The Force Awakens Retold Many Ways

With young readers in mind, several recent books have retold the entire story of Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

Tailored to various ages and reading levels, each has a slightly different perspective on events seen in the film. Many fans will want to read them all!

For the youngest readers, Little Golden Books has just released its The Force Awakens book to go along with the many other recent Little Golden Books Star Wars titles (Reviews here and here). The story is brisk and the art is kid-friendly, cartoony and very retro-cool! This is a fun addition to any collection. It is adapted by Christopher Nicholas and illustrated by Caleb Meurer and Micky Rose.

Speaking of retro-cool, read-along books have been around since they came with little vinyl records, then cassettes and eventually CDs. You can enjoy The Force Awakens Read-Along Storybook and CD just fine without the CD: Elizabeth Schaefer condenses the events into a quick read and Brian Rood's illustrations capture the key scenes of the story. However, the CD really expands the experience with music, sound effects, and dialogue right from the movie.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens storybook - also written by Elizabeth Schaefer - really lets the artwork shine as it's almost a coffee-table book of Brian Rood's amazing art. Some same images from the Read-Along book and several other Early Readers appear here along with many, many more pictures - some not seen elsewhere. Schaefer has more room to tell the story in detail here too. Together they make this book a real treasure!

The most in-depth version for young readers is the middle-grade chapter book Star Wars: The Force Awakens A Junior Novel. Author Michael Kogge retells the movie and even adds a few new moments and scenes that help connect the tale with the book Before the Awakening. It is a very entertaining and enjoyable version of the story. The drama, excitement and humour are all here!

However or wherever you are - May the Force Awakens Be With You! 

Update: Scholastic Books' LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens is also available now, and a lot of fun!
 

Star Wars Podcasts: The Next Generation

The Children of the Force...and their Dad!

Readers of this blog or listeners to the Star Wars Kidscast podcast* may notice that we’re no longer calling the show “The only podcast in the Galaxy for kids”. You may still see that line appear here and there while things get cleaned up, but that won’t be the tagline going forward for two very cool reasons...

Two new Star Wars – themed podcasts have come onto the scene, and both of them feature KIDS in a big way! If you're not already listening to The Younglings Podcast and Children of the Force here's a closer look:

The Younglings Podcast features siblings Annie (age 10) and Tessa (age 7) as they bring on guests (often friends or family members) to discuss Star Wars news & opinions. The episodes are short (8-12 minutes) but they have a lot of fun, especially when they re-enact scenes from the movies or practice their character voice impressions. 

These kids are witty, entertaining and LOVE Star Wars. Mom & Dad get thanked for their behind-the-scenes help but this is truly a show “for kids, by kids”!

Have a listen here: https://theyounglingspodcast.wordpress.com

And check out: www.facebook.com/theyounglingspodcast

Children of the Force is “a podcast about Star Wars by one adult and his two children”. It’s a family-friendly discussion of Star Wars news, Rebels episodes, and everything else going on hosted by a Dad (Al) and his two Star Wars - loving kids Anna (age 8) and Liam (age 6). 

This show isn’t necessarily designed for kids and listeners of any age can enjoy the animated and enthusiastic commentary by Anna and Liam. A recent highlight is hearing the kids' immediate reactions to the reveal of Fulcrum's identity on Star Wars Rebels! The discussions are in-depth as Dad leads them through various topics. Obviously this family has been discussing and enjoying Star Wars together for a long time and now they're sharing their conversations! 

Have a listen here: www.childrenoftheforce.com

And check out:  www.facebook.com/pages/Children-of-the-Force

Congratulations to these two new, exciting shows and all the creative kids (and parents) involved!

-Chris @SWKidscast

*It's been a while but new episodes are coming!

Star Wars Kidscast Episode 11: Small Screen Themes

Star Wars Kidscast is back with a fun, new episode. With the recent release of the the theme music to the upcoming Star Wars Rebels series we thought it would be interesting to look back and listen to EVERY intro to every Star Wars TV show (so far). Which show had two different theme songs? Which show didn’t have a theme song at all? Find out here!

Also, we look at new releases on the bookshelf including Star Wars Workbooks, Star Wars Rebels tie-ins and Tom Angleberger’s latest (and final) Origami Yoda book: Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus.

All that and more on this episode of the Star Wars Kidscast!

StarWarsKidscast@gmail.com

Twitter @SWKidscast

Facebook.com/StarWarsKidscast

www.StarWarsKidscast.blogspot.com  

Star Wars Kidscast Episode 5: How To Train Your Youngling

We're back! After a little break from podcasting, Star Wars Kidscast is back with a slightly shorter but special new episode!

