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I Wish I Had a Wookiee: And Other Poems for Our Galaxy
Inspired by the beloved world of Star Wars , this collection of over 75 whimsical and original poems is a celebration of childhood, creativity, imagination, and the early years of Star Wars fandom.
In “My Pet AT-AT,” a ten-year-old dreams of playing hide and seek and fetch with an AT-AT. In “Dad’s Luke Skywalker Figurine,” a child opens their dad’s untouched action figure but, instead of getting into trouble, helps their dad re-discover his own sense of play. In “T-16 Dreams,” a little girl imagines herself flying through the galaxy, the Empire hot on her trail, to help with her real-world fear of flying.
Set in the hearts and minds of young children who love Star Wars , and filled with the characters you know and love, I Wish I Had a Wookiee is the perfect gift for the young Star Wars fan—and the young at heart.
In “My Pet AT-AT,” a ten-year-old dreams of playing hide and seek and fetch with an AT-AT. In “Dad’s Luke Skywalker Figurine,” a child opens their dad’s untouched action figure but, instead of getting into trouble, helps their dad re-discover his own sense of play. In “T-16 Dreams,” a little girl imagines herself flying through the galaxy, the Empire hot on her trail, to help with her real-world fear of flying.
Set in the hearts and minds of young children who love Star Wars , and filled with the characters you know and love, I Wish I Had a Wookiee is the perfect gift for the young Star Wars fan—and the young at heart.
128 pages, Hardcover
Published September 28, 2021
4 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Ian Doescher
36 books725 followersIan is the author of the William Shakespeare Star Wars series and the Pop Shakespeare series, and other books. He's a Portland native, and lives in Portland with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 10, 2023
Very cute and funny, but the best thing is that some poems tackle serious topics, contentious topics, in a nonchalant, matter-of-fact way.
October 22, 2021
I wish I had a Wookie,
To keep the monsters out.
If nightmares came to get me,
You'd hear Chewbacca shout...
This adorable book has poems about Star Wars for children. Some of them are funny, some of them are a little more serious. Some are short or long or in between. They all have cute illustrations! I just love the light-hearted style of these poems, and the art style reflects that silly and playful mood.
Most of the poems deal with every day childhood things like scraping your knee, playing sports, caring for a pet, going to school, hanging with grandparents, and things like that. It's so cute to see these things through the perspective of beloved Star Wars characters, or children who dress up in costume as their favorite character.
This book would be so much fun to read together with young Star Wars fans. What a delight!
This short poem is one of my favorites...
"Trash Compactor"
My dad yells, "Mae! What have you done?"
He bursts in with a crash.
But how can I create the scene
Unless I use real trash?
Haha! This book will definitely get you laughing!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
To keep the monsters out.
If nightmares came to get me,
You'd hear Chewbacca shout...
This adorable book has poems about Star Wars for children. Some of them are funny, some of them are a little more serious. Some are short or long or in between. They all have cute illustrations! I just love the light-hearted style of these poems, and the art style reflects that silly and playful mood.
Most of the poems deal with every day childhood things like scraping your knee, playing sports, caring for a pet, going to school, hanging with grandparents, and things like that. It's so cute to see these things through the perspective of beloved Star Wars characters, or children who dress up in costume as their favorite character.
This book would be so much fun to read together with young Star Wars fans. What a delight!
This short poem is one of my favorites...
"Trash Compactor"
My dad yells, "Mae! What have you done?"
He bursts in with a crash.
But how can I create the scene
Unless I use real trash?
Haha! This book will definitely get you laughing!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
October 1, 2021
This book of poems was perfection!! Ian Doescher is a genius!! And Tim Budgen is such a talent!! The poems were so much fun and had me laughing multiple times. I even teared up once or twice. I love how relatable the poems were and the Star Wars references were glorious and numerous. And the illustrations were beautiful and diverse.
I loved all of the poems, but there were some—okay, A LOT—that really stood out to me. Some of my favorites included “Star Wars A to Z”, “Broccoli Night in Jabba’s Palace”, “Looking for Gungan City”, “BB-8’s Looking Great”, “Mackenzie McHale, Who Would Not Eat Her Kale”, “Han-isms”, and so many more!! Swipe to see just how many poems I marked with Post-its and to get a peek at the illustrations and an example of one of the many poems I loved.
This is a must-own for Star Wars fans of any age and definitely for fans of Shel Silverstein!! I hope you’ll get a copy for yourself and for the Star Wars fans in your life!!
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
I loved all of the poems, but there were some—okay, A LOT—that really stood out to me. Some of my favorites included “Star Wars A to Z”, “Broccoli Night in Jabba’s Palace”, “Looking for Gungan City”, “BB-8’s Looking Great”, “Mackenzie McHale, Who Would Not Eat Her Kale”, “Han-isms”, and so many more!! Swipe to see just how many poems I marked with Post-its and to get a peek at the illustrations and an example of one of the many poems I loved.
