Star Wars Beyond the Films‘ Nathan P. Butler is now posting short, non-spoiler reviews for many new releases. Spoiler-filled discussion will often follow in the weeks or months thereafter on the podcast.
C-3PO Does Not Like Sand by Caitlin Kennedy (hardcover, 2019)
Every so often, Disney Lucasfilm Press will throw me a curve ball in the form of a children’s book (an actual children’s book, not a young adult book that reads more adult than most of Del Rey’s novels). With a 9-month-old in the house now, though, I can now look on these works with the eyes of not just an educator but a parent. Thus, we turn our attention to C-3PO Does Not Like Sand.
C-3PO Does Not Like Sand
Honestly, there isn’t much to be said for Caitlin Kennedy’s C-3PO Does Not Like Sand, not because it is a bad book but because it is a chlidren’s book with a very basic, child-friendly premise: the titular droid apparently doesn’t like sand any more than his creator, Anakin Skywalker, did.
The story features C-3PO, R2-D2, and BB-8 on a mission to Tatooine. The tale is likely set after The Last Jedi due to R2-D2 being active, though it could theoretically be prior to Luke leaving for Ahch-To. (Don’t think too hard about this one. It won’t really matter.) Along the way, the ever-frustrated protocol droid must deal with the indignities inherent in a sandy landscape, while R2-D2 and BB-8 find ample ways to enjoy themselves and annoy C-3PO.
And . . . that’s pretty much it.
That said, it makes good use (from the perspective of what a kid might enjoy) of the three droids and gives kids a short little tale with elements they might be familiar with (the droids and, y’know, sand). I’ll definitely be reading this one to Cade (my son) one day.
The Verdict
C-3PO Does Not Like Sand won’t be of much (if any) interest to anyone other than collectors, kids, or parents, but it should be good fun for the little ones. It is also told using comic book inspired word balloons, rather than prose text, which might allow it to be a “gateway drug” to get kids hooked on Star Wars comics at an age that is often under-served in that medium of Star Wars stories since the demise of Marvel’s old Star Comics imprint with its (mostly terrible) Droids and Ewoks comics.
Recommended for: Parents and their young kids, especially if intending to try to get them into reading comics one day.
Not recommended for: Readers beyond “little kid” age or those seeking much of a story.
The copy used for this review was provided by Disney Lucasfilm Press, as was an uncorrected proofs copy.
