What would have happened if Darth Vader had decided not to conquer the universe and instead become a stay-at-home dad to son, Luke?

There’s charm and humour in Jeffrey Brown’s new book, Darth Vader and Son.

Using familiar parenting scenarios, Brown has captured Luke Skywalker’s childhood with dad, Darth, to perfection. There’s a nice combination of in-jokes for Star Wars fans and the kind of stuff parents hear all the time. For example, in one scene, little Luke is asking Darth an awkward question, “Dad, why is it called the ‘Death Star’?” and in another, Luke is using the Force to raid the biscuit jar.

While I liked Darth carrying a wailing Luke to bed saying “It is pointless to resist, my son. It’s bedtime” my favourite illustration is Luke sitting in his booster seat in the Death Star, asking “Are we there yet?”. This is closely followed by a picture of Darth unwrapping a gift from Luke – a red polka-dotted tie – with Darth saying “Thank you, my son” but thinking to himself , “I can’t wear this.” A familiar scenario, dads?!

With more than fifty pages of Brown’s clever illustrations, you’ll be convinced that Darth would have made a terrific dad.

Find Darth Vader and Son online at Readings – it makes a terrific gift for dads.