For the sixth year in a row, Disney is leading the Magic of Storytelling campaign to benefit First Book, a non-profit organization that provides books to educators and organizations serving children in low-income communities. This year, the campaign runs from January through the end of March and Disney Press has a new book based on an old classic that is the centerpiece of the campaign. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice introduces kids to one of Mickey Mouse’s most celebrated roles.
Written by Brooke Vitale, elementary school readers will be able to read this book to themselves, which has quite a bit of text on each page. With beautiful artwork by the Disney Storybook Art Team, parents can also use it as a bedtime story as younger kids pour over the beautiful artwork, which evokes the style of the classic Fantasia short. As Mickey falls asleep in the book, it may even inspire sweet dreams for your youngsters. As an added bonus, a fold-out poster is included at the back of the book, exclusive to copies that benefit the Magic of Storytelling campaign.
Mickey is the apprentice to a powerful sorcerer whose magic hat allows him to make anything he dreams up come true. Tired of his chores, when the sorcerer falls asleep Mickey uses the hat to enchant a broom to work for him, allowing Mickey to also drift off to dreamland. But when Mickey wakes up, he discovers his brooms have gone too far, flooding the office and angering his boss.
A Corporate Citizenship initiative, the Magic of Storytelling campaign is promoted across all three of Disney’s TV brands (ABC, Freeform, Disney Channel) under their Be Inspired initiatives. Disney fans should be on the lookout for some of their favorite TV stars talking about their favorite childhood books and encouraging viewers to take an active role in the campaign.
For parents and Disney fans, one easy way to participate is by purchasing The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. When you purchase it from the following retailers, a brand-new book will be donated to First Book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Costco, Disney Store, Kroger, Meijer, Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart.
Fans can also participate in two ways without making any purchases. The first is the “Share a Shelfie” program. Using #MagicOfStorytelling and tweeting @ABCBeInspired and @FirstBook, fans can share a selfie with their favorite book and one book will be donated to First Book for free. There is also a sweepstakes with an Aulani vacation as a grand prize and entering the sweepstakes also triggers a free book donation. Or better yet, do both and purchase The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to give three brand-new books to First Book!
Parents likely already have a library of books retelling classic Disney stories and they can help communities in need by adding one more to their library, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. It’s one of Mickey’s most classic stories and with plenty of text, it doubles as both a bedtime story for young ones and an early reader for kids in 1st-3rd grade. Be sure to make your purchase before the end of March if you want to benefit the Magic of Storytelling campaign.