Book Review “Goodnight Darth Vader”

Author: Jeffrey Brown
Hardcover: 64 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release Date: July 22, 2014

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

I would like to start with a small request…I would like Jeffrey Brown to continue to make “Star Wars” books..forever. He started with “Darth Vader and Son” and then “Vader’s Little Princess” and now “Goodnight Darth Vader”, which is the best of them all. Brown also has another great series called “Star Wars: Jedi Academy”, which is released it’s follow up this month as well. I know that I am in over love with these books probably because I have a young daughter of my own and I am able to share “Star Wars” with her now at a younger age instead of waiting until she is older for shows like “Clone Wars” or “Rebels”. I hope that Brown continues this series because “Star Wars” needs this in order to have parents be able to get their kids started on the series at a much younger age.

It’s bedtime in the Star Wars galaxy, and Darth Vader’s parenting skills are tested anew in this delightful follow-up to the breakout New York Times bestsellers Darth Vader™ and Son and Vader’s™ Little Princess. In this Episode, the Sith Lord must soothe his rambunctious twins, Luke and Leia—who are not ready to sleep and who insist on a story. As Vader reads, the book looks in on favorite creatures, droids, and characters, such as Yoda, R2-D2, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Darth Maul, Admiral Ackbar, Boba Fett, and many others as they tuck in, yawn, and settle down to dream. As ever, Jeffrey Brown’s charming illustrations and humor glow throughout, playing on children’s book conventions to enchant adults and kids alike.

I have a two year old daughter and one thing she looks at night is reading a book to her in order for her to stay up that extra 15 minutes. Right now, we are in an obsession with “Goodnight, Moon” and for someone that is only two years old, we do not even need to read it to her anymore since she knows and recites all the words herself. Since I myself am a huge “Star Wars” fan, we have been training her slowly on the characters, so she knows the basics including Vadar, Storm Troopers, Yoda…and even Greedo so some strange reason. So the minute she got this book, she immediately said “VADAR!…Daddy, read it!” So I think we just found our new night time book for quite a while. If you have kids, this is a must purchase…if you don’t and still love “Star Wars”, this is still a must purchase.

CD Review: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas & Mark Stone “The Runaway Bunny, The Story of Babar and Goodnight Moon”

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas & Mark Stone
“The Runaway Bunny, The Story of Babar and Goodnight Moon”
Label: GPR Records
Release Date: November 13, 2012

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Who doesn’t know about the classic books “The Runaway Bunny” and “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown and “The Story of Babar” by Francis Poulenc. These are not new stories in fact they are all from the 1940’s. “Goodnight Moon” is from 1947. “The Runaway Bunny” is  from 1942. And “The Story of Babar” or aka “L’Histoire de Babar” dates back to 1945. These stories are still very timeless and a must read for any child before bed or anytime, in fact. In case you are wondering, this is not a your typical straight forward audio book. These books are read alongside new classical music interpretations of the these stories. If you are a fan of classic music and timeless stories, this would make a wonderful addition to your collection. I can see this CD being a must-listen with my daughter as she grows up.

So what makes this CD special is that Oscar winners Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas are reading two of these three books along with the wonderful musical compositions besides them. Catherine Zeta-Jones narrates “The Runaway Bunny” along with music by Glen Roven and performed by the Piano Trio Version with Trio 21. Michael Douglas lends his voice to the beloved story of “The History of Babar”, which is backed with a score by Francis Poulenc and Jason Worth on the piano. These performances are very well acted and gives the stories great delivery. Lastly but not least is “Goodnight Moon”, which is a story I have become very familiar with as a new parent.  It is sung by English Baritone Mark Stone along with the GPR Festival Choir. This release is very well done and entertaining.  It is also a great way to not only make these stories more interesting but also introduce your children to the world of very fine classical music.