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After discovering a lost Tea Dragon in the marketplace, apprentice blacksmith Greta learns about the dying art form of Tea Dragon caretaking from the kind tea shop owners.
About the author
K. O'Neill is an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning illustrator and graphic novelist from New Zealand. They are the author of
Princess Princess Ever After,
Aquicorn Cove, The Tea Dragon series
and
Dewdrop, all from Oni Press. Their books reflect their interest in tea, creatures, things that grow, and the magic of everyday life.
Summary
From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea
Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a
blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the
enchanting world of tea dragons.
After discovering a lost tea dragon in
the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking
from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and
their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives--and
eventually her own.
Additional text
"Old crafts are falling by the wayside in the enchanting fantasy world of O’Neill’s second graphic novel, following Princess Princess Ever After. Part goblin, part human, Greta, a girl with brown skin and squat horns, is learning her mother’s trade of blacksmithing, even though swords aren’t used for much anymore. After rescuing a tiny tea dragon that has gotten lost at the market, Greta starts learning how to care for these creatures, whose horns sprout leaves that are harvested for tea. O’Neill sets her story over four chapters, one for each season, gradually expanding Greta’s world and her understanding of it. Colored in a palette of warm greens, pinks, oranges, and blues, her delicately drawn panels hum with a subtle romantic energy, particularly when Greta learns the backstory between the two remaining members of the Tea Dragon Society, a goatlike creature named Hesekiel and his strapping, wheelchair-using partner, Erik. (There’s also a whiff of burgeoning romance between Greta and Minette, a girl with unreliable memories who is also learning to care for the dragons.) A quiet, charming story of nurturing friendships and traditions."
