Brave

Brave adapted by Irene Trimble
 

'Book Of The Film'
 

Once there was an ancient kingdom ruled by a much loved king and queen. The king was a large and fierce man who had fought the great bear Mordu and lost a leg in the struggle. But that did not stop him from his bear hunts and for this he became known as the Bear King. The queen was a knowledgeable and beautiful lady who felt it her duty to pass on all she knew to her daughter Merida, the princess.

As a princess, Merida had many duties, responsibilities and expectations heaped upon her, but it was her mother, the queen who pushed her to be perfect.  Merida knew she could not live up to her mothers ideals and struggled to make her mother understand that she was not like her, that she would never be like her, but her mother, the queen refused to listen. So Merida took drastic action resulting in her mother becoming a bear, a dangerous thing when your father is the Bear King.

Brave, the book of the film, is not your typical Disney princess story. There is no handsome prince rushing to the rescue of a princess in distress. There is only a princess who through selfish actions creates a rift in her kingdom, not to mention turns her mother into a bear, and must stand alone to set things right, saving her kingdom from war and her mother from death.

Those who have watched the movie may note the numerous though minor changes that are present throughout the dialogue and the action within this novel. However despite this distraction, this is a heartfelt, humorous and entertaining tale to enjoy on its own or as an accompaniment to the movie.

Brave

(includes 8-page full-color insert of scenes from the movie)
On sale: 22 June 2012
Price (AU): $8.44
ISBN: 9781445495101
Recommended age: 8+
In a word: Merida
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

Brave (Little Golden Books)

Brave (Little Golden Books) by Random House Disney
  

A Princess Follows Her Own Path!
  

Merida is a princess who feels her mother does not understand her; Elinor is a Queen who feels she knows what is best for her daughter. Through miscommunication and a magical spell cake, Merida and her mother must learn to listen to each other and love each other for who they are.

Brave (Little Golden Book) is a charmingly simplistic story of a mother daughter relationship that is simple enough for your little one to follow along with, accompanied by adorable images children will enjoy. A loving story that will be a special favourite for little girls.

Random House Disney

Brave

On sale: 15 May 2012
Price (US): $3.99
ISBN: 9780736429016
Recommended age: 2+
In a word: Merida
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

Yellowcake

Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan

Short And Sweet!

The smell of a rose brings back a lost past; golden strands lead a prince to rescue his lover; two sisters are given an icy reception; a mother ascends to angelic status in front of her sons eyes; a daughter takes over the family business; a boy will discover the brutally in the workplace. This is just a taste of some of the tales that are waiting to be consumed within this delicious book.

This offering of short stories is an interesting mix of something's sweet, something's sour and other things bittersweet. For within these ten stories are weaved a wide variety of ingredients including elements of fairy tales, Bible stories, myths, fantasy and science fiction. But while some stories may leave you felling unsatisfied, others are a delight to devour, standing out for their slices of originality, their quickly capturing taste and their shore fire recipes of timeless themes.

Yellowcake is a collection that clearly highlights the differing forms of a short story, accentuating a wide variety of themes, subjects and styles. Each story presented is as unique in its language as it is in its writing style and is recommended for more mature readers due to its complexity in both. With the nature and form of short stories being here expand there is plenty to contemplate, however there is work to be done in drawing out each stories meaning, but easily grasped in each story is the emotional reactions they evoke.

Margo Lanagan Webpage

Margo Lanagan @ Allen & Unwin

On sale: 01 March 2011
Price (AU): $19.99
ISBN: 9781742374789
Recommended age: 15+
In a word: Short Stories
Re-read it: possibly
Recommend: possibly
Star rating: three out of five
xx

The Art Of The Disney Princess

The Art Of The Disney Princess
introduction by Glen Keane

We All Have A Favourite Disney Princess!

A Princess is more then just a pretty face, she is as brave as a lion, as clever as a fox, and as pure as snow. A Princess is all heart and loves unconditionally and is loved so in return. Many thousands of little girls around the world have grown up with the wish to become a princess. But being a Princess is not just having a gown, crown and castle, it is every little girl who has ever made a wish and believes in magic.

Disney has been creating Princess since 1937 when the very first Princess, Snow White, was introduced to the world. Since then many other Princess have been imagined and re-imagined by Disney, all with their own story and all as unique as the girl wishing to be them. However different each Princess is the one thing all Disney Princess have in common is the ability to capture our imaginations as well as our hearts.

The Art Of The Disney Princess brings together a number of Disney artists in order to celebrate the magical, virtuous and daring heroine that is the Disney Princess. From the iconic Snow White and Cinderella to the new Princess Tiana, the elusive Tiger Lily and even Maleficent, who manages to make an appearance or two.

All the well know and loved princess are presented within this outstanding collection of beautiful and unique images, and with this book you can be a part of the magic. As every Princesses is unique so too is every piece of artwork captivated within this book. A stunning collection to treasure.

Glen Keane Webpage

On sale: 01 October 2009
Price (US): $40.00
ISBN: 9781423123712
Recommended age: 9+
In a word: Princess
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx