I believe there are three categories of people these days: Adults who adore Frozen, adults who are sick of Frozen, and kids who can’t get enough of Frozen. Frozen Frozen Frozen Frozen Frozen! With toys based on the animated instant classic still difficult to find as we approach the holiday gift giving season, Disney Press has three brand new books based on Elsa and her optimistic sister Anna.
When I was a kid, most of my books were either a retelling of Disney animated films or stories based on those characters. I would have been thrilled with Frozen: Elsa’s Gift, which extends beyond the film. Taking place in the first real winter after Elsa became queen, the sisters are preparing for the Winter Ball. Anna wants to help Elsa, who keeps dismissing her while she plans several surprise gifts for Anna with help from Olaf and Kristoff. But the greatest gift of all is spending time together as sisters at the ball. This book his really great art on high gloss cardboard, meaning little kids can’t bend or tear pages out. It’s a quick read and the Arendelle winter ball seems a lot like Christmas (gingerbread cookies, gift giving, etc…) meaning this could easily become a holiday tradition to read to your kids. To add extra incentive to the $10.99 suggested retail price, this book comes with a code to download the Frozen Storybook Deluxe App that is compatible with iPhone and iPad.
Next comes Frozen Sing-Along Storybook. At 128 pages, this offers a more detailed retelling of the story of the film. The text is by Lisa Marsoli with illustrations by uncredited artists (the Disney Storybook Art Team). Some of these illustrations are taken from the Storybook App (the one that comes free with Elsa’s Gift). Once again, the artwork is incredibly appealing and gives a sense of what the film would have been like if it was hand drawn. From the title, I assumed it would be like a “Read-Along” book where the songs are embedded in the story. Instead, the last 9 pages offer lyrics to “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”, “For the First Time in Forever,” and “Let it Go.” The inside of the front cover has a CD sleeve that houses a disc with instrumental versions of these songs. That means you’re not singing along with the characters, you’re singing the songs all by yourself. The title is a little misleading. This is a Frozen storybook with bonus sing-it-yourself songs. Suggested retail price for this book is $17.99
Probably the most sought-after of the three books is Hide-and-Hug Olaf. It’s a book, it’s a game, and it’s a huggable plush all in one box! The chipboard box features a glittery front and the side opens with a magnetic clasp. When you open the box, you will find Olaf and the book Do You Want a Hug? housed behind a clear plastic casing with snowflake shapes cut out of it. The plush is small, a little bigger than a Beenie Baby, making it easy to hide. The book is a quick read. Olaf introduces himself and declares that he is the king of giving warm hugs. He tries to hug you, but can’t get out of the pages, so he decides to play a game of hide-and-seek with you to get a hug. So go find him! The box advertises that this is “A Fun Family Experience.” It will definitely work best with more than one person trying to find Olaf. Because Olaf is small, you can make it as easy or as difficult to find him as you want to, adjusting the game for the skill level of your kids. There aren’t any real instructions, so you can even make up your own rules. This one carries a suggested retail price of $26.99.
While Frozen toys might still be hard to find in time for Christmas and Hanukkah this year, there should be no shortage of Frozen books to go around with these three added to the options that are already available.