THE TEA DRAGON FESTIVAL

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.