Star Wars: How to Speak Astromech with BB-8
Featuring one of the most popular characters from the new Star Wars films, How to Speak Astromech with BB-8 collects 10 essential BB sounds alongside tongue-in-cheek translations and playful illustrations.
Ten droidspeak audio clips, translation and conversation tips, and funny illustrated scenarios help readers understand and get the best out of their own droid companion in a galaxy far, far away.
This sound-driven operator’s guide demonstrates the many amazing qualities of the BB-series of astromechs—including bravery, resourcefulness, curiosity, comedy, and more—all through the entertaining adventures of BB-8.
BB-8’s (frankly adorable) ball-droid construction, spherical mobility, handy tool bays, dedication and loyalty to their owners make them great mechanical allies and friends.
This sound book celebrates the Star Wars droids and all their quirky traits.
Author: I. M. Rollin
Artist: JAKe
Publication Date: 25 August 2020
Pages: 24
ISBN-13: 9781797201771
2011’s How To Speak Wookiee and 2013’s How To Speak Droid With R2-D2 have waited a long time to become a trilogy, and thankfully that long wait ends with the arrival of How to Speak Astromech with BB-8, a book so effortlessly charming and funny it could tickle the ears off a gundark, nevermind pull them off. Focusing this time on the star of the sequel trilogy BB-8, not only are we congratulated on our excellent taste in our choice of autonomous companion but encouraged to get to know him, and over the following 21 pages that’s just what we do as we delve into his quirky personality with the ever-present soundboard audibly nudging us along.
There are 10 moods that we experience as we move through the book; playful, resourceful. determined, helpful, entertaining, trustworthy, heroic, quick thinking, responsible and devoted, and these are accompanied by the corresponding sounds on the BB-8 shaped soundboard. As well as that, each page takes you to a familiar location (page 3 features an image that will surely be displayed in The Zuveum) while also translating his happy beeps. The translation for the Artoo Detoo book may well have required some gentle word massaging – we all know he swears like a plumber as he saves the galaxy – but BB-8 is far more encouraging, and as we move through his adventures on Jakku, First Order locations, Maz Kanata’s castle, the Millennium Falcon and D’Qar (including the very welcome knowledge that he is equipped to host holo movie nights while Artoo provides the sound), we really do get to know our globular hero better.
As he has been for many years, JAKe absolutely smashes it with his work here, his instantly recognisable and unique style perfectly fitting the tone of the book, while author I. M. Rollin is surely one to watch, a career just waiting to detonate. A walk around the Disney Parks often includes JAKe images in the gift shop, and his art has adorned Star Wars Celebration passes in the past. If some of these images don’t end up on t-shirts and mugs, then someone is snoozing on the job.
Charming, quirky, enjoyable and most vitally fun. It’s a pleasure to read books like this, and I’m proud to add it to my Star Wars library. More please Chronicle; this is a series that – just like BB-8 – can roll on and on and on.
