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The Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace Movie Storybook is just right for Star Wars fans around 7 years old, the age I was when Star Wars: A New Hope first hit theatres back in 1977.  In fact, this book reminds me of that experience, back in the late 70s.  Sure, merchandising can easily become over done, but it's fun for children to see a movie and then collect the figures, the cards, and the books.

Though this book is meant for children, I found reading it quite enjoyable.  It was a fun way to re-live the experience of the movie in one sitting.  Although the movie has received mixed reviews, I thought it was great, and The Phantom Menace Movie Storybook captured that experience.

For me, the main attraction of this book is all the movie images. Each page is filled with clear shots from the movie.  In the text and images, the more graphic parts are omitted (presumably out of deference to young and impressionable eyes and minds).  We read that Darth Maul stabs Qui-Gon with his lightsaber, but no such image is shown.  We read that Obi-Wan then kills Darth Maul, but it does not tell, nor show, the nature of that devastating blow.

If you have children who enjoy Star Wars (or whom you'd like to introduce it to!), then I suggest getting them this book.  You may even want to check it out to satisfy the science fiction loving child in yourself.

Jonathan Fesmire has travelled to France, Germany, Estonia, Finland, and Ireland. He enjoys speaking French and learning bits of other foreign languages, but most of all, he loves writing, and has sold fiction to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, SpaceWays Weekly, Jackhammer, and others.