Reviews

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Star Wars Little Golden Book by Geof Smith

justthatstarwarsbookgirl's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The book centers and focuses around one pivotal message it is trying to express positively about the realm and aspects of life overall as a whole. The book recommends a variety of inspiring and happy things to do with and incorporate into your life, including real world examples and things you CAN do in real life, such as creating an Alliance with a Special Person (marriage, etc.). The book provides a huge emphasis on the importance of friendship, but also a slighter emphasis on family. It especially expresses that they will stick by you through everything. The book relates ways to deal with dark times including finding wise teachers, being inspired by good stories, always having best friends by your side, especially on trips or for dealing with difficult challenges, and being shown the way by a friend when you’re lost. The book even expresses qualities of being able to find redemption in all people and animals. The book is greatly centered around finding light in the darkness/positivity in negativity or negative situations/hope in hopeless situations and feelings/hopelessness, as well as not turning into a bad, mean or cruel person due to a bad situation and feelings of fear, frustration and anger (using the examples of The Dark Side and the Sith, including emphasizing the power it will give you not being worth what you lose and the destruction it will bring to your life personally). The book also includes details on how quickly a situation can turn from ideal and good to bad and worse, with nothing going right, using the example of Luke riding a Taun Taun one second on Hoth and the next being attacked by the Wampa. I thought personally what didn’t have to be included but were a really nice addition to the overall positivity and message of the storyline were the scenes describing almost every problem having a solution “if you look closely” and the biggest obstacles often have the “simplest answers” using the examples of the Death Star plans being used to find the reactor plot and the AT-AT needing it’s legs to be wrapped with a cord to collapse, whereas laser fire didn’t work to damage them. The inspiration of the many exact lines included from the Star Wars movies, such as “Stay on Target” being so inspiring to motivate you to stay on your assigned task, is a simplistic addition to the book that adds a lot of greatness, as well as the simplistically illustrated “Size Matters Not” page. The pages about never underestimating your opponents or abilities, using the examples of the Ewoks in the Battle of sensor fighting the stormtroopers, newborn baby Luke and Leia holding the hope of the entire galaxy according to Obi-Wan, Yoda and Bail, and child Anakin Skywalker saving Naboo and the Gungans by blowing up the Trade Federation ship, was a very good addition. My favorite pages were where they describe Leia as being rescued by someone special, then rescuing herself! That was super inspiring to me personally. Sometimes I hope to be rescued by somebody special or unexpected, but I know eventually I’ll have to resort to rescuing myself! The section of the book about “Dark Times”, including confidants turning against you (using the example of Anakin), foes appearing when unexpected (Boba and Vader at Cloud City in Empire Strikes Back), dangers blocking the way (Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s path being blocked by Darth Maul), facing monstrous challenges (the Rathtars in Force Awakens for Finn and Rey), escapes being rocky (Obi-Wan being chased by Slave 1 in the asteroid field over Geonosis) and finally safety being fleeting (the worm in the asteroid in Empire Strikes Back), is very entertaining with its examples, which are all very real dangers and situations in life you could possibly go through. The short part of life seeming “cold and lonely” and then the expression of hanging in there (using the example of Obi-Wan hanging off the assassin droid in Episode 2, that was a clever one, possibly the most clever reference/analogy in the book itself), telling us (readers) to not back down (with the example of Leia vs Vader in Episode 4 on Tantive IV), and never giving up our dreams (with the beautiful artwork of Luke looking at the Tatooine sunset, who never gave up his dream of leaving Tatooine for the Academy), was a very inspiring section. The 4 beginning/opening phrases (“feeling like the weight of the galaxy is on your shoulders”, “being pulled in a direction you don’t want to go”, “the walls feel like they’re closing in around you”, and “nobody understanding you”) of the book were great hooking and interesting sentences to make you want to read the book for sure! These are highly relatable feelings. I love the book’s vivid colors on every single page and piece of artwork plus the covers front and back. I also love how the book compiles images and pieces of artwork from multiple Star Wars Little Golden Books. I love the deep and light purple mix backgrounds for the opening page and the front and back covers. I didn’t really like the depiction of Yoda on the front cover very well. I thought I really liked the fact that Geof Smith adapted almost every movie/film as far as I know. I love that the book includes a small paragraph in tiny text at the bottom to the side to explain what book each image is from, who wrote the book, who illustrated the book/made the art piece and the copyright year of the individual book itself. I didn’t like how there were no individual page numbers included to track your progress through the book. I thought they would’ve looked nice in oversized circular bubbles in the corners of the pages. My personal copy of the book I loved that it had the feel of the pages, they were unique and unusual due to how new and untouched they were, I liked the thickness of them individually also for flipping purposes. I like that this Little Golden Book is longer than the usual size. As for the individual artists, I really like Ron Cohee’s depiction of ROTJ Luke, his dark Jedi Knight outfit, bright blue eyes, face and even his strange, large, flat soled feet. I didn’t like how scary his depiction of the Emperor looked because it would frighten kids in my opinion (it frightened me). I love Jabba’s image, and Salacious Crumb, but thought the background characters needed more detail definitely, including Bib Fortuna and Boba Fett/Han in Carbonite. It’s like the illustrator didn’t expect you to notice the background characters, which I’m sure kids might now but I definitely did. The Force Ghosts of Anakin and Yoda looked great but Ben Kenobi