Book Review: "Star Wars: R2-D2's Mission: A Little Hero's Journey" by Jane Paley

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While I usually did not review my sons' books when they were growing up, this one deserved a mention, especially at the price on the back cover of the copy we had. This is a board book, with thick cardboard pages. The difference is there is a plastic R2-D2 suspended in the spine of the book by a piece of nylon string. When you open the book, there he is, as if in the action being illustrated on the pages. Cute, huh? The very, very basic story is the first "Star Wars" film, or I should say the first half of the first "Star Wars" film retold from R2-D2's point of view. We see Princess Leia put in the data, he is bought by Luke Skywalker, they are saved by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who dutifully retrieves the data. The End. The book is pretty harmless for kids, not dragging in any violence, battles, or even Darth Vader. Actually, younger kids might get a shock if they think "Star Wars" is about a cute robot and nothing more.

The plastic figure suspended on the string makes it difficult to shelve this little book. I was counting the days when the string would snap, and the story will be read with a gaping hole in the pages. The toy itself is nothing to look at, soft plastic and an assembly line paint job. The illustrations border on the old "Saturday Night Live" adventures of the Ambiguously Gay Duo, not meant to do anymore than draw the characters to be vaguely identifiable. Obi-Wan looked like Santa Claus, and Luke Skywalker looked like Princess Diana. The book is sixteen pages and cost a small fortune. Thank goodness we received this in a box of discarded toys from a cousin who had grown out of it. Any "Star Wars" completist might like this, others beware.