Welcome to the Youtini Kid’s Corner!
With all of the incredible Star Wars content coming out for adults, sometimes it’s easy to forget that there are just as many stories being released for the younglings! Here in the Youtini Kid’s Corner, we’re going to highlight a couple of the newest offerings from Disney Lucasfilm that will put a smile on the face of every Padawan.
The Galaxy Needs You
Written by: Caitlin Kennedy
Illustrated by: Eda Kaban
Ever since the acquisition of Star Wars back in 2015, Disney has been filling all of their new content with life lessons for the youngest Padawans to the oldest Jedi Masters. Continued lessons that value the importance of curiosity, kindness, intelligence, and bravery are showcased through the eyes of every character, and nowhere is that more evident than in content specifically aimed at a younger audience.
Caitlin Kennedy and Eda Kaban’s The Galaxy Needs You carries on the baton of hopeful morality in a way that hopes to teach beginning readers what it means to be a good person while simultaneously immersing them in wonderfully imaginative artwork.
Kennedy’s narration throughout the book follows a relatively typical format. The unspoken narrator speaks to the child holding the book and instills within them the important roll that they play in the world. Using the story of Rey, the book fills the reader with the power and knowledge that the planet has never known someone like them before, and their story will change the world forever.
This beautiful message is accentuated by the incredible, cartoony art style of Eda Kaban. Kaban’s style is reminiscent of classic children’s stories like The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar if it were mixed with some of the storytelling elements of a Pixar film. Bright color splashes across the page, and the character portraits are easily recognizable without being oddly photo-referential.
For a greater example of Kaban’s unique style, you can check out more of her work at http://edakabanstudio.com/.
Whether you have a young child of your own that needs a boost or you need that boost yourself, The Galaxy Needs You is a heartwarming reminder that we all have our part to play in the story of our universe.
Because there’s nobody else like you.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Galactic Guide
Written by: Matt Jones
Fans of all ages have been enjoying The Rise of Skywalker since its release in late December, and whether you’ve seen the film once or twenty times, we can guarantee that you want to know even more about the characters, locations, and lore that the film introduces. For older readers, The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary is the logical next step in this pursuit (check out our review for more information), but for the younger folk, The Rise of Skywalker: The Galactic Guide will hold all of the information they could possibly desire.
As opposed to The Galaxy Needs You which provides a narrative story within the frame of the sequel trilogy, The Galactic Guide acts as a sort of encyclopedia for younger readers that explores some of the secrets of their latest favorite film. Each page is plastered with photos of characters, ships, and technology directly from the movie rather than artistic representations, and surrounding those pictures are all sorts of fun facts (that do contain some spoilers for the movie) compiled by writer Matt Jones.
Some of these pages feature full character profiles which feature Top 5 lists about our main heroes and villains like Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren. Does your Padawan want to know who Chewie lent the Millennium Falcon to? It’s in here! How about the name of every Knight of Ren? They’ll find that here too! Every entry carefully balances visual stimulation with information in order to keep the attention of its intended audience, and the syntax of the book almost begs for an adult to read it out loud to an eager listener. If you’ve ever watched the Galaxy of Adventures shorts on YouTube, which we unanimously recommend for all ages, the rhythm of the sentences may sound quite familiar.
In addition to informative sections, The Galactic Guide also includes a few fun quizzes that you can go through with your new Apprentice. Have they ever wondered if they’re more of a Poe, Rose, or Leia? Now they can know for sure thanks to the handy charts littered throughout this book.
Finally, for more educational value, The Rise of Skywalker: The Galactic Guide features a glossary at the back of the book to explain a few of the more complex words littered throughout the book. If you have a student that doesn’t seem to grasp some deeper vocabulary, maybe they’ll rise to the occasion a bit more through the lens of a galaxy far, far away.
The Galaxy Needs You and The Rise of Skywalker: The Galactic Guide are both fantastic additions to any child’s Star Wars library that stimulate the imagination in vastly different ways. Whether your child needs to know that their curiosity and bravery makes them incredibly special or they just want to know a little bit more about Jannah, these are the books for them.
Both of these books are available now, and you can order them on Amazon and help Youtini out in the process by clicking the links below.
Order The Rise of Skywalker: The Galactic Guide
For even more books that are perfect for the youngling in your life, check out our previous Youtini Kids Corner where we featured two more books that are perfectly suited for younger readers.
Plot
Characters
Originality
Writing
Entertainment
Our Verdict
To pick up a copy of The Galaxy Needs You, Click HERE.
To pick up a copy of The Rise of Skywalker: The Galactic Guide, Click HERE.
And if you're hungry for even more content, you can check out our previous Youtini Kids Corner and our review of The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary.