didn’t look appropriate or accurate. Boba Fett’s armor’s colors also looked really nice, but I didn’t like the depiction of the mini Admiral Ackbar. I like the Rancor, he actually seems less scary than the Emperor’s character. His work on “I am a Jedi” for each individual Jedi doesn’t seem very detailed for the depiction  of each individual Jedi and I thought that was slightly sad due to how unique so many of them are. The only depictions I really like are Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Yoda. Possibly Plo Koon as well. I thought some of them were even rather inaccurate. More time definitely should’ve been spent on this piece. His images of the younglings wasn’t as detailed as it should’ve been with their alien species, clothing and boots, as well as the training hats and remotes, but it overall looked very nice altogether as a whole image. I however DID love his depiction of Anakin Skywalker with his scar, eye, facial expression, gritted teeth and long brown hair from Episode 3, Darth Vader’s helmet, and Luke training on Dagobah lifting rocks, R2, and storage containers all while balancing Yoda on his leg upside down in “I Am a Jedi”. Those colors look beautiful, especially the neutral tones on the Dagobah scene but also the blues, blacks and purple on the lense of Vader’s helmet, plus the reds, pinks  and oranges on Anakin’s face. I really like all of Caleb Meurer and Micky Rose’s works, such as on the A New Hope and even The Force Awakens Little Golden Books. The desert scene with Rey and BB-8 walking across the Jakku sands is a beautiful photo, as well as Luke rescuing Leia from her cell, Kylo Ren’s back as he is on Jakku murdering the village with his stormtroopers, and the intimidating scene of Vader dressed all in black with his stormtroopers in the vastly different white armor, flying into Hyperspace,  the rewards ceremony on Yavin 4, and even Ben Kenobi turning off the Tractor Beam and hiding from the stormtroopers around the Generator. I’m unsure if the reason their artwork is some of my favorite pieces is because of the fact that there are two artists working on it, compared to one, but I really enjoy their pieces a lot more than the rest. The individual close ups of Rey however I didn’t really like, but BB-8 I loved. I also really enjoy the scene of Farmboy Luke Skywalker looking out into the Twin Sunset on Tatooine on the Lars homestead, with windswept blonde hair and his desert tunic and leg wraps. I love the detail and colors on this piece. The depiction of the Death Star and space are also very nice with the stars in the backdrop. I thought Chris Kennett’s illustration of Luke in the Bacta Tank seemed slightly inaccurate with his body type, but the 2-1B droid looked great. I thought the colors in that piece however were rather bleak and drab. He didn’t seem to put a lot of detail into his pieces for Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back either sadly, I especially didn’t like he portrayal of the Ugnaughts, Han Solo, and Chewbacca, even possibly Vader. Everything looked vastly inaccurate with how streamlined it was, how thin and straight. His work on the Battle of Hoth with the Snowspeeders, AT-ATs and Rebel Gun Turrets however with the snowy backdrop are absolutely beautiful. I like the depiction of Luke and his X-Wing on the swamp planet of Dagobah however, and Luke the Taun Taun, the Wampa itself plus R2 isn’t bad but Yoda’s design is definitely one you need to have grow on you to begin to like. I however LOVE his spread depicting the Empjre with Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, AT-AT, AT-ST, TIE Fighters, Star Destroyers, and the Death Star done for “I Am a Sith”. The darker black colors are beautiful but I also love the lighter grays and light whites. I also love the end scene of Empire Strikes Back, and the photo of Luke falling down Cloud City’s shaft, mainly his brown cargo outfit and the purple dark hues of the backdrop. I love Patrick Spaziante’s work on the Episode 3 Little Golden Book, especially his depictions of Anakin directly after he turned to the Dark Side of the Force, but I also love the piece of Obi-Wan holding baby Leia and Luke and smiling at them with a very tired smile, so much emotion is expressed through that smile in that image. I like how you can also tell the babies apart by the hair curl and eyelashes depicted on Leia. His portrayal of Vader on the operating table is really detailed in his armor and looks really accurate, plus I like how the Emperor looks so conniving knowing what he just did with Padmé. I didn’t really like the 2-1B droid shown however. I also really enjoy Heather Martinez’s works, especially on Episode 1 (although Qui-Gon looks a bit odd, I like Obi-Wan and Maul). I love her depiction of the sleek Naboo Royal Starship and the Naboo Capital City of Theed from the sky. I also liked the image of child Anakin as a pilot. Her work on “I Am a Princess” is the most beautiful, successful, wonderful, God-Given work on a Little Golden Book that I have ever seen so far. Her characters look absolutely GORGEOUS, their eyes, hair, outfits, body shapes, and skin, as well as the different aliens such as Chewbacca the Wookiee and the creatures like the Mynocks. That art piece spread across two pages is one of if not the most beautiful piece in the entire book. Even Vader’s character looks great in the book. I also think the piece of Leia firing her own blaster and Han, Chewie and Luke looking so shocked was very empowering and feminine. I love the expressions shown on their faces. I thought Ethen Beavers work wasn’t bad at all but wasn’t exactly my favorite/didn’t really jump out to me regardless of the majorly bright colors in his pieces for Episode 2: The Attack of the Clones. It sort of even reminded me of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars style with the way Obi-Wan looked. I did however LOVE the scene of Anakin and Padmé’s marriage, if I had one criticism it was that her veil completely covered her hair (and it didn’t in the movie) but the backdrop with the flowers, lake and sunset on Naboo plus their clothes, happy facial expressions and Anakin overall was beautiful. Alan Batson’s depiction of Han Solo for “I Am a Pilot” is so detailed, abstractly shaped and wonderful, I love it, even if I didn’t like Chewbacca as much. I also liked his image of the trio of pilots with the backdrop of ships, as well as his expression of the explosion of Death Star 2, even if I don’t like the overall piece with Lando and the Falcon included. I also like the depiction of Han Solo in the Falcon’s Gunner Turret and Poe flying in his X-Wing with Astromech BB-8. If I had to rank my favorite illustrators provided here from 1-7: 

