The Empire Strikes Back has been celebrating its 40th anniversary all year long, but there are plenty of young would-be Star Wars fans who might not have been exposed to the teachings of Jedi Master Yoda just yet. With that in mind, Lucasfilm Publishing has put out a new children’s book entitled A Jedi You Will Be, designed to introduce a new generation of readers to the basics of the Force and the Jedi– as Yoda sees them, anyway.
Author Preeti Chhibber (Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark, Avengers Assembly: Orientation) has drawn from Yoda’s musings and guidance in The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi and compiled these ideas together using Luke Skywalker’s training on the swamp planet of Dagobah as a framing device. Yoda begins the story by inviting the reader in to observe Luke’s trials and to learn from them, while illustrator Mike Deas (The Buddy Bench, Shadow Island) provides inviting depictions of the action– not to mention Jedi meditations– in his uniquely cartoonish style.
I think kids will be instantly drawn into the world of Star Wars (and Dagobah specifically) through the pages of this book, whether they’ve already seen Empire or not– and certainly reading this book or having it read to them will make them anxious to see Yoda and Luke’s training come to life on the screen. That lovable droid R2-D2 also plays a role in this story, as he does in the movie, and I found it pleasantly surprising to see flashbacks to Clone Wars-era Jedi battles with villains such as Jango Fett, Trade Federation Battle Droids, and General Grievous. Plus, Chhibber and Deas take the extra step by inventing some new unnamed creatures to populate Dagobah’s marshlands, and it’s fun to see Yoda and Luke interact with them during their training. These elements are all likely to help the individual moments of the book feel varied enough to remain interesting for younger and older readers alike.
Like a lot of Star Wars children’s books that have come out in recent years, I feel that A Jedi You Will Be will serve as an excellent primer for parents looking to introduce their younglings to A Galaxy Far, Far Away. The charm and wit on display in this book– both in its clever writing and delightful illustrations– should go a long way in getting kids to show interest in the appealing adventures of Luke Skywalker. And what better place is there to start when it comes to Star Wars?
Star Wars: A Jedi You Will Be will become available on Tuesday, October 6 wherever books are sold, and you can pre-order it from Amazon right now.