Absolutely beautiful graphic novel! I adored the fact that sign language was part of the writing/art and appreciate the diversity of the characters. I'm curious about the previous books but this is definitely one we want to add to our lgbt library collection when it is published!

The Tea Dragon Festival is a companion to Katie O' Neill's The Tea Dragon Society. Despite that, before reading this one, I had not read the first book in this series. Reading it out of order, I still understood everything that was going on, after all, it's not a sequel, it's a companion.
I requested this one on Netgalley mostly because everyone talks about how amazing Katie O'Neill is, and while I do understand the hype, I don't love her books as much everyone does. The biggest strength of these graphic novels is the illustrations. The art is absolutely amazing, I love everything about it, the colors, the lines, etc. However, I think the story is very weak, it's not bad, but it sometimes feels like it's on the background, there isn't a clear plot line.
Besides the art, the diversity included in the story was my favorite part of the book, there are hard of hearing characters, POC, genderqueer characters. I loved it a lot.
I will definitely going to read more of this author, the amazing illustrations make up for the not so great story.

I’d heard everyone raving about The Tea Dragon Society earlier this year so when I got the opportunity to read this beauty early I of course took it.

This whole book just feels so warm. There is really no better way to describe it. It just brings such a smile on my face. The soft and warm colors work so well with the art style and the story. I had to get used to the art style a little. It is very round and soft. No hard angles which I’m not used to but again, it works incredibly well with the story and the characters.

As for the story, this is a companion book. I haven’t read The Tea Dragon Society but I did see that this follows different characters. It is very easy to read this book without having read the first one. In this book we follow Rinn who grew up with the Tea Dragons. She is trying to learn how to cook so she can do more than ‘just’ collect ingredients and herbs. Out during a trip she finds a dragon who has been asleep for 80 years. Rinn helps Aedhan feel welcome back into the world where Aedhan helps her to see that she does have a gift.

There is so much inclusivity in this book that is added in such a normalized way. It was beautiful to read. There is a deaf character for whom most in the village have learned sign language which is also shown on the page. There is poc and lgtbq+ rep. There are non-binary and genderfluid characters. And everything is accepted as it is.
All in all yes The Tea Dragon Festival is one I a 100% recommend for anyone!

Such beautiful illustrations that tell wonderful, important stories and ideas.

Once again, we see representation. Even more this time around, including the deaf community. I was so impressed!

There’s something special in this art, the world, and these comics.

What these pages accomplish prove that ANY novel or novella or comic can do the same. And well.

Once again, TEA DRAGONS! I need one!

Rinn has always cared for the Tea Dragons that live in her quaint little mountain village. One day, while out gathering bits of food, she stumbles upon a real dragon who had been asleep for 80 years. Aedhan had been tasked with protecting Rinn's village and can't seem to remember how or why he fell asleep for so long. With the help of Rinn's uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, the group set out to get to the bottom of the enchanted sleep, but Rinn must also help Aedhan come to terms with all the time he's lost.

I adored The Tea Dragon Society, so I was so excited to read this one, and it made me just as happy as the first. Katie O'Neill's artwork and storytelling is so whimsical and never fails to put a smile on my face. There's just something about her work that instantly makes you feel cozy. It's an absolutely adorable story, and I don't feel like you necessarily need to read the first one to understand what's going on. What I also love about these it that after the story, which reads so quickly, there's little tidbits on each Tea Dragon and it just adds that extra element to the story. I dare anyone to read this and not fall in love and wish they had their own Tea Dragon.

The Tea Dragon Society was a lovely read and this sequel (prequel actually) follows suit. The illustrations are wonderful. The story itself was a simple gentle tale. I'm not sure why, but this one did not blow me away like The Tea Dragon Society did -- perhaps it tried to cover a bit too much ground in the story, leaving me wishing for more at various points. However the simple beauty of the world Katie O'Neill has created more than makes up for that.

Katie has such a way with creating seamlessly inclusive worlds that you just want to escape into and live in forever.
This book is no exception to the magic she weaves. A prequel full of heart. I am so glad I read it. I can't wait to own it. I want all of the tea dragons!

The Tea Dragon Festival is a kind of story that will fill you with happiness and good vibes. It is a tale about finding your home and being part of something.