1. Caleb Meurer and Micky Rose (Episode 4: A New Hope & Episode 7: The Force Awakens) 
2. Heather Martinez (Episode 1: The Phantom Menace & I Am A Princess)
3. Patrick Spaziante (Episode 3: The Revenge of the Sith)
4. Alan Batson (I Am A Pilot)
5. Ethen Beavers (Episode 2: The Attack of the Clones)
6. Chris Kennett (I Am A Droid, Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back, & I Am A Sith)
7. Ron Cohee (Episode 6: Return of the Jedi & I  Am A Jedi)

I love the finishing touch and final message of The Force Being with us all Always in this book. 

Overall a good book, I’d definitely recommend it to any Star Wars fan adult, teenager, middle grade level or child, but I’d definitely only recommend it to those who love Star Wars and it’s themes and concepts or at least knows or has general knowledge about them on the whole, because many of the scenes, images and ideas in the book you need to understand and remember Star Wars themes, scenes and concepts from movies 1-7. 

alyshadeshae's review

5.0

Super cute and adorable. Perfect for the Star Wars fan in your life.

neilrcoulter's review

4.0

I'd read the regular Everything I Need to Know Golden Book and wasn't especially impressed, so I didn't have high expectations for the Star Wars version. But I was surprised how much great artwork has been created for the Star Wars Little Golden books! Every page of this "greatest hits" is a lot of fun to look at. And because the text can riff on Star Wars quotes, it's much more enjoyable to read than the regular book was.

I checked this out from the library, but the feeling it left me with was not that I need to have this book on my shelf, but that I want to get all the individual Star Wars Little Golden Books. (Also that I can't wait to see the Little Golden Book version of Rogue One.)

Still, this will probably do fine for the "I don't really know you but I've seen you wearing a Star Wars t-shirt" gift for this year's graduates. :)

themadhatter's review

informative inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Such a cute book that's fun to read alone or with your kiddos to drive home some important life lessons and make them easy to remember. The art is lovely. 

kaitlinshafer's review

5.0

I loved this book and the message it has. We rented it from the library but I think I’m going to buy it for our personal collection.

imaclogger23's review

funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

biblioberg's review

5.0

Had to read this one for Star Wars Day and it is so sweet, inspiring and perfect. Plus the illustrations are gorgeous. Highly recommend for any Star Wars fan.

ericaereads's review

3.0

Five stars for enjoyment. But three stars because it only makes sense if you are well-versed in Star Wars mythology and can connect the illustrations to the text. Not for kids, but great for Star Wars fans.

couchnest's review

5.0

If you enjoy Star Wars you may enjoy this book. I love the illustrations. I loved seeing familiar scenes from the movie. There are a lot of illustrations that portray strong female characters saving the day, which is nice. The Yoda "size matters not" illustration is adorable! Seriously, I think this may make a great gift for any Star Wars fan. The pages with the illustration for fear and anger are cool..."because fear and anger can lead to the dark side." And I have to say, the fancy end paper is perfect!

lostinmylibrary's review

4.0

This wasn't on my TBR at all, but I saw it in the store and couldn't resist reading it! It was so cute and so inspirational - it got a little dark for a Little Golden Book, but then again, I'd say that most of the content of Star Wars movies is a little dark for a Little Golden Book. Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and it made me really excited to read the other Star Wars Little Golden Books on my TBR!