This is a must-own for Star Wars fans of any age and definitely for fans of Shel Silverstein!! I hope you’ll get a copy for yourself and for the Star Wars fans in your life!!
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
December 1, 2021
So good. So inclusive. So sweet. My son loves this and so do I, funnily.
May 19, 2022
Star Wars poems with a Shel Silverstein vibe? Yes please! Adorable.
April 2, 2022
Firstly, I want to thank Quirk books for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a good book to read for poetry month! I’ve always been a Star Wars fan, and I was intrigued to read a book that approaches the franchise in a different way. The poems use different rhyme schemes such as rhyming couplets, alternate rhyme, and monorhyme, which I think is great as it demonstrates different forms of poetry to younger readers. The different styles of poetry also made the book much more exciting and enjoyable to read! Some poems were only four lines, some were two pages etc, which broke them up nicely and helps hold a reader’s attention (especially younger ones).
The poems were heartfelt and focused on themes such as family, friendship, and dreams, but with a nice injection of humour. You can’t help but read these poems and feel a nice sense of joy!
What I liked about the book is that all of the poems were good quality. Sometimes you can get a book with a range of poems or stories and some are much better than others, but with this book all of the poems were well connected and the quality of writing never slipped.
Although I enjoyed all of the poems, I particularly liked the ones that challenged gender stereotypes. In ‘Ingrid is Chewbacca’ she fights for her desire to be Chewie over Leia; in ‘Star Wars A-Z’ the female characters are defined by their strength and skill, never their beauty (such as the line ‘L is for Leia, whose strength is profound’); and in ‘Role Model’ Sophie adores Mon Mothma for her leadership skills. Star Wars is known for their inspiring female characters, so it was nice to see that reflected in the poems.
The illustrations are also very beautiful! Each image mixes colour with black and grey which is aesthetically pleasing.
I’d recommend this book to any age as it was a pleasure to read.
What a good book to read for poetry month! I’ve always been a Star Wars fan, and I was intrigued to read a book that approaches the franchise in a different way. The poems use different rhyme schemes such as rhyming couplets, alternate rhyme, and monorhyme, which I think is great as it demonstrates different forms of poetry to younger readers. The different styles of poetry also made the book much more exciting and enjoyable to read! Some poems were only four lines, some were two pages etc, which broke them up nicely and helps hold a reader’s attention (especially younger ones).
The poems were heartfelt and focused on themes such as family, friendship, and dreams, but with a nice injection of humour. You can’t help but read these poems and feel a nice sense of joy!
What I liked about the book is that all of the poems were good quality. Sometimes you can get a book with a range of poems or stories and some are much better than others, but with this book all of the poems were well connected and the quality of writing never slipped.
Although I enjoyed all of the poems, I particularly liked the ones that challenged gender stereotypes. In ‘Ingrid is Chewbacca’ she fights for her desire to be Chewie over Leia; in ‘Star Wars A-Z’ the female characters are defined by their strength and skill, never their beauty (such as the line ‘L is for Leia, whose strength is profound’); and in ‘Role Model’ Sophie adores Mon Mothma for her leadership skills. Star Wars is known for their inspiring female characters, so it was nice to see that reflected in the poems.
The illustrations are also very beautiful! Each image mixes colour with black and grey which is aesthetically pleasing.
I’d recommend this book to any age as it was a pleasure to read.
April 24, 2022
Disclaimer: I received this finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: I Wish I Had A Wookie
Author: Ian Doescher
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Many different people of color characters shown throughout the book
Recommended For...: children, picture book, poetry, Star Wars
Publication Date: September 28, 2021
Genre: Children’s Picture Book Poetry
Age Relevance: 0+ (poems and picture book)
Explanation of Above: It’s a poetry picture book about Star Wars!
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 128
Synopsis: In "My Pet AT-AT," a ten-year-old dreams of playing hide and seek and fetch with an AT-AT. In "Dad's Luke Skywalker Figurine," a child opens their dad's untouched action figure but, instead of getting into trouble, helps their dad re-discover his own sense of play. In "T-16 Dreams," a little girl imagines herself flying through the galaxy, the Empire hot on her trail, to help with her real-world fear of flying.
Set in the hearts and minds of young children who love Star Wars, and filled with the characters you know and love, I Wish I Had a Wookiee is the perfect gift for the young Star Wars fan--and the young at heart.
Review: I absolutely loved this book so much! It was a fun Star Wars themed read and so inclusive as well! The book had so many fun poems about the Force and the characters we see throughout the series (not just the movies, but more as well) and if you’re a geeky family then this would be a fun addition to your bedtime routine reads!