In this episode Star Wars Kidscast looks at learning materials from a galaxy far, far away. From ABC's to science, Star Wars educational books have been around almost as long as Star Wars itself. In this special episode we look at current and past titles, as well as listen to a vintage Star Wars story from 1984: Adventures in Colors and Shapes, starring C-3P0, R2-D2, Han Solo & Luke Skywalker! Special thanks to http://www.readalongadventures.com 

Learning resources: Star Wars In the Classroom http://www.starwarsintheclassroom.com 
Abdo Publishing Star Wars Literacy page: http://www.abdopub.com 
HomeSchoolCreations.com Star Wars preschool pack: http://homeschoolcreations.com/StarWarspreschoolpack.html
 
Download this episode (right click and save)

Star Wars Kidscast Gift Guide for Younglings & Padawans: Part 1 "Watch & Listen"

At the top of any list should be the actual Star Wars films. If your family has yet to own copies of the first 6 movies (fun to be able to say that because Episode 7 draws closer each day!) now is a good time to get them. The "Prequel Trilogy" (Ep. 1-3) & the "Original Trilogy" (Ep. 4-6) are available now as BluRay/DVD combo boxed sets. If you can still find it though, we recommend the earlier BluRay "Complete Saga" set because it has THREE DISCS of bonus features!

If you already have the movies and haven't been collecting each season set of The Clone Wars, you can get the complete set now of all 5 seasons! Each are also individually sold too. This show was/is amazing and never got the recognition it deserved. Sadly it's over, but there's 5 seasons to enjoy again and again!

HighBridge Audio recently re-released the Star Wars Radio Drama on a single mp3 CD. Now you can enjoy this expanded version of Episode 4: A New Hope on the road or at home. Recorded in 1981 with Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Anthony Daniels (C-3P0) reprising their on-screen roles, this official radio adaptation features all the sound effects and music you'd expect, and many scenes that did not make it into the final film.

Imagine if Star Wars was longer with more of Luke's story, more of Leia's journey, and just more original Star Wars! You can chose between two different art styles...light side or dark side. Each comes with 2 Topps collector cards and some extra bonus material including vintage commercials and a making-of documentary. Visit the HighBridge Audio site here to order!

If you've got a young music lover to shop for, consider any (or all!) of the 6 Star Wars soundtrack CDs each with fantastic and memorable scores by John Williams! 



More recommendations to come including MANY Star Wars books, toys, clothes & more!

Star Wars Kidscast Episode 4: Chronicles of the Yoda Chronicles!

What happens when a Simpsons writer is unleashed in the world of Star Wars? You get FIVE hilarious LEGO Star Wars specials, including the brand-new final chapter of the Yoda Chronicles series - ATTACK OF THE JEDI! Join us for a fun, family-friendly chat with screenwriter Michael Price as we discuss Star Wars memories, parenting, writing and why punctuality is so important when attending movies!

Download this episode (right click and save)

Listen on iTunes!

Star Wars Kidscast Episode 3: Ewok Talk!

Are Ewoks cute & cuddly characters for kids or fierce warriors? Hop on a speeder bike, sharpen your spear and get ready for some Ewok talk! Zack Giallongo, writer & artist of the new Dark Horse comic digest Star Wars: Ewoks - Shadows of Endor becomes the very first guest on the Star Wars Kidscast! Join us as we chat about Ewoks' image problems, The Clone Wars, art and of course Star Wars! www.ZackGiallongo.com


Also enjoy our regular features including News Updates, Kids' Questions and an ongoing Contest!

Download this episode (right click and save)

Star Wars Kidscast visits Dadsaster podcast!

It's nice to talk about Star Wars with anyone, especially other Dads who grew up with the original trilogy and enjoy Star Wars now with their kids. The guys at Dadsaster invited me on to talk a little about that. Little did they know our little girl would be making herself heard as well. Parents listen and enjoy...we're on near the end:
Listen here to Dadsaster "Tech Dad" episode.

http://www.dadsaster.com
Twitter: @Dadsaster

It's Official: Star Wars Episode 7 hits theatres December 2015!!

This is the music I heard when I heard the news today!

More info at:
http://starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-vii-to-open-december-18-2015.html

Star Wars KidsCast Episode 2: Halloween Special

What are the spookiest, scariest parts of Star Wars? What is the creepiest creature? Who is the most evil villain? Join the dark side for just one episode. It's Halloween fun, Star Wars Kidscast style! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Download this episode (right click and save)

Star Wars Kidscast: Now on iTunes!

If iTunes is where you find your podcasts then great - we're now there! If you are new Star Wars Kidscast AND podcasts in general, you can listen here or visit us on iTunes. It's free to listen or download this podcast.

Sneak Peek: Star Wars Kidscast Podcast Intro!

Ok, I know you can't "peek" at a podcast exactly...but here's a quick taste of what's to come! Wait, you can't "taste" a podcast either. Is there a word that means to only hear a tiny amount?

ANYWAY, here's a rough mix of the opening for Star Wars Kidscast. What do you think? Please leave a comment!