Thursday, January 22, 2009

A Wonderful Wind (Disney's Out & About with Pooh, Vol. 13)


A Wonderful Wind (Disney's Out & About with Pooh, Vol. 13)



Let's Cruise!
Ready, set, GO! Lightning McQueen, the rookie hot-shot race car, is screaming his way down the track on his way to winning the Piston Cup. But when he gets stuck in a slow little town called Radiator Springs, McQueen must learn a valuable lesson about friendshipâ€"fast. This beautifully illustrated Read-Aloud Storybook is the complete retelling of Disney presentation of a Pixar film latest computer-animated film, Cars.

From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Review: A Review of "Lightning McQueen"
To have it all and realize that it is still not enough is the lesson offered by "Lightning McQueen," Frank Berrios's take on William Blake's famous maxim: "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." At first, it's tempting to brush off this work as yet another picaresque morality tale, but to do so would be to deprive oneself of a truly transcendental reading experience. The tale is told in retrospect, as McQueen looks back upon his life addicted to speed. McQueen is a racecar, you see, a young fool whose heart is set solely on winning the race, any race, anywhere, at any cost. Berrios's prose leads us to envision the late night excesses of the young car, tasting the fruits of fame and riches, guzzling oil by the barrel, burning rubber on nameless, abandoned parking lots, constantly proving himself against some nameless foe. "I used to think racing was everything," says McQueen, as he cuts a swath of devastation in his wake during one particular race. What is it that motivates him? What is it that causes this self-destructive behavior? In his genius, Berrios never reveals it. Instead, we are left to ponder the internal machinations of a tortured soul who can find no other light in his life than the glare of the winner's podium and all the accoutrements it engenders. It is not until he arrives in Radiator Springs that perspective is gained and he begins to take stock of the decisions he's made and where those decisions have taken him. "I made new friends [in Radiator Springs]," McQueen admits, and we believe him. The grandeur and beauty of the landscape and a special bond formed with a nameless female car who lives in the town causes McQueen to rethink everything about his former lifestyle. "I still like winning," McQueen tells us in the book's final page, "but I also love going for a drive with my friends!" Berrios wants us to believe that through balance, success is attainable, that one can discover a winning formula without an extra edge. Ultimately, the admission seems too neat and trite in a work of such pulsating introspection. As readers, we are left wanting. But it's a minor stumble for Berrios in a work of exquisite prose, and after all of the tribulations and redemptions that he has guided us through from the opening scene, perhaps we can forgive him. Through the eyes of a simple racecar, Berrios examines the drama of choice, the rearrangement of values and how the bonds of friendship can leave an impression that can change a life's course. It is his strongest work to date, a tour-de-force of devastating literary consequence.
Customer Review: Excellent - just what I expected
My 2 1/2 yr old son loves the Car movie, the characters and LOVES this book set. He has just as much fun taking the books in & out of the box as he does reading them. He practically has the books memorized to read to himself. The box is holding up surprisingly well considering that he carries it a lot of places & often to the grocery store!


Disney's Peter Pan: Return to Neverland
Join Jane, Wendy’s daughter, in an all-new Never Land adventure!

Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and Captain Hook are back for some sensational sword-slashing fun. This exciting soundbook perfectly captures all the magic and adventure of Disney’s new Peter Pan adventure. Featuring 26 sensational sounds, including the voices of Jane and Peter, this timeless tale comes to life with an exciting bang. Features:

- Full-color Disney illustrations
- Interactive soundboard
- 26 sounds, including the voices of Jane and Peter
- And more!

With the beloved Peter Pan and friends, Disney’s Return to Never Land promises hours of fast-flying fun for the young and young at heart alike!

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