R2-D2 is LOST! ...and a Lot of Fun!

The duo that brought us C-3PO Does Not Like Sand! returns with another fun Droid Tales picture book featuring R2-D2, C-3PO and BB-8 from Disney - Lucasfilm Press.

Set some time after The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi - indicated only by the fact that the three droids know each other - author Caitlin Kennedy (The Galaxy Needs You) takes the trio on an adventure, this time returning to the forest moon of Endor, home to the Ewoks.

C-3PO delights again in being worshipped by the furry Ewoks, but R2-D2 appears to become annoyed, possibly even jealous, with his friend getting such attention. The astromech rolls off on his own into the dangerous Endor wilderness.

R2-D2 then encounters a lost young Ewok and becomes the child's caretaker, assuming the unlikely role of babysitter. The two then embark on their own little adventure to find their way back to the Ewok village.

Unlike C-3PO Does Not Like Sand!, which had the talkative C-3PO chattering away through everything, this book contains very few words as neither R2 or the young Ewok have much to say in words we'd understand. The story is told visually by the colourful cartoon artwork of Brian Kesinger.

There's funny stuff, scary stuff and several moments parents and caregivers will find very relatable in this short adventure tale.

Like the previous book, this feels very similar to the 1980's Saturday morning Droids cartoon kind of story and humour. It's unclear if Droid Tales is going to continue only as a book series or maybe it turns into something bigger. Pehaps BB-8 will get his own book next? Perhaps a new animated cartoon series? Let's hope!

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

Also available:

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 Myths & Fables

Incredible cover art by Grant Griffin

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

That introduction to the first Star Wars movie in 1977 (and each one since) was always meant to sound a lot like the classic fairy tale beginning "Once, upon a time..."

Star Wars always has been more like a fairy tale in space than pure science fiction. A new middle grade book from Disney/Lucasfilm Press takes that idea even further. 

Feels like one of these!

Imagine you're a kid in the Star Wars galaxy - what would your bedtime stories be like? What kind of stories did Luke Skywalker grow up with? Or after the Empire collapsed, what stories do those fathier stable kids in The Last Jedi hear, read and share?

Star Wars: Myths & Fables presents a 172 page collection of short stories of daring adventures and lessons learned. Packaged very much like an old-fashioned edition of children's stories, Myths & Fables presents nine exciting inspirational and cautionary tales in an entertaining and age-appropriate way for young readers.

Unlike most Star Wars books, this is written and presented as "In-Universe", as though it's actually a book of folklore you could buy on Coruscant or Naboo for a child. The stories are set in the Star Wars galaxy we know, but talk about it as though it's far in the past. They feel very much like they've been told many times, passed down to younger generations, and author George Mann has just finally written them down. Details are sketchy and descriptions are exaggerated, but readers will enjoy separating the likely facts from the creative embellishments.

One character, known only as the "Dark Wraith", haunts people with his flashing red arm and horrible rasping breath. We know this is probably about Darth Vader & his red lightsaber, but the teller of the tale doesn't know that name or even what a lightsaber is.

While some of the stories are perfect for "bedtime stories", others may be a little bit scary at times. Such is the nature of fairy tales, and author Mann does not shy away from this. In fact some of the stories like "The Witch & the Wookiee" feel like they come straight out of Grimm's Fairy Tales, just adapted into the Star Wars galaxy. Even the language Mann uses feels quite old-fashioned at times with many vocabulary-building words that may be a good challenge younger readers (or their parents!).

Like many early 20th century books for kids, the illustrations are sparse but beautiful. Each story has one incredible painting by Grant Griffin. Some of them are stunning and every one of them could be a framed poster in any Star Wars fan's room.

The title is a little odd as there really aren't any fables here (stories that typically have animals as the main characters) and a more appropriate title would've been Myths & Legends, or even "Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away" but that title has already been used for a different collection of short stories.

