Here I am back again with another father/son review of a DK Readers book – this time the level 2 Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi In Training. Level 2 is for someone just beginning to read, with simple sentences and limited vocabulary. This 30 page book was is a well thought out example of the perfect way to inject something new into the Readers series while still being faithful to the source material – and I’ll tell you why after the break.

Jedi In Training follows the path of Ahsoka from when she is first introduced in the movie through the first half of the season of The Clone Wars (ending with the episode where she fights alongside Luminara). But what this book does is create an overarching message for Ahsoka, showing the reader what she learned over the course of these episodes and connecting them all together. She learns things like teamwork, loyalty, and trust – all worthy lessons for both Ahsoka and the children reading the book.

There are only a few pictures per page, but the ones there are used to great effect (like when Grevious eyes are splashed across the top of two pages, Ahsoka dueling him on the bottom, and the text in between. Like most of the DK Readers Clone Wars books they really do a lot with the space they have available to them on each page. As usual there are also separate boxes on some pages to give a little more detail on a particular item (like R2-D2, or a particular Jedi Master featured in this part of the story). It helps keep the story flowing but allows the reader to play catch up if they aren’t aware of a particular character’s place in the story.

What’s interesting to me is that in this case, it’s my 3-year-old who has laid claim to Jedi In Training. Granted, Ahsoka is his favorite character from the series, so it doesn’t surprise me all that much given she’s the central theme of this book. He seems to enjoy both having me read it to him, and just looking through it himself. My 5-year-old did enjoy reading it through the first time; but since being claimed by his brother, he has been more focused on the other Clone Wars books that are available to him. I personally thought this was a great way to present a few Clone Wars episodes into a format that’s easily understandable and teaches some nice lessons too. The language is simple, just the right speed for younger readers to understand or follow along and try to sound out for themselves. There’s also a summary at the end of Ahsoka’s friends and enemies – which makes for a great chance to get the kids playing the “tell me who that is?” game which will ultimately make them even more Star Wars knowledgeable than I am.

Review Copy courtesy of  DK Publishing.