PreS-Gr 2-A parade of vampires, ghosts, and other creatures do not scare Darth Vader, but something does! When costumes are removed, revealing a group of kids ready for some rowdy play, Darth Vader is finally unnerved. In a particularly hilarious illustration, children swarm him as he yells out, "I AM MOST DISPLEASED." A small girl raises her fist in the air and stomps as she mimics him, one girl makes googly eyes, and a diaper-clad baby with pacifier gets in on the action. In a final desperate meta-scene, Vader experiences real fear. Is the book about to close? With his typical offbeat humor, Rex notes that the illustrations were created in Photoshop and then superimposed on a swamp created with "paper, clay, paint, moss, glue, sticks, stones, foam, sponge, and schmutz." The result is appropriately dark and textured with the children adding lightness and whimsy. The several double-spread illustrations are especially captivating. The font varies. Darth Vader speaks in black word bubbles with a white font; the kids in the opposite. The narrator converses directly with Darth Vader, his words in a bold and bright yellow, "Are you afraid of spiders? No. Black cats? No. Public speaking? No. The dark? Is that a joke?" Star Wars references abound and will delight fans; non-fans will appreciate the quirky humor. VERDICT Perfect for Halloween collections and beyond, no library will want to be without this humorous addition to the Star Wars collection.-Lisa -Taylor, Florida State College, Jacksonville © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Rex tackles the Star Wars universe with his characteristic humor and wit. In bold, yellow text, an unidentified narrator asks Darth Vader what scares him. Practical and unfazed, Vader denies any fears, responding dryly in black speech bubbles. (When Vader scoffs at vampire bites, for example, the narrator notes that vampires can turn into bats. So, a much smaller thing that bites you, Vader quips.) He doesn't even fear children, despite their exasperating, rambunctious behavior, such as stealing his lightsaber and jumping on his back. Rex's silly tone, goofy creatures, and spry children humorously offset Vader's beautifully charcoaled figure silhouetted against a dark, dreary swamp. When the youngsters leave, the narrator reminds Vader there is one child left the one reading the book. Kids will get a kick out of watching the ending dawn on Vader, while instilling fear in one of moviedom's greatest villains. Even though Vader is masked and cloaked, Rex captures his expressions through simple, effective tilts of his head, especially as he fills the frame in the final pages. Another success (sith-cess?) from Rex.--Hyzy, Biz Copyright 2010 Booklist

An unseen narrator attempts to discover what might scare Darth Vader. Lord Vader scoffs at the typical Halloween beasties. Neither a wolf nor a man scares him, so a wolfman won't do it; his armor will protect him from a vampire's bite; and as long as the ghost isn't Obi-Wan Kenobi's or Yoda's, he's fine. Though he's not afraid of a witch, learning that she might curse him makes him morose: "I am already cursed." Unflappable until now, the Dark Lord finally grows agitated and then increasingly annoyed (but still not scared) when the costumed kids who have been trying to scare him remove their masks and use him as a jungle gym. But even when they leave, there's still one left: the one who's holding this book and who's about to close it. That does it! la Grover in There's a Monster at the End of This Book, the finally fearful Darth Vader tries everything to get the reader to stop turning pages, and the narrator just rubs it in, comparing being closed in the book to being trapped in carbonite. Clever design places the narrator's text in yellow, Vader's sarcastic responses in white on black speech bubbles. The image of the staid Lord Vader fighting off hordes of children will keep kids in stitches.Never underestimate the power of a child, even against the Dark Side. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.