What is the best way to relax at home with the schools closed, and nowhere to go? Read a book and if that book is about fairy tales with a Disney twist, then that makes it a must-read thingy.

Mickey & Friends: Fairy Tales Storybook Collection is one such book that not only makes you enter the fairy tale kingdom but also presents seven of the most popular fairy tales with a fun-loving update like never before. After all, it features Mickey Mouse & his friends, instead of the usual characters and if that doesn’t interest you, I don’t know what will.

The book can be categorised in two segments – Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes. In the first part, there are updated versions of Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the three Bears, The Prince and the Pauper, Little Red Riding Hood, The Pied Piper, The Three Musketeers, and The Little Red Hen.

Here Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy replace Jack as those who climb up the beanstalk, Daisy Duck becomes Daisylocks and invades the privacy of the three Bears, Mickey Mouse plays both the Prince and the Pauper, Minnie Mouse makes her presence as the Little Red Riding Minnie. Mickey Mouse is the Pied Piper who saves a town infected with bugs, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy are the three Musketeers on a mission to save the princess whereas characters from Disney universe appear as those who refuse to help The Little Red Hen, and miss eating her home-grown bread.

In all these stories, the plot remains the same, but the execution is upgraded to give it a Disney touch; the Giant was shown as the guy who stole a Golden Harp from Happy Valley and Mickey & Friends rescued it in their own way. Although Daisylocks met the same fate as Goldilocks, Minnie’s run as Red Riding Minnie was eventful as she saved herself from Big Bad Pete by being one step ahead of him.

Mickey’s two solo appearances as the Pied Piper and Prince and the Pauper are something you should read to be entertained. The Three Musketeers and The Little Red Hen revolve around the title characters but in a way that would suit Disney characters and their fans.

Each and every story is well illustrated and written, catering to both young readers and their parents who can read these stories to their kids instead of making them watch YouTube videos. Add nursery rhymes to the book and you get something that can both be an ideal gift for a friend or a great addition to your library. There is a moral at the end of each story here, that will stay with the readers for a long time because first, it involves everyone’s favourite Mickey Mouse, and secondly, his friends.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 21st, 2020