Verdict: Highly recommend!
Book: I Wish I Had A Wookie
Author: Ian Doescher
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Many different people of color characters shown throughout the book
Recommended For...: children, picture book, poetry, Star Wars
Publication Date: September 28, 2021
Genre: Children’s Picture Book Poetry
Age Relevance: 0+ (poems and picture book)
Explanation of Above: It’s a poetry picture book about Star Wars!
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 128
Synopsis: In "My Pet AT-AT," a ten-year-old dreams of playing hide and seek and fetch with an AT-AT. In "Dad's Luke Skywalker Figurine," a child opens their dad's untouched action figure but, instead of getting into trouble, helps their dad re-discover his own sense of play. In "T-16 Dreams," a little girl imagines herself flying through the galaxy, the Empire hot on her trail, to help with her real-world fear of flying.
Set in the hearts and minds of young children who love Star Wars, and filled with the characters you know and love, I Wish I Had a Wookiee is the perfect gift for the young Star Wars fan--and the young at heart.
Review: I absolutely loved this book so much! It was a fun Star Wars themed read and so inclusive as well! The book had so many fun poems about the Force and the characters we see throughout the series (not just the movies, but more as well) and if you’re a geeky family then this would be a fun addition to your bedtime routine reads!
Verdict: Highly recommend!
January 22, 2022
First sentence: "Long time ago," but when?
"Far, far away," but where?
Can we go back to then?
Can we please travel there?
Ian Doescher shares his love of all things Star Wars AND his love of poetry in this new poetry book. Poetry isn't always accessible and appealing. Poetry is perhaps even more subjective than prose. What one person connects with--engages--another person may find "blah" or "meh." For every poem--or nearly every poem--there is a person out there who will love it.
This collection has dozens (or scores?) of poems ALL Star Wars themed. These poems vary in length and narrative style. I think there's enough variety that EVERY reader will find a handful of poems to enjoy, poems that beg to be shared.
My personal favorite is "Ingrid is Chewbacca." I really love this one. The poem is about neighborhood friends gathering together on Saturday morning to play Star Wars. Everyone is assigned a role, but, Ingrid does NOT want to be Leia. Nope, Ingrid is determined that SHE will be Chewbacca. And she has just what it takes to succeed--the best Wookiee bray the gang has ever heard.
I also enjoyed "Old Mr. Jones and His Star Wars Collection." In that poem, a kid connects with a much older neighbor, Mr. Jones, over their shared love of Star Wars.
I do think a love of Star Wars--or at least a certain familiarity with Star Wars--would help when reading this one. I don't think a love of poetry has to be there to begin with. The poems speak for themselves.
February 5, 2022
This was a Christmas gift from friends that I almost bought this book for. Ian Doescher who adapted the Star Wars saga into the Shakespearean vernacular returns with this fun book of poems that parodies the style of Jack Prelutsky. This is a fun and inclusive addition to any collection of children’s poetry or family’s Star Wars reading list. Some poems of note:
“Galaxy of Families”- celebrates the different family structures in Star Wars
“Princess Leia and Grandma Shmi”- imagines the bond they may have had it Leia had known her grandmother
“Dad’s Luke Skywalker Figurine” - story of forgiveness and regained appreciation of play
“Role Model” - about a child whose favorite character is Mon Mothma
“Galaxy of Families”- celebrates the different family structures in Star Wars
“Princess Leia and Grandma Shmi”- imagines the bond they may have had it Leia had known her grandmother
“Dad’s Luke Skywalker Figurine” - story of forgiveness and regained appreciation of play
“Role Model” - about a child whose favorite character is Mon Mothma
February 9, 2022
Last year, in my review of Star Wars Life Day Treasury: Holiday Stories from a Galaxy, Far Far Away, by George Mann and Cavan Scott, I called it the "purest, most wholesome Star Wars book I've ever read." Star Wars: I Wish I Had a Wookiee and Other Poems for Our Galaxy, by Ian Doescher, may have just usurped that title. It's a collection of Star Wars-themed poems for and about young children. Well, I'm 31-years-old, and I loved everything about this book. Now that I've read it, I can say it restored my faith in Ian Doescher after the disappointment of William Shakespeare's The Merry Rise of Skywalker. Also, the pictures, by Tim Budgen were adorable! What a lovely book!
June 21, 2025
Although I like the illustrator's style and a few of the poems are pretty good, this collection tries to cover a lot of ground that children might identify with, such as homework, bath night, eating vegetables, injuries, camping etc and as such, though a laudable idea, they don't always work so well. The reader really does need to be a Star Wars anorak to get half the references therein, so I doubt many kids will entirely understand all of them. I certainly didn't! My favourites here were The Jawas Took My Homework, Broccoli Night in Jabba's Palace, If I Were a Stormtrooper and the one that was cleverly shaped like BB8. 3.25/5
March 2, 2024
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! The way I grinned from ear to ear from beginning to end!
