Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle Books)

My awesome wife @thestrollingmum nabbed this for me for Christmas from a shop I dare not enter (Blackwells Poster Shop in Broad Street, Oxford). I dare not enter because I know I'd come out with armfuls of wonderful things, and a very empty bank balance!

I'd seen the "Darth Vader and Son" and of course "Vader's Little Princess" books before, and since Star Wars is as popular as ever - and seemingly still one of the most merchandisable brands on the planet, I'd wondered what these would be like.

Taking inspiration from the 'classic' star wars (the one I grew up with rather than the CG-fest episodes 1-3), we find Darth Vader as a doting dad doing his best to bring up a busy little toddler-sized Luke Skywalker. With lots of parental wisdom, a touch of the dark side and awesome Jedi mind powers, each cartoon panel is amusing and fun.
Charlotte liked the panel where Princess Leia turns all Luke's Stormtrooper toys into 'dollies' but she's using the force to resist Daddy's persuasion that geeky stuff like Star Wars is worthy of her attention.

The postcard book (reviewed) is a great little pocket-sized geek-out. We're quite interested in seeing what "Vader's Little Princess" is like, as that's more likely to get my own little jedi princess interested rather than Luke (who, let's face it, is far more boring than Leia!)

Charlotte's best bit: Giving Stormtroopers a makeover, Leia style

Daddy's Favourite bit: "Greedo hit me first!"