I do not think that anyone knew how popular this franchise would be well beyond the films itself. When they expanded that world into the sky with “Planes”, I guess you can quote the saying “The sky was the limit” but in this case it really wasn’t. “Cars / Planes: Fly-and-Drive” is a combo of the two franchises into one Read-Along Storybook and CD.

This action-packed set includes four thrilling stories narrated with sound effects and character voices: “Cars”, “Cars 2”, “Air Mater”, and “Planes”. These stories are fun and if your kids love “Cars” and “Planes”, they are doing to love this book for sure. I do not think that I can get enough of these two franchises right now. Plus with the release of “Planes: Fire & Rescue” coming this July, I say keep it coming! As an added bonus, you also get a new eBook for “Planes: Fire and Rescue” includes as well.

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Book Review “Planes: Fire & Rescue (Read-Along Storybook & CD​)”

Age Range: 6 – 8 years
Grade Level: 1 – 3
Series: Read-Along Storybook and CD
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Disney Press
Release Date: June 3, 2014

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

I remember Read-Along Storybook releases but they were not on CD. I had a few when I was a very little kid on Vinyl and then after that cassette tape. I remember having “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” and “The Little Mermaid”. Now with a daughter of my own, who is starting to start reading, I am able help her read and at the same time have fun. “Planes: Fire & Rescue (Read-Along Storybook & CD​)” follows the thrilling adventures of Dusty Crophopper and all his pals. It is action packed with with music, sound effects, and character voices. Now only did my daughter love this but it was a real treat for daddy as well.

My daughter has watched the first “Planes” many times already now and she has a Dusty plane toy as well, so she is quite familiar with the characters. This was not only my first experience with Read-Along Storybook & CD since I was a kid but also my daughters. She really enjoyed listening to the book and being able to follow along. The character voices also help out a lot because she kept calling out “Dusty” when listening and following along. This was such a great experience and I am sure we will be revisiting this quite often over the next few month before we see the new film “Planes: Fire & Rescue” in theaters this Summer!

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Discover the World’s Greatest Heroes in “Epic,” on Blu-ray and DVD August 20!

DISCOVER THE WORLD’S GREATEST HEROES IN THE NEWEST ANIMATED ADVENTURE FROM THE CREATORS OF ICE AGE

Bring home Epic Adventure with a Brand New Interactive Coloring App and Nearly an Hour of Fun and Immersive Special Features for the Whole Family 

Arriving on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Deluxe Edition Blu-ray and DVD August 20 

LOS ANGELES, CA. (July 23, 2013) – From the creators of Ice Age, the year’s funniest, most exhilarating animated adventure comes home as EPICdebuts on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Deluxe Edition Blu-ray, and DVD this August 20 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.  Directed by Chris Wedge (The Ice Age Franchise) and featuring an amazing voice cast including Colin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, Pitbull, and Beyoncé, the blockbuster film comes home just in time to help families become one with nature and end the summer in Epic style.

Transported to a magical world, a teenager (Amanda Seyfried) is recruited by a nature spirit, Queen Tara (Beyoncé Knowles), to help the “Leafmen” save their existence – and ours – from evil warriors. The whole family will love this fast-paced thrill-ride, with its astonishing animation and all-star voice cast that includes Colin Farrell, Oscar® Winner Christoph Waltz, and Steven Tyler!

Every Blu-ray and DVD comes with the Epic Coloring and Storybook Builder app. The app will allow kids to create their own Epic story and share it with family and friends.

The EPIC Blu-ray combo-pack includes Blu-ray, DVD and DigitalHD and comes complete with exclusives that will have kids both engaged and learning about the environment, just before heading back to school.  With special features including an overview of what life as a person two inches tall would be like, to discovering all of the different bugs from the film, EPIC is the perfect gift for families to enjoy from summer to the holidays!

EPIC 2- disc Blu-ray Combo Pack – BD/Ultraviolet/DVD & DC

  • Mub & Grub Intro – Join Mub and Grub for an EPIC tour through the special features of this Blu-ray!
  • Birds, Bugs and Slugs: Forest Explorer – Journey into the forest to meet the real-life counterparts of the EPIC world!
  • Rot Rocks – Mandrake might be the bad guy, but his world of rot benefits ours in a number of ways, let’s discover how!
  • Bugs of Camouflage – Join us to find out how bugs use their environment to hide right under our noses, just like the Leafmen!
  • The Epic Life At Two Inches Tall – How would your life be different if you were only two inches tall? Aside from being small, there are some surprising and amazing benefits!
  • Mysteries of Moonhaven Revealed – Meet the incredibly talented filmmakers, artists, and animators at Blue Sky, and learn all about the making of EPIC!
    • The World
    • The Leafmen
    • Queen Tara
    • Mub & Grub
    • Nim Galuu
    • The Stompers
    • Finding Moonhaven
  • Epic Coloring & Storybook Builder App – Color your own EPIC story with exclusive pages on your iOS or Android devices. Then become the story teller by recording your own voice and share on your television with family and friends
  • Theatrical Trailer

EPIC DVD

  • Mub & Grub Intro – Join Mub and Grub for an EPIC tour through the special features of this Blu-ray!
  • Rot Rocks – Mandrake might be the bad guy, but his world of rot benefits ours in a number of ways, let’s discover how!
  • Bugs of Camouflage – Join us to find out how bugs use their environment to hide right under our noses, just like the Leafmen!
  • Epic Coloring & Storybook Builder App – Color your own EPIC story with exclusive pages on your iOS or Android devices. Then become the story teller by recording your own voice and share on your device with family and friends
  • Theatrical Trailer

 

EPIC 3-Disc Deluxe Edition BD3D /BD/Ultraviolet/DVD & DC

Includes feature film on Blu-ray 3D and all of the features of the Blu-ray combo pack. In addition, inside every Deluxe Edition Blu-ray, families will find 3 Epic Seed cards—so you can grow your own Epic Garden!

ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is the industry leading worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox produced, acquired and third party partner film and television programing. Each year TCFHE expands its award-winning global product portfolio with the introduction of new entertainment content through established and emerging formats including DVD, Blu-ray™ and DigitalHD™. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.

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