Read, You Must: Star Wars Galactic Storybook

Brand new from Disney/Lucasfilm Press comes Star Wars Galactic Storybook, a complete retelling of the events of the cinematic Skywalker Saga! 

From Episode I: The Phantom Menace to Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the major events of the lives of Anakin Skywalker, Leia, Luke and Rey are all captured here in an age-appropriate, adorably illustrated way.

Author Calliope Glass and illustrator Katie Cook have previously collaborated on several fun Star Wars books for kids including ABC-3PO, Search Your Feelings and Creatures Big and Small. While those books all use rhyming poetry, Galactic Storybook tells the story in a more straightforward, narrative way.

As usual Katie Cook’s illustrations are light-hearted and incredibly cute. Even Jabba the Hutt is cute here!

This 72 page squishy hardcover book would be great for short bedtime reading and would certainly appeal to readers who enjoyed 5-Minute Stories and 5-Minute Stories Strike Back.

Galactic Storybook is divided into six chapters or stories:

1. A Jedi Tale (Episodes I - III)

2. A New Adventure  (Episode IV)

3. The Battle Continues (Episode V)

4. Against All Odds (Episode VI)

5. New Heroes for the Galaxy (Episodes VII - VII)

6. The Final Fight (Episode IX)

Also available!

Combining The Force Awakens with The Last Jedi makes sense as those movies flow right into each other, whereas combining the entire prequel trilogy into one story may be a little confusing to some young fans, depending on how familiar they already are with the movies.

If you want a good recap of the entire Skywalker saga, or a cuddly way to present the stories to a youngling, Galactic Storybook is a great addition to your library!

Read, You Must: Creatures Big and Small

The creative team that brought us ABC-3PO, Obi-One, Two, Three and Seach Your Feelings, is back with Star Wars: Creatures Big and Small, a collection of entertaining poems from Disney/Lucasfilm Press introducing young readers to the exotic alien creatures of the Star Wars galaxy.

Starting with smaller beings like Porgs and tookas up to tauntauns, rancors, reeks and then to the truly massive space slugs and more, this 48-page collection highlights creatures from all of the Star Wars movies from The Phantom Menace up to The Last Jedi (except for Rogue One's mysterious Bor Gullet, sorry).

Author/Poets Calliope Glass & Caitlin Kennedy create light-hearted rhymes for each creature, some answer questions and some are cheeky "warnings" about the dangers a creature poses. There's really no cute and cuddly take on Corellian Wolf Hounds, for example.

As usual, Katie Cook's extremely adorable illustrations add a whole other layer to the lightness of tone.

Fans of Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars will recognize many of these creatures that may be new to other fans. Yay Puffer Pigs!

There have been many books about Star Wars creatures in the past (see below) but for big OR small fans looking for a fun first look at some of them, Creatures Big and Small is a great start.

(Publisher's Recommendation: Ages 5-8 years)

Further reading for aliens and creature fans:

 

Read You Must: Star Wars Search Your Feelings

From the creative team that brought us ABC-3PO and Obi-One, Two, Three comes Seach Your Feelings, a poetry-filled exploration of the wide range of emotions experienced by humans, aliens and droids alike, brand new from Disney-Lucasfilm Press.

Starting with events from The Phantom Menace (Anakin destroying the Trade Federation Droid Control Ship while flying a Naboo starfighter to demonstrate "Excited"), Calliope Glass & Caitlin Kennedy have created a 48 page, (mainly) chronological look at the Star Wars saga in short verse poems. 

Each poem has it's own emotional theme, like Jealous, Hopeful, Calm, Surprised or Frustrated, as they flow right to the ending of The Last Jedi.

With plenty of humour and love of the Star Wars saga, the poems contextualize each feeling to a particular familiar moment from the films; the infamous trash compactor scene (Disgusted), a tantrum by Kylo Ren (Angry) and most poignantly, Luke Skywalker in exile (Lonely).

For every feeling, there is a two-page illustration by the fabulous Katie Cook. Her incredibly cute (yet still authentic) take on Star Wars characters give this book an added layer of levity. Yet somehow Cook's illustrations deepen the emotional impact of certain moments too: C-3PO has never looked sadder than he does on the "Sad" page.

Despite the adorable style of Cook's illustrations, and the obvious subject of emotions, this book is a lot of fun and probably a lot more accessible to kids than many books about feelings. It's all about feelings, of course, but it doesn't seem very "touchy-feely", if that makes any sense.

Search Your Feelings, and explore this book today!

Publisher's Recommendation: Ages 6 & up 

Also available: