(gentle music)
Hi guys.
I want to invite the whole family to read through
one of the Disney Princess Bedtime Stories with me.
This story is all about a determined princess, Tiana,
who has big dreams and won't let anything get in her way.
Sounds exciting, right?
Let's read the story of Tiana's Long Night.
It was the night before the opening of Tiana's Palace.
Tiana had dreamed her whole life
of opening her own restaurant.
Now that dream was finally coming true,
if she could just get everything ready in time.
Come on, Tiana.
You need your rest.
Tomorrow is a big day, said Tiana's mother, Eudora.
All right, all right, Mamma.
I'm coming, Tiana agreed.
Tiana had one foot out the door when suddenly, she stopped.
I should check on the gumbo one last time, she said.
The gumbo was her father's recipe.
Tiana wanted it to be her restaurant's star dish.
I'm sorry, Mama, Tiana said, running back into the kitchen.
I just need this to be perfect.
Tiana pulled out a spoon and tasted the gumbo.
Something was off.
The gumbo was good, but it wasn't perfect.
Tiana couldn't open up her restaurant
without the perfect gumbo.
She set aside the old batch and started over.
Looks like it's gonna be a long night,
she said to herself as she got to work.
Tiana was an excellent chef
and the gumbo slowly started to come together.
Mmm-mmm, Tiana said as she tasted the new batch.
That's more like it.
All the gumbo needed now was some vegetables.
Tiana was just about to start mincing them
when she had an idea.
A welcome banner would be the perfect way
to greet her guests.
Leaving the gumbo simmering on the stove,
Tiana ran to find some paint and paper.
She rolled the paper out in the front entrance
and started to make the sign.
She was a few letters in when she heard a loud bang
coming from the dining room.
Now, what was that, Tiana asked herself.
Putting down her brush,
she left the half-finished sign behind
and headed into the dining room to find disaster.
A big gust of wind had blown open
one of the dining room's doors.
The band's sheet music for the grand opening was everywhere.
Tiana hurried to pick up the papers.
She wanted to put them back where they belonged
but she didn't know how to read music.
What if she put the papers back in the wrong order?
Well, Tiana, you're in a pickle, she said aloud.
She looked around.
She still needed to slice the vegetables for the gumbo
and the banner needed to be finished.
Setting the pile of papers on a table,
she headed back toward the kitchen.
The music would have to wait.
Tiana swung the kitchen door open
to find the gumbo where she had left it.
Next to it was a plate of perfectly minced vegetables.
That's strange, Tiana thought.
Who could have done all that work?
Tiana was sure that everyone
had already gone home for the night.
Had she chopped the vegetables herself
and forgotten about it?
She shrugged.
She didn't have time to dwell on the mystery.
There was still a lot of work to do.
With the vegetables prepared,
it wasn't long before the gumbo was done.
Tiana took one last taste, just right,
before she headed back to finish the sign,
but when Tiana reached the front door,
she found that she couldn't finish the sign.
It was already done and hanging over
the entrance to the restaurant.
I know I didn't do that, Tiana thought.
Who could be helping me with all this work?
Confused, Tiana went back into the dining room.
She still had all that sheet music to sort through,
but when she looked for the pile she had left on the table,
it was gone!
Tiana walked to the stage.
The music had been sorted and placed neatly
on each musician's stand.
Just then, Tiana heard a happy tune
coming from the back deck.
Curious, she opened the door.
Outside, Tiana saw Louis playing his trumpet.
Naveen and Eudora were dancing happily to the music.
Well, well, what do we have here,
Tiana asked the group, laughing.
I knew as soon as you went back into that kitchen
that you would find more work to do,
Tiana's mother said, giving her a big hug.
I wasn't going to let you
work through the night all by yourself.
I thought you could use some extra hands.
Your mother finished your sign, Naveen said,
and you know I love to mince.
After all, I did learn from the best.
The prince then reached out to Tiana
and invited her to dance.
The wind sure made a mess of that sheet music, Louis added.
Luckily, I know every song.
Putting the music in order was easy.
Tiana laughed.
Thank you, everyone.
I don't know how I would have
gotten everything finished without your help.
Now there's just one more thing to do, Naveen said.
Tiana looked at him, confused.
What was she forgetting?
We've gotta get you home and to bed, he said.
You've got a big day tomorrow and you need your rest.
Later, as she climbed into bed,
Tiana looked out the window.
In the sky, the North Star twinkled down at her.
Tiana remembered wishing on the star years earlier.
It had been her dream to open up
a restaurant with her father.
She wished he could be with her to see the dream come true,
but she knew he would be proud.
And thanks to her friends,
the grand opening was sure to be perfect
just as it should be.
What a wonderful story.
I really like how Tiana knew what she wanted
and she was willing to work hard for her dream.
That's part of what being a princess is all about.
I hope you all will be back for another story soon.
Until then remember,
you're always a princess if you dream big.
(gentle music)