Rapid Review: The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

The Tea Dragon Society 

by Katie O’Neill

 

Finished reading: 26/12/2020

 

5/5 stars.

 

Warm, diverse, beautiful.

 

The Tea Dragon Society is an adorable graphic novel suitable for all ages. It is the first novel in a series of children’s fantasy graphic novels. Tea dragons are small, pet-sized companions whose horns can produce tea leaves and flowers which, when brewed and drank, allow the drinker to view the memories of the tea dragon and their handler. Tea dragon care is a dying art but when the daughter of a blacksmith, Greta, comes across a tea dragon one day she sees how the craft enriches the lives of tea shop owners Hesekiel and Erik.

I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed any 72 pages more than this!! As a herbal tea drinker and recent graphic novel enthusiast, I was so excited to get my hands on this beautiful book. Weirdly, I only discovered this book because I happened to come across someone tweeting about a plushie version of Chamomile, one of the tea dragons. But it is such a heart-warming and sweet story filled with such wonderfully diverse characters who live in the most wonderful fantasy universe of all time. I adored the premise and concept of tea dragons the second I discovered this book and it exceeded my expectations considerably!

New Zealand author/illustrator Katie O’Neill’s artwork has to be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever laid eyes on. The colours and details are so warm and comforting and perfectly capture the tone of the story. I loved the manga influences of the drawings, but I love how Katie O’Neill has incorporated this into their own style. The book is definitely more in the style of a children’s picture book as opposed to a graphic novel or comic book which I really liked. It definitely had its own distinct and refreshing style.

I absolutely love that at the end of the book we are given a mini encyclopaedia about tea dragon care! It was a really great touch to the story. I think it allows adults to receive more explanation and context about the world but I also imagine younger readers eagerly taking in every word until they become experts about the world. I think the fact that the story itself is suitable for all ages is so clever as I’ve rarely seen it done well by anyone other than perhaps Pixar. The characters are so beautifully crafted and well thought out. For such a short book, it establishes tone and character development better than some of the 500 page novels I’ve read! Which just goes to show how incredibly talented Katie O’Neill is as a writer and illustrator. It explores some great themes including LGBTQIA+ relationships and subverting stereotypical gender roles in a really subtle and casual way. I would love to see more parents encouraging their children to read diverse and inclusive children’s fiction. But I can also see many adults such as myself thoroughly enjoying this series too!

I am really keen to get hold of the next two books in the series as they are the perfect rainy-day books to read with a cup of tea! I desperately need to know more about the world and the characters. I know that once I have the whole series I will treasure them with all my heart!