“Ingrid is Chewbacca” made me say hell, yeah! “Dad’s Luke Skywalker Figurine” made me cry. And “A Hat for Ki-Adi-Mundi” was just chef’s kiss.
I read this in the Kindle app and the illustrations were adorable. I think I have to buy a physical copy now!
“Ingrid is Chewbacca” made me say hell, yeah! “Dad’s Luke Skywalker Figurine” made me cry. And “A Hat for Ki-Adi-Mundi” was just chef’s kiss.
I read this in the Kindle app and the illustrations were adorable. I think I have to buy a physical copy now!
March 27, 2025
This Is The Way that will get me to read poetry. I don’t enjoy poetry but I do love Star Wars.
Everything from the writing to the artwork made for a great nostalgic read.
This is the book to read on May the Fourth and I plan on gifting it to a couple families for sure. I also plan on adding it to my Collections Room bookshelf as SW is the main theme.
Everything from the writing to the artwork made for a great nostalgic read.
This is the book to read on May the Fourth and I plan on gifting it to a couple families for sure. I also plan on adding it to my Collections Room bookshelf as SW is the main theme.
September 18, 2021
This book is amazing!! First off, the poetry is so funny, quirky, creative, and sweet, and reminds me of Shel Silverstein!! And then the illustrations are beautiful!!! Perfect for Star Wars fans both young and young at heart.
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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October 1, 2021
Shel Silverstein meets a galaxy far, far away in this sweet poetry collection that is perfect for young Star Wars fans and the young at heart.
These playful and heartwarming poems describe young Star Wars fans and the effect the series has on their lives. It also explores themes of family, friendship, confidence, and imagination.
I also loved Tim Budgen’s simple illustrations with pops of color. This book truly captures the magic of Star Wars and its influence on generation of children.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.
Blog | Instagram
These playful and heartwarming poems describe young Star Wars fans and the effect the series has on their lives. It also explores themes of family, friendship, confidence, and imagination.
I also loved Tim Budgen’s simple illustrations with pops of color. This book truly captures the magic of Star Wars and its influence on generation of children.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.
Blog | Instagram
December 29, 2021
I liked that this book brings poetry to a child's world using something fun like Star Wars. Some of the poems were fun, while others hinted at topics like being afraid of monsters, picky eaters, bedtimes, bullying, and even racism.
January 25, 2022
Super cute book. My favorite poems are the one about having an AT-AT for a pet (well duh, it would be the very best pet EVER) and the one about the Fetts (because Boba is awesome. I mean, have you seen The Book of Boba Fett?!).
January 28, 2023
This is a book that I have recently shared with creative writing students. The poems are fun and relate well to multigenerational Star Wars fans. I recommend this book. How fun would it be to share the poems after watching the movies?
February 26, 2023
Delightful! If you’re a fan of Star Wars and Silverstein/ Prelutsky style silly poems, this is a home run. I particularly appreciated the number of forms and styles that were on display, even if some of the references felt more for the parents than the target audiences.
March 14, 2025
The illustrations are adorable. They are the highlight of this poetry book. Many of the poems felt awkward to me. There were a few gems, but overall, the illustrations saved the book and the rating and made it a three. I am a Star Wars fan.
August 15, 2025
This is a really fun book of poetry, great for Star Wars fans and particularly great for getting reluctant poetry readers to start exploring the medium. The poems are funny and packed with Star Wars goodness, and the illustrations are equally fun.
October 26, 2021
Thoroughly awesome.
October 26, 2021
This book is what I imagine a Shel Silverstein book about Star Wars would be.
November 25, 2021
Loved it! Perfect for Star Wars fans!
November 30, 2021
Mosquitnocks!
Not sure how Ian did it but he hit the bullseye with poems related to the Star Wars universe … fun enjoyable reading and very creative. Nicely illustrated too!
Not sure how Ian did it but he hit the bullseye with poems related to the Star Wars universe … fun enjoyable reading and very creative. Nicely illustrated too!
December 3, 2021
Very cute poems and illustrations. My boys are 4 and 6, and have a very limited knowledge of stars wars but really enjoyed these poems!
May 9, 2022
Cute poems based on Star Wars.
June 14, 2022
Quién sienta no entender la poesía y sea fanático de Star Wars, este es el libro. Una bellísima sonoridad. Juguetona, rítmica y llena de todo el universo de las galaxias.
December 29, 2022
Delightfully fun, great for fans. Nice range of poems.
December 29, 2022
I wanted to read at least ONE book of poetry this year, as I am a refined, educated lady...so, here it is. My favorite was obviously Salacious B. Crumb Days.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews