What do you buy for a Trekkie who has expanded their crew with a new ghu this holiday season? Why, the latest collection of Star Trek board books: Smart Pop’s My First Book of Colors and My First Book of Space, and Insight Kids’ Baby’s First Klingon Words — which is how I learned that the Klingon word for baby is ghu!
The first new title I’d like to highlight is Baby’s First Klingon Words, from publisher Insight Kids. This adorable board book illustrates several important words that your little ghu will want to learn in Klingon — with fabulous artwork from illustrator Ilaria Vescovo — words like: nose, hand, honor, success, enemy, and [censored].
The illustrations are bright and charming, and are sure to keep your ghu entranced. But what sold me on this book were all the humorous bits for us Trekkie parents. Let’s just say that the page on planets, particularly the depiction of romuluS, was very well done.
I was also a fan of the parmaq illustration — love is a battlefield, you know! You get ten points if you can guess which alien won the honor of being depicted for the Klingon word jagh (enemy).
Star Trek: Baby’s First Klingon Words retails for $11.99, and is also available on Kindle for $4.99.
Another new favorite is Robb Pearlman’s My First Book of Colors, which features a blue Andorian, a green Gorn, and a white Mugato on the cover, and is adorably illustrated by Jason Kayser.
This board book does such a great job of highlighting characters, scenes, and ships from across several Star Trek series. The first spread features a stunning illustration of station Deep Space 9and the Bajoran wormhole! I loved seeing the jellyfish aliens from “Encounter at Farpoint,” along with Armus from “Skin of Evil.”
There were several references to classic Original Series episodes, an illustration of the USS Voyager, and depictions of the kaleidoscope of uniforms from across the franchise. Every Trekkie-in-training should learn what gold lamé looks like, and this book will teach them!
Star Trek: My First Book of Colors retails for $11.99, and is also available on Kindle for $4.99.
Last and certainly not least My First Book of Space, from the eminently-qualified mind of Dr. Erin McDonald. “Dr. Erin” currently serves as a science advisor for Star Trek, so she is the perfect person to pen such a book!
She does such a wonderful job providing child appropriate descriptions of space, while also cleverly injecting little references to the Star Trek universe — especially that Janeway coffee nebula reference, Dr. Erin!
I have to give a shout out to illustrator Jason Kayser, who ensured we got another majestic depiction of Deep Space 9 in this book as well! His artwork combines beautifully with images of real space phenomena from NASA, to create brightly colored and engaging spreads that your young ghu is sure to enjoy!
Like the other two books, Star Trek: My First Book of Space retails for $11.99, and is also available on Kindle for $4.99.
Those are my thoughts on these adorable new books, but from the target audience, what does my toddler have to say? His official review: “Ba ba ba ba ba.”
I think it’s safe to say he likes them!
Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Star Trek merchandise news and reviews!