While a few of the stories are connected to each other really they could be read in any order. At least two of the stories take place on Batuu, which connect them to the events and locations of Disney Parks' new Galaxy's Edge Star Wars attractions. Visitors to the parks can come already knowing a bit about Black Spire Outpost and some of the spots within the locale. 

This is a new kind of Star Wars book, and hopefully we'll see more in the future. In fact that may be the only disappointment in this book - it leaves the reader wanting more stories and more of the fantastic paintings. Highly recommended!

(Publisher's Recommendation: Ages 8+)

While not exactly the same thing, readers who enjoy Myths & Fables will probably also like The Legends of Luke Skywalker by Ken Liu, and also the aforementioned collection of short stories Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens vol 1 by Landry Q Walker.

C-3PO Does Not Like Sand, But You'll Probably Like This Book!

What happens when C-3PO, R2-D2 and BB-8 get sent on secret mission to Tatooine for the Resistance? A LOT, apparently!

As their mission is simply to "scan the planet", they stroll and roll across the desert encountering nearly everything you can remember from past adventures on Tatooine. Creatures, aliens, racers and more are among the fun surprises on each turn of the 64 pages.

Poor C-3PO grows more and more annoyed at every step with the heat, the two other droids, and especially the sand getting in all of his inner-workings.

Yes, like his creator Anakin Skywalker, C-3PO Does NOT Like Sand!

This simple adventure story seems to be set after the events of The Last Jedi, based on the fact BB-8 is there and R2-D2 is back with them from his adventure with Rey.

Anakin didn't care much for sand either!

Since Disney-Lucasfilm Press began creating Star Wars picture books they have been pretty wildly different from each other. From the beautifully painted BB-8 On The Run, to the adorable Chewie & the Porgs to the dark-yet-very-silly Are You Scared, Darth Vader?, there are now a small variety of stories to choose from for bedtime or anytime reading for very young Star Wars fans.

C-3PO Does Not Like Sand! feels more like a book from the 1970's than 2019 and creates a wonderful nostalgic feeling for adults reading it.

The story by Caitlin Kennedy and illustrations by Brian Kesinger give it a look and feel almost like a Dr. Seuss book, but also has a lot in common with classic Sesame Street Grover books like The Monster at the End of This Book.

Even more though, this book is a delight for fans of the 80's Droids cartoon TV series. It's very much the kind of misadventure seen regularly on that show, with a similar sense of humour.

The spine is the only place that does this but the book is identified there as a "Droid Tales" book. Let's hope there's many more Droid Tales to come, and hopefully with K-2SO or L3-37!
 
For those of us who grew up on Star Wars, C-3PO Does Not Like Sand! is a lot of fun to read with younglings, or just to enjoy ourselves.

(Publisher's Recommendation: 4 - 8 years)

Don't Be Scared of Are You Scared, Darth Vader?

Don't be scared of some silliness in your Star Wars!

Since Halloween itself is not really a thing in the Star Wars Galaxy (that we know of), there hasn't really been a lot of Halloweeny Star Wars storytelling over the years. There have been spooky Star Wars stories, like the 90's Galaxy of Fear book series, but Disney/Lucasfilm Press has now released what is arguably the first Star Wars Halloween picture book.

Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Adam Rex tries to answer the question of what could possibly scare the most terrifying villain in the galaxy.

Spoiler alert: not much!

Darth Vader lurks in a dark, gloomy, Dagobah-like swamp while the narrator taunts him with various not-very-scary things, trying to find the one thing that may frighten the Dark Lord of the Sith. Then others join in, more from the world of classic horror movies than from Star Wars, to try to scare him.


Things get really silly and fun but it's difficult to describe without revealing a few of the surprises that await the reader. 

On a quick flip-through this appears to be a bleak, even dismal, looking book. However, the escalating attempts to scare Vader, along with his deadpan responses, are really enjoyable in contrast to the darkness. Clearly it would help if someone in your household can talk like Vader when reading this one aloud! 

Rex's not-very-scary monster artwork is reminiscent of early MAD magazine cartoonists like Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis. High praise indeed!

Forget about this book fitting into the rest of Star Wars. It doesn't. Are You Scared, Darth Vader? exists in its own little world. It almost feels like it could be dialogue from brave kids meeting Darth Vader at Disneyland. 

This book is the Star Wars equivalent to a "Fractured Fairy Tale".

Have a laugh and enjoy this twisted take on classic characters. Happy (early) Halloween!

Since we always like to remember Star Wars books from the past, here's a few items that could also almost be considered Star Wars Halloween books...

Read, You Must: Chewie and the Porgs

Viewers of The Last Jedi may be particularly curious of how the relationship between a hungry Chewbacca and the adorable bird-like porgs of Ahch-To translates into a kid-friendly picture book.

That’s certainly understandable because in the movie, Chewbacca takes an interest in the porgs, but it’s not to become friends!

Chewie and the Porgs (Disney-Lucasfilm Press) is the second in a new wave of beautifully illustrated picture books based upon the most recent Star Wars films. Following BB-8 On the Run, Chewie and the Porgs shows how they meet, how they help each other and become friends.

Where BB-8 On The Run offers a between-the-scenes look at what happens offscreen during The Force Awakens, Chewie and the Porgs is an alternate look at the first meeting between the wookiee and the small island creatures. 

It is similar but very different to how they become acquainted in The Last Jedi.

Author Kevin Shinick introduces young readers to the mysterious planet and it’s cute little inhabitants while the familiar wookiee searches for food. Luke Skywalker and Rey are barely seen as this is truly Chewie’s story.

Artist Fiona Hsieh captures the cuteness of it all with a colourful retro style similar to the recent Star Wars Golden Books series.

For those who desperately need to know if this story is officially part of the Star Wars timeline, referred to by fans as the canon, the answer is no. This story specifically states that “fishing season is over and all the fish are gone”, where in The Last Jedi, Luke clearly has caught a big fish while Rey and Chewbacca are on the island. That’s just one example.

If you can forget about the events of the movie for a few minutes, it’s very easy for kids and parents to enjoy this touching story about cooperation and friendship.

And it's SOOO cute!

Highly recommended.

(Publisher’s Recommendation Ages 5 – 8 years)

More Outdoor Winter Play, the Star Wars Way!

Since 1977, re-enacting scenes from Star Wars has been a fun outdoor activity for kids. Depending on where you live though, it might take a little more imagination for some moments!

If you live near a forest then it is easy to recreate the battle of Endor. If you live near swamps then you have an instant Dagobah for Jedi training with Yoda! If you happen have a sandy desert area nearby suddenly you can imagine you’re podracing on Tatooine or stealing the Millennium Falcon from Unkar Plutt on Jakku.

Mittens? I don't even need a jacket!

Then there’s winter…

A while back we looked at playing out the snowy scenes of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back and parts of The Clone Wars. Since then, The Force Awakens has introduced several new “cool” scenes to kids who don’t mind a little cold weather.

Whether you get your lightsabers out and duel in the snow, or bring your action figures outside and hope they don’t get lost until spring, here’s a few ideas for more outdoor winter play the Star Wars way!

In the movie Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren face off in an epic winter lightsaber fight. Finn starts trying his skills with the lightsaber but it’s Rey who really challenges Kylo during the snowy battle.

Starkiller Base itself offers many wintery moments, from the crash of the Falcon to Han, Chewie and Finn trying to get inside. If you think the Force will keep you warm though, remember Han’s words there: “That’s not how the Force works!"

Or you could recreate General Hux’s passionate speech about the First Order, though you may need a lot of friends to be the Stormtroopers! Perhaps a few of the troops could be snowmen?

Do you want to build a snowtrooper?

The deleted scenes from The Force Awakens (available on the bluray) provide even more inspiration for fun, including a snow-speeder chase that did not make it into the final movie.

Here she'll wear a jacket!

May the Force be with you, however you play Star Wars this winter!