Photo of the Week

I loved seeing Gus and Jacques on the sign for Cinderella's Golden Carrousel. Unfortunately, when the name changed to the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, they were removed.

Pixar "The Blue Umbrella" Clip

I love the Pixar Shorts. They are usually really cute and always premiere before one of Pixar's movies. The latest Pixar Short is called "The Blue Umbrella." It will debut this Friday with Monsters University. This clip looks so adorable! I can't wait to see it.

Happy Father's Day!

© Disney

Monsters University Books

I love Disney movie books and they have created a plethora of new books for Monsters University. I got a chance to see several of theme recently at my local book store. I must admit, I did buy two, but I stopped at two although there were many great new titles. Here are a few that I think are worth checking out.

Go Sulley! A Hugs Book
This book is so cute! It was created for little ones ages 2 - 5 years. It has soft, furry arms sticking out of the book. Each page tells kids what to do with them, from helping Sulley carry Mike to competing in the Scare Games. I'm sure the preschool set would love this book.









Monsters University Little Golden Book
I can never resist a Little Golden Book. They are so sweet and remind me of my own childhood, so I have quite a few. And I love the way they use simple images when illustrating a Pixar story. This book is no exception. The story of how Mike and Sulley met is told in the perfect manner for kids ages 2 - 5 years.

 

Monster University Fearbook
I love this book! It looks like a real yearbook, complete with notes from friends, class photos, sports, faculty, most likely to..., and more. This is Mike Wazowski's yearbook and all of the notes are personalized as if written by the actual characters in the movie. This would be a fun book to leave out on the coffee table. It would be sure to start a conversation!





 


Monsters, Inc Storybook Collection
This book includes 17 different stories about our favorite monsters. The first story is a retelling of the new Monsters University movie. Some of the stories take place in the time between the two films. There is also a retelling of the Monsters, Inc movie. Recommended for children age 3 and up, this would be a great collection for reading as good night stories.




  

Monsters University Big Golden Book
This is a complete retelling of the new Monsters University film. So, now that I've read it, I know the whole story. I can't say that this ruins the movie for me (I read the Toy Story 3 Golden Book before it came to theaters, too) but if you want to be surprised at the theater, don't read this book first. That being said, this book is full of great pictures and does a wonderful job of telling the ups and downs of Mike and Sulley's friendship.



There are many other Monsters University books out there, but these were my favorites. Be sure to check them out. And if you want a great deal, try Sam's Club. I got the Monster University Fearbook for $8.26 which was $4.73 off the cover price. A pretty good deal if you ask me.

Quote of the Week

“Well, that's just maddeningly unhelpful.” - Captain Jack Sparrow

Photo of the Week

Big Thunder Mountain

Happy Birthday, Maurice Sendak!

When I was a kid, I loved reading Where the Wild Things Are. It was one of my favorite books. I loved Max and how he imagined a new life for himself, just because he was angry, and I loved that in the end, he went home to his supper and all was well. I didn't read In the Night Kitchen until later, and although many find it controversial due to a bit of nudity, I really enjoyed the story.

Sendak truly loved classical music and developed several productions of operas and ballets for stage and screen. He often designed sets and costumes as well as occasionally writing librettos. One of my favorite productions was Sendak's version of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. He worked in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Ballet and created wonderful sets and fanciful costumes. It is my favorite production of The Nutcracker, mostly for the beautiful designs by Maurice Sendak.

Today would have been Maurice Sendak's 85th birthday. In honor of his birthday, Google has created a wonderful doodle of some of his most popular works. Maurice Sendak passed away last year at the age of 83.

“But the wild things cried, “Oh please don’t go - we’ll eat you up - we love you so!”
And Max said, “No!”
The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws but Max stepped into his private boat and waved goodbye.” - Where the Wild Things Are