A lovely, gentle fantasy.
A young child accustomed to Tea Dragons discovers a real one in this companion story to The Tea Dragon Society (2017).
In the mountain village of Silverleaf, there is a festival dedicated to the Tea Dragons that live among the villagers. Everyone cares for the diminutive creatures and shares the tea they provide. One day Rinn comes across a real dragon asleep in the woods. Waking, Aedhan shifts into humanoid form and explains he was tasked with protecting Silverleaf but fell asleep for 80 years. Rinn decides to cheer up the chagrined Aedhan by introducing him to the villagers and the work they do. While visiting Silverleaf, Rinn’s uncle Erik and his antlered bounty-hunting partner, Hesekiel, seek out the mysterious mythical creature that caused Aedhan’s deep sleep. As preparations for the Tea Dragon Festival continue, Aedhan helps Rinn discover their role in the community while in return Rinn helps him make up for lost time. Erik and Hesekiel are familiar characters, reintroduced here at a different time of their lives. O’Neill has once again created a diverse set of characters of varying appearances, abilities, skin colors, orientations, and gender identities—Rinn is non-binary. Silverleaf embodies the word community: beings working together in harmony, using one another’s strengths to help and support one another. True to her characteristic style, the charming, full-color panels bring to life this feel-good middle-grade tale of community and purpose.
A lovely, gentle fantasy. (Graphic fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62010-655-6
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Oni Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock”...
The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.
Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless “Hip Hop Wish,” a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter’s repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre’s idea of “flattering” might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker’s big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the “Sorcerer’s New Pet.”
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock” music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-59643-750-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
A classic sibling rivalry tale that still satisfies to the last drop.
In this graphic novel adaptation of Davies’ 2007 book, hurt feelings propel an intense business battle.
Fourth grader Evan can’t stand the thought of his brainy younger sister, Jessie, skipping a grade and joining his class this fall. Intelligent but emotionally immature, Jessie sometimes misses social cues and wishes she could be more like the gregarious Evan. These insecurities set the stage for a contest to see who can raise the most money selling lemonade this summer. Will Jessie’s book smarts beat Evan’s people skills? The beauty of this story lies in how each sibling’s strengths rub off on the other: Evan brushes up on his math, while Jessie tentatively makes a new friend. De la Vega’s polished cartoon artwork creatively translates Davies’ metaphors to a visual medium. When the author compares the “mean words inside Evan…fighting to get out” to bats, illustrations depict the furry animals emerging from beneath his shirt; Jessie’s negative thoughts take the form of a tiny purple creature irritatingly tapping her shoulder. Tender scenes depict flashbacks of the siblings supporting each other through their parents’ divorce. The book has business savvy to match the emotional beats (each chapter opens with an entrepreneurial definition that relates to the plot), and several scenes feature math problems that readers can solve for themselves. Evan and Jessie appear white; both have friends of color.
A classic sibling rivalry tale that still satisfies to the last drop. (business tips) (Graphic fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780063310407
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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