The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon #2) by Kay O’Neill
- Publisher: Oni Press, 2019
- Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Children’s Literature, LGBTQ+
- Format: Ebook
- Page Count: 136 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
The Tea Dragon Festival takes place several years prior to The Tea Dragon Society, back when Erik and Hesekiel were young lads. The story predominately follows Rinn, Erik’s nibling, as they befriend young dragon Aedhan after stumbling upon him in an eighty-year slumber.
The cast in this instalment is amazing. There are Rinn, who uses they/them pronouns and expresses a yearning for shapeshifting between male and female forms, adventure and romantic partners Erik and Hesekiel, and Lesa, who is Deaf. I love the incorporation of American Sign Language (ASL) in this book and that the whole Silverleaf village wanted to learn ASL once Lesa was born. Silverleaf is awesome.
We get incredible details in the illustration. I love the sunlight sifting through leaves and onto the ground and characters, and everything practically glistens. There are many fantastical creatures and plants, and observing the surroundings is almost like travelling. And the Tea Dragons are undoubtedly adorable. I think the Alpine Tea Dragons were modelled after cats because they are sort of just … there and do not do much. Their interactions with each other are also very cute, even though they are rarely the focus of panels. And the frowning, grumpy Mountain Chamomile Tea Dragon is now my new favourite thing! There are also definitely Asian inspirations: the lanterns and something like zongzis, which ethnic Chinese eat during Dragon Boat Festival. I guess Tea Dragon Festival might be inspired by that.
The Tea Dragon Festival touches upon the collective memory of Silverleaf, echoing the first book of the series. While The Tea Dragon Society focuses on creating memories, this sequel is about finding one’s strengths and finding home. [28 Jun 2020]
