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5-Minute Stories
5 Minutes Princess Stories
A collection of twelve stories by various authors, some previously published, derived from one of eight Disney movies.
- GenresChildrensPicture Books
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2019
15 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 13, 2020
Listen. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, what am I doing giving four stars to a book of princess stories?
Well. I'll tell you. You see, I have a four-year-old daughter, and I'm a pretty big fan of the 5-minute bedtime story books for whatever thing she's into, be it Pete the Cat, Daniel Tiger (Daniel Tiger is always the best, forever), Star Wars, Peppa Pig, you name it. And lately, because Disney+ is a thing now, my daughter has fallen into a princess hole.
I know. There goes the neighborhood. I weep inside whenever a princess story becomes all about getting married to some bland dude. Ugh.
But that's where this book comes in. There is not a single story in this volume that is about getting married to a prince. Instead, the princesses do other things. And it's not about fighting, either (which I often feel is a cheap shorthand to female empowerment). Here, there's a story about Cinderella helping another girl realize her dreams of becoming a singer. A princess supporting another woman's dreams? Be still my heart! Rapunzel (hair already cut short and turned brown) runs an art class. Pocahontas saves a fawn. Tiana starts a garden to grow ghost peppers. Ariel gets lost with her sisters and finds a way home. The stories are nicely varied, and I absolutely appreciate how they broaden the scope of what these Disney princesses can achieve. I definitely prefer some to others, and the writing can be a little clunky (I think the Aurora story is a bit of a dud), but overall I'm really happy to have this book in the rotation, quietly shifting the frame on the Disney princess mythos.
Big thumbs up from me.
Well. I'll tell you. You see, I have a four-year-old daughter, and I'm a pretty big fan of the 5-minute bedtime story books for whatever thing she's into, be it Pete the Cat, Daniel Tiger (Daniel Tiger is always the best, forever), Star Wars, Peppa Pig, you name it. And lately, because Disney+ is a thing now, my daughter has fallen into a princess hole.
I know. There goes the neighborhood. I weep inside whenever a princess story becomes all about getting married to some bland dude. Ugh.
But that's where this book comes in. There is not a single story in this volume that is about getting married to a prince. Instead, the princesses do other things. And it's not about fighting, either (which I often feel is a cheap shorthand to female empowerment). Here, there's a story about Cinderella helping another girl realize her dreams of becoming a singer. A princess supporting another woman's dreams? Be still my heart! Rapunzel (hair already cut short and turned brown) runs an art class. Pocahontas saves a fawn. Tiana starts a garden to grow ghost peppers. Ariel gets lost with her sisters and finds a way home. The stories are nicely varied, and I absolutely appreciate how they broaden the scope of what these Disney princesses can achieve. I definitely prefer some to others, and the writing can be a little clunky (I think the Aurora story is a bit of a dud), but overall I'm really happy to have this book in the rotation, quietly shifting the frame on the Disney princess mythos.
Big thumbs up from me.
May 17, 2021
I've read a few stories with the children and they enjoyed it, I have to say that I enjoyed reading them myself.
Beautiful short stories with so many different lessons to learn with the Disney princesses as the main characters.
Beautiful short stories with so many different lessons to learn with the Disney princesses as the main characters.
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March 24, 2025Tiana’s jambalaya sounds really good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2024
Some of these are fine. Some of them are awful. The Tiana one is the best. Sometimes I wonder what I've done to deserve having to read these bland, generic stories over and over and over, but hey, my kid loves them, so clearly they've done something right?
March 18, 2025
Beautiful illustrations with bonus/new short stories from some of my daughter's favorite Disney princesses! 🥰 This is still a go-to bedtime book, even though we have already read all of the stories in it at least 50 times each lol. Timeless classic imo!
July 23, 2024
not sure where belle’s story is supposed to take place in her movie… not lore accurate. one star.
March 6, 2025
Love the stories but it gets 3 stars because my 2 year old is ticked off everytime she sees rapunzel on the front cover with long blonde hair and the story inside she has her haircut. 😂
June 24, 2025
I love making these Disney princess stories part of our bedtime routine! (They count for my goodreads goal too!)
July 26, 2023
Moana: A Path to the Sea
Reviewed as part of 5-Minute Under the Sea Stories
Beauty & the Beast: Belle's Flight
Sophie is kind of the perfect friend for Belle and Maurice to meet between Maurice's inventions and Belle's thirst for books and everything she can read.
