Hey everyone! Happy Easter! Hope you all have fun doing whatever it is you do on Easter, finding Eggs, eating chocolate, attending a church service or maybe just sleeping in like me. However you like to spend your Easter though, I’d like to take this moment to let you all know something that I feel many of you may be interested in knowing.

So, you know that Rise of the Guardians movie that came out in theaters a little while back? And recently hit shelves on DVD and Blu-ray? Well in talking with a number of people this week, all of whom said they “loved” the movie, I discovered that not a single one of them knew that there are books the pre-date the movie!

Yes people, there are “Rise of the Guardian” books. Only the series is actually called “The Guardians of Childhood,” and literally pre-dates the events in the film. Which, is to say, that this isn’t a “Harry Potter” type situation where the movie is based off the books. The movie literally takes place a few hundred years after the events in the books. Indeed, the characters of Jackson Overland Frost and Sanderson Mansnoozie haven’t even shown up in the books yet, and the novels are still ongoing.

For those interested the novels are written by Willaim Joyce, the same guy that wrote the original “Meet the Robinsons” book, the Rolie Polie Olie show, and even the book that’s inspiring the upcoming movie Epic. The Guardians of Childhood books are titled as follows:

• Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King
  
• E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth’s Core!
• Toothiana: Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies

The next books in the series is titled The Sandman and the War of Dreams, and should be coming out this September. You can find all of his books on Amazon.com, and can more then likely find them/have them ordered at your local book store.

In case you’re wondering, yes, I’ve read the books. And yes, they are actually quite good! The level of detail and background given to these characters (which, mind you, we’ve all been “familiar” with since we were children) is astonishing. You’ll almost want ever version of Santa Clause to now be Nicholas St. North, and for the Easter Bunny to forever be remembered as the fierce and sage-like Pooka that he is. It’s also comforting to know that Toothiana, the tooth fairy, actually has a good reason for collecting children’s teeth and isn’t, you know, an evil spirit that wants to kill them…

I’m a firm believer in investing in future generations. So I often purchase and invest in things that I think my kids will someday enjoy. This is one of the motivating factors in my love of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Clone Wars. These books are no different, and I can only hope to someday share the exciting adventures of Santa & the Easter Bunny with my children someday while tucking them into bed. For those of you who already have children (or will be having some soon!), this is a series that you can’t (well, shouldn’t) afford to miss!