Star Wars Epic Yarns: Book Review + Making Of Video
May the 4th be with you! Quick—what word immediately comes to mind when you think of Star Wars? If you answered ‘felt,’ well, you are either really into the fiber arts and ‘felt’ is your go-to answer for everything, or you have one of the new Star Wars Epic Yarns books by Jack and Holman Wang. Trust me, wool never looked so good.
The three books in the series cover the original trilogy, and if you are at all familiar with the Wang brothers’ Cozy Classics books then you know there is no team better to take on the hallowed ground that is the Star Wars universe. Each movie is distilled down to twelve words, which are paired with twelve iconic scenes exquisitely rendered in handcrafted felt.
The attention to detail is astounding. The x-wing fighter looks as if it is about to fly off of the page, and Darth Vader’s classic pose, as he tells Luke that he is his father, captures the poignancy of the moment perfectly. How you do that with yarn, I have no idea, but Jack and Holman Wang obviously do.
These books will appeal to a wide swath of people. Die-hard and casual Star Wars fans alike will find plenty to enjoy, as will anyone who is interested in the fiber arts or models. The simple one-word layout affords parents an easy way to introduce their young children to the characters without exposing them to the violence in the movies. Each scene can also serve as an inspiration at craft time, encouraging kids to make their own figures and tell simple stories with them.
As the world gets ready for the latest addition to one of the most recognized movie franchises ever, the Star Wars Epic Yarns series is a wonderful way to get the entire family primed for the adventure.
If you’re a super fan, this video about the making of the books is well worth watching. Go behind the scenes to better appreciate the immense dedication and detail the Wang brothers poured into this project including shooting scenes at some of the original movie locations. And here are some fun felt facts:
- Approximate number of sheep needed to create enough wool to fill the entire volume of R2-D2: 2
- Approximate number of sheep needed to create yarn long enough to circle the Death Star once: 45
- Approximate number of sheep needed to create enough wool to fill the entire volume of the Death Star: 14.4 quadrillion
- Approximate number of years it would take all the sheep on earth to produce enough wool to fill the entire volume of the Death Star: 34 million years
Title: Star Wars Epic Yarns
Creators: Jack and Holman Wang
Publisher: Chronicle (April 2015)
Age group: One to one hundred
Best for kids who: love Star Wars, crafts, adventure
Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon:
Star Wars Epic Yarns: A New Hope
Star Wars Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.