Pocahontas: The Winter Journey
Rather than setting up camp with the rest of the villagers, Pocahontas finds a lost little foal that won't survive winter alone. Of course just as Pocahontas helps the little one find his family, Pocahontas has her own friends that will help her find her way back to hers.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel Makes Waves
Reviewed as part of 5-Minute Under the Sea Stories
Aladdin: A Proper Princess
A little surprising given the events in the movie that Jasmine settles for watching the marketplace from a tree and not going over the wall to walk out and about among the people. Then again, that also wouldn't be what a "proper princess" would do, would it?
Tangled: The Beauty of Mistakes
Rapunzel doesn't know how to be a princess when all her life she had to take care of the tower herself. Turns out, maybe there isn't a "right" way, just so long as she keeps trying and makes the best of whatever situation she finds herself in.
Mulan: The Dragon Boat Race
The timing for this story is entertaining as the kids had just learned about dragon boat racing this summer. As usual, Mulan is out to try something new, and this time, she's got her whole village involved to prove what they can do together with a bit of teamwork and determination.
Sleeping Beauty: Aurora Plays the Part
This is your traditional two friends meet and decide to swap places story. Of course, they end up getting caught, but they learn some new things along the way.
The Princess & the Frog: Tiana's Growing Experiment
Tiana has always been the roll up your sleeves and do it yourself type of princess, and she doesn't stop that trend here. Now, she's learning how to garden to grow her own ingredients, and pulling Naveen and everyone else along for the ride.
Brave: Merida's Challenge
Merida's three young brothers sure can get into a lot of trouble, but fortunately, they're also pretty good at helping each other out to fix it, especially when big sister is also there to help.
Snow White: Snow White & the Three Giants
Snow White makes some unusual friends, but really, many of them are more alike than they think. With some creativity, Snow White is able to get the giants and the dwarfs together to see just how similar they really are.
Cinderella: Opening Night
Cinderella seems to have a way with music and kindness that really gets through, even if time and time again, it seems as if her step-sisters have blocked her way. Fortunately, she doesn't let their sour attitudes get her down and continues to be a positive light.
Reviewed as part of 5-Minute Under the Sea Stories
Beauty & the Beast: Belle's Flight
Sophie is kind of the perfect friend for Belle and Maurice to meet between Maurice's inventions and Belle's thirst for books and everything she can read.
Pocahontas: The Winter Journey
Rather than setting up camp with the rest of the villagers, Pocahontas finds a lost little foal that won't survive winter alone. Of course just as Pocahontas helps the little one find his family, Pocahontas has her own friends that will help her find her way back to hers.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel Makes Waves
Reviewed as part of 5-Minute Under the Sea Stories
Aladdin: A Proper Princess
A little surprising given the events in the movie that Jasmine settles for watching the marketplace from a tree and not going over the wall to walk out and about among the people. Then again, that also wouldn't be what a "proper princess" would do, would it?
Tangled: The Beauty of Mistakes
Rapunzel doesn't know how to be a princess when all her life she had to take care of the tower herself. Turns out, maybe there isn't a "right" way, just so long as she keeps trying and makes the best of whatever situation she finds herself in.
Mulan: The Dragon Boat Race
The timing for this story is entertaining as the kids had just learned about dragon boat racing this summer. As usual, Mulan is out to try something new, and this time, she's got her whole village involved to prove what they can do together with a bit of teamwork and determination.
Sleeping Beauty: Aurora Plays the Part
This is your traditional two friends meet and decide to swap places story. Of course, they end up getting caught, but they learn some new things along the way.
The Princess & the Frog: Tiana's Growing Experiment
Tiana has always been the roll up your sleeves and do it yourself type of princess, and she doesn't stop that trend here. Now, she's learning how to garden to grow her own ingredients, and pulling Naveen and everyone else along for the ride.
Brave: Merida's Challenge
Merida's three young brothers sure can get into a lot of trouble, but fortunately, they're also pretty good at helping each other out to fix it, especially when big sister is also there to help.
Snow White: Snow White & the Three Giants
Snow White makes some unusual friends, but really, many of them are more alike than they think. With some creativity, Snow White is able to get the giants and the dwarfs together to see just how similar they really are.
Cinderella: Opening Night
Cinderella seems to have a way with music and kindness that really gets through, even if time and time again, it seems as if her step-sisters have blocked her way. Fortunately, she doesn't let their sour attitudes get her down and continues to be a positive light.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2022
First off: This book is EXTREME good value for money. This giant, impressive tome fairly daunts my kid - who often asks for a "loooongggg" story (knowing how I try to shirk my bedtime reading duties). This book looks gigantic, especially in my kid's hands.
