REVIEW: Darth Vader and Son

Brown, J.  (2012).  Darth Vader and Son.  San Francisco:  Chronicle Books.


Here's a nice gift for dads and sons who are already hooked on Star Wars.


Appetizer:  Containing 60-ish illustrations by cartoonist and father Jeffrey Brown, Darth Vader and Son shares imagined portraits between Darth Vader and a four-year-old Luke Skywalker.

Here's the introduction from the book in Star Wars style, of course:

As a long time Star Wars fan, I was really excited when I first saw this book mentioned on the internetz.  As with The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, I needed nothing more than a glance at the cover to know I needed the book now.

While still enjoyable, when my copy arrived and I read Darth Vader and Son, I was a little disappointed to see that there wasn't a cohesive plot throughout the picturebook.  Rather the book shows vignettes of real father-toddler moments with a Star Wars twist.

My favorite illustrations tended to be the ones that were twists on famous lines from the movie series:

Darth Vader and Son is a fun quick read that parents can appreciate.  In terms of young Star Wars fans, I have no doubt that there are four to seven-year-olds who will love staring at and examining some of the illustrations.  It could be a very powerful experience jumpstarting some wee-little ones' imaginations to see such a young Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars universe:

Also, on a slight tangent, according to his mini-autobiography on his website,  Jeffrey Brown and I hail from the same hometown:  Grand Rapids, Mi.  *waves at a fellow Grand Rapidian*

Dinner Conversation:

Tasty Rating:  !!!