The Mandalorian: This is the Way (a little golden book) by Christopher Nicholas

The Mandalorian: This is the Way (a little golden book) written by Christopher Nicholas, illustrated by Shane Clester

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A simplistic, yet super cute recap of Season 1 of "The Mandalorian," this book is WAY more age appropriate than the little golden books based on the films!! A fan who's a beginning reader could absolutely read this on their own! The film-based little golden books rely on paragraphs of information, perhaps trying to include too much, but this book struck just the right balance of overviewing Season 1 and being readable for a young child. 

It's reliance on simple phrasing and extensive illustrations helped it meet this balance. For example, it mentions "friends" on one double-page spread and "foes" on the following double-page spread, including pictures of all possible friends and foes. In this way, the book bypasses needing to retell every episode and instead presents the bigger picture.

At the beginning and end of the book, "This was the way" is quoted in describing The Mandalorian's lifestyle. At first, it's taking in bounties and living alone, and then it's being a family with The Child (see below). So adorably sweet. 

We do get some wonderful spreads displaying The Mandalorian protecting The Child and then The Child protecting The Mandalorian--even including that dragon-like flying beastie that attacked when the group was camping out on Nevarro. I was never able to get a good photo of that creature so I was super excited to get an illustrated image of it in this book (see below)!! 

My favorite quote was in reference to The Mandalorian deciding to rescue The Child from The Client, "But his heart told him that was not the way. So the Mandalorian broke his vow and rescued the Child." And this one was super sweet, "The Child helped the Mandalorian heal his lonely heart." D'awww.

In a nutshell, this book was so stinking cute!!! And it's perfect for little ones. If you were hoping for a full rundown of Season 1 though, you'll be disappointed. The narrative focuses much more on The Mandalorian's growth and change as he incorporates The Child into his life than it does on actual story points. In fact, this would be a perfect book for a young one to read to gear them up for being shown the show as it gives nothing away. 

A delightful little book with charming illustrations makes for a fun, super quick read!