Second off: I was never a pretty little princess myself, and I went through a pretty intense feminist awakening in my early 20s, and I am all about "gender is performance". But I'm also kinda annoyed with the intense anti-fem backlash against things like pink frills and princesses and whatever. I consider it super basic to be, like, resisting your daughter's most hyper-fem performance because what the heck kinda message is that sending about fem behavior? The great feminist nirvana will not be all of us becoming a-gender or masculine leaning or dressed in beige. BRING THAT PINK GLITTER ON.
All that to say, the "5" of "5 minutes" is gigantic and glittery and the princesses are very princessy. THAT SAID, the values in these stories are all ace. There is nothing about heteronormative romance being a princess's only narrative arc. The stories pass the Bechdel test. Or would if they talked to more humans and less animals. Like, Moana surfs and rescues a sea turtle. Belle meets a steampunk science lady who pilots a hot air balloon. Cinderella meets up with an old friend who's now an opera diva, and who she (Cinderella) once encouraged in her (the old friend's) early musical career. SEE?! It's so healthy, so well-rounded, so not-about-dating.
The writing is meh and the art is meh. I spend a lot of time wondering what level of Disney animator you have to be to get assigned to draw these books. Is this like an intern project? I mean this with NO disrespect, only curiosity (I loooove Disney).
Second off: I was never a pretty little princess myself, and I went through a pretty intense feminist awakening in my early 20s, and I am all about "gender is performance". But I'm also kinda annoyed with the intense anti-fem backlash against things like pink frills and princesses and whatever. I consider it super basic to be, like, resisting your daughter's most hyper-fem performance because what the heck kinda message is that sending about fem behavior? The great feminist nirvana will not be all of us becoming a-gender or masculine leaning or dressed in beige. BRING THAT PINK GLITTER ON.
All that to say, the "5" of "5 minutes" is gigantic and glittery and the princesses are very princessy. THAT SAID, the values in these stories are all ace. There is nothing about heteronormative romance being a princess's only narrative arc. The stories pass the Bechdel test. Or would if they talked to more humans and less animals. Like, Moana surfs and rescues a sea turtle. Belle meets a steampunk science lady who pilots a hot air balloon. Cinderella meets up with an old friend who's now an opera diva, and who she (Cinderella) once encouraged in her (the old friend's) early musical career. SEE?! It's so healthy, so well-rounded, so not-about-dating.
The writing is meh and the art is meh. I spend a lot of time wondering what level of Disney animator you have to be to get assigned to draw these books. Is this like an intern project? I mean this with NO disrespect, only curiosity (I loooove Disney).
September 5, 2022
I read this book with my 6 year old daughter! We read one story each night and we both enjoyed it. Here are her thoughts:
- My favorite story was the last story about Cinderella. I like this book because of the princesses and Ariel was in it! She is my favorite. It made me have princess dreams. 🥹
- My favorite story was the last story about Cinderella. I like this book because of the princesses and Ariel was in it! She is my favorite. It made me have princess dreams. 🥹
February 5, 2020
It was a great book 📖
July 26, 2020
2 Stories that Aisha Liked: Mermaid, Beauty and Beast..
It was nice to see extensions of all the fairy tales.
It was nice to see extensions of all the fairy tales.
March 29, 2021
Collection of short stories read to the girl at bedtime
April 25, 2021
Good illustrations but stories aren't very good.
March 14, 2023
I enjoyed reading the stories, it was written nicely. As a kid, I grew up watching Disney princesses and they played a main part in my life. It felt nice to read all about them again.
October 13, 2023
(4☆ Would recommend)
My 3-year-old absolutely loves this book. The stories are short enough to keep her attention. This is a great book for bedtime story reading.
My 3-year-old absolutely loves this book. The stories are short enough to keep her attention. This is a great book for bedtime story reading.
July 21, 2024
Me gustaron mucho las historias. El libro se me fue muy rápido y las ilustraciones me parecieron magníficas pues la mayoría abarcan toda la página. Un libro muy recomendado para todas las edades.
May 3, 2025
A toddler winner!! New stories about your favorite princesses!
Want to read
January 16, 2026SM
April 4, 2025
Tiana gets her prim friend to get dirty & garden. Merida saves her siblings from a cliff. Snow White meets giants. Cinderella encourages her friend to play the flute.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2025
Read it to my toddler for bedtime/homeschool story time and all the stories were a huge hit!! 🏰
March 2, 2022
Moana makes a way for the baby sea turtles to make it safely to the ocean.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2022
Belle meets Sophie and takes a ride in her hot air balloon. She helps her mend it when it gets damaged in a storm. As thanks Sophie takes Belle and Maurice to the French National Library.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews