Terrific bedtime reading before heading for the Land of Nod, in a galaxy far, far away.
Ian Doescher, a New York Times bestselling author, has previously reimagined the Star Wars stories as Shakespearean dramas “in elegant and impeccable iambic pentameter”, complete with stage directions. This anthology contains more than 75 poems, ranging in length from a few short lines to a couple of pages, and covering Star Wars movies from Episode One to Six.
The poems are suitable for young readers to enjoy and would make great bedtime reading. There is even a Star Wars A to Z alphabet poem, running from A for Anakin, through J for Jedi, to Y for Yoda—an interesting and different way to learn one’s letters for Star Wars fans. In the poems, the author combines the real world fears/difficulties/problems kids experience, with solutions from a galaxy far, far away, and closer to home.
In the eponymous poem of the title, the writer wishes for a wookiee to keep the monsters at bay and be their best friend. In Fully Armed, rather than being afraid of any surgery, the young boy is thrilled to learn he too will have metal plates in his arm, beneath the plaster cast, just like Luke Skywalker.
Tim Budgen’s illustrations fit well with the straightforward style of the poems being in a cartoon style and mostly black and white. There is an occasional splash of colour such as the bright red lipstick and Sharpie designs on the face of the Resourceful Sith, which go extremely well with the remainder of his costume, a dressing gown and broom. The book is a high-quality production, slightly smaller than A4 size, containing a comprehensive index to enable readers to find poems on their favourite character, aspect or event from the Star Wars universe.
My favourite poem in the collection is Star Wars Day, a day we always celebrate in our house as it is our daughter’s birthday—May the Fourth be with you!
Reviewed by Jan Kershaw
This review is the opinion of the reviewer and not Glam Adelaide.
Distributed by: Penguin Book Australia
Released: November 2021
RRP: $34.99
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