It's probably no surprise that I love both Disney and reading. Why not combine the two? Disney movies are some of the earliest introductions to stories most of us will get, and I actually credit my early love of reading partially to the movies I watched. It's no secret that many Disney movies are based on a book, so here are just a few of them!
Inspirations:
Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll: If you're going to read this, I recommend you read them both, as some parts in the animated movie were taken from the second book. There's a reason these books are so well-loved, as that trapped in a different world idea never gets old. They're perfect to read aloud to your child, as a introduction to reading more structured stories or just to read because you've got some time to yourself. I have an edition with beautiful manga-style illustrations, available here.
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie: Another one that is very well known, and good to read aloud to children. I loved books about finding yourself in a strange land as a child - many of my favourites have something of that idea. For this one, I'd recommend the MinaLima edition here. It has fantastic illustrations (just look at that cover) and interactive elements to keep children entertained. Good for young readers or adult's bookshelves.
101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith: A book that's much lesser known then the Disney adaptation, this one is the perfect classic dog story. Another thing I loved as a child was stories about dogs, and dogs in general. This is actually one of few books I studied in school that I still like to this day.
Retellings:
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: I did review TLC here, so I don't want to retread old ground, here. This series, which also takes inspiration from Sailor Moon, is a set of fairy-tale retellings set in the future. The series starts with Cinder, a mechanic and a cyborg. All the main heroines are awesome, and different in personalities and skills.
Geekerella by Ashley Poston: Something else I've reviewed here, this retelling is absolutely adorable. It is a modern day retelling, that sets the scene inside a convention, and reads as a love letter to geek culture. It also deals with issues of after-effects of abuse, in ways not many retellings touch upon. The prince is an actor playing a Sci-Fi prince on a TV show, completely adorkable when he's not in character.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: Wait, another Cinderella retelling? I know. Honestly, I could go on longer, just with adaptations of Cinderella. For some reason, it's one of my favourite things to be adapted. Unlike the others, this is more of a medieval adaptation, with Ella given the power to always be obedient. Despite this, she manages to be a strong protagonist who finds ways to subvert her "blessing" throughout the book.
Non-fiction:
Happy Place: Living the Disney Parks Life by Scott Renshaw: This book discusses people who have found themselves a second home in one of the parks. There is someone who has visited Disneyland for 1000 days straight. Trust me, if I could do that, I would. It also touches on phenomena such as DisneyBounding, interviewing the person who started the concept. I love the parks, even though I can't visit that often - a recent visit to DisneyLand Paris was the first time I'd been to one in 13 years.
An American Original by Bob Thomas: This one is a biography of Walt himself! I won't say it's the definitive biography, because there are loads of books about Disney on the market, and I know many biographies have a somewhat fictitious aspect to them. However, it is a fascinating look at the man behind the magic!
And of course, there's always various artbook based on all the different films! The classic of these is probably, The Art of Animation by Bob Thomas? Another thing there's a lot of on the market are Disney cookbooks, which should be great fun for parents and children, or anyone into baking!
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