I just fell in love with this book. The art is so colorful and whimsical. I could not get tired of looking at it. I especially like how the forest scenery and little tea dragons were drawn. They are just so adorable.

The story itself is wonderful. It features a community who live together and help each other. They even learn sign language when one of them is born deaf. It is also worth mentioning that it features nonbinary and POC characters. There’s no prejudice, but only love, support, and understanding. It would be such a pretty image if the world we were living on were the same as Rinn’s community. Also, this comics used both verbal and sign language and throughout the comic. There was even an introduction of ASL in the beginning.

I did not know that it was a companion comic when I requested this. So I will definitely be going to read the first one. Reading this book is such a warm and lovely experience.

Overall, The Tea Dragon is a cute fantasy story with beautiful illustrations and diverse characters. If you’re looking for a feel-good story, you should pick this up.

5/5 stars!

First off want to give a big thank you for being approved for this egalley of the tea dragon festival.

I have read all of Katie o Neill’s books before this and already I loved them all so much so when I went into this I had a little incline what this will be like but of course Katie raises the bar every time and always improves with every book she brings out.

Like the rest of the books this story was just amazing it’s so light hearted,fun and so cute and it just makes me smile from ear to ear.

I loved the characters so much and I really enjoyed the journey they went on throughout this book and I loved the underlined message it has running through this book. My fav two characters were rinn and her companion that she meets on the way Aedhan who is a dragon. Their bond was so beautiful and loved how Rinn always made sure Aedhan was okay and welcome with open arms. What is special about Aedhan is that he can transform from dragon to human form which was cool to see. And love how he protected everyone around them when they were put in a little sticky situation.

The illustrations in this book are just beautiful I just love how vibrant and bright every page u look at is. Like I said earlier just seeing all these colours makes u feel happy and puts u in a good mood. The diversity in colour is always amazing to see aswell from colour of skin to the not pointed out that much but sexuality.


Overall this book was just a amazing read and one that u could definitely read and show to kids which is always a plus. If u couldn’t tell aswell this is a 5/5 star read. Super feel good

Absolutely stunning. A few things that make The Tea Dragon Festival stand out:

- The Art - It really feels like every page was hand painted, and the emotion comes through strongly. I was especially impressed by the way light dappling through the trees was shown.
- Sign Language - some of the characters use sign language to communicate, which is so inclusive and will teach readers a bit about something they might not understand.
- The Imagination - There are many scenes that are so richly imagined, you just want to jump into the page and live in that world. One in particular is near the beginning when Rinn is foraging for food in the forest. I would read an entire book of just that excursion.

Over all, reading this book gave me a unique sense of peace and joy. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Katie O'Neill's other books, Studio Ghibli movies, or who just wants to challenge their imagination with a beautiful fantasy world.

A prequel to Tea Dragon Society, The Tea Dragon Festival takes place in a small mountain village and focuses on a young girl named Rinn. She discovers a dragon in the mountains who had fallen asleep for 80 years, missing decades of protecting the village. Rinn shows the dragon the village and helps him to feel at home.

Katie O'Neill is the queen of gentle fantasy for middle grade readers. Her art is cute and comforting. I always want to get lost in the scenes and places she creates. The village is idyllic, with diverse and welcoming people. I loved that she incorporated sign language into the graphic novel, something I haven't seen before.

If you're looking for a cozy, beautiful story, this is the perfect book to get lost in for an afternoon.

**I received an e-ARC from Netgalley**

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy.

I've been hearing a lot of good thing about this series and Katie O'Neill and they are all true. This is by far the cutest thing I've read this year! I recommend checking it out and it is good for young readers.

The Tea Dragon Festival is the second book that follows the cuteness overload of tea dragons! The grumpy mountain chamomile may be the best thing ever. In this story the main heroine finds a dragon that has been asleep for almost 100 years and wakes them up. This book is about life, family, and being yourself! It is awesomeness. While we get new characters that were not in the first book, this book still has heart and everything that you loved from the first volume. Kids and grownups both will love this book. It is a first purchase for all libraries that serve children. Enjoy!

Even if this story wasn't sweet, and lovely and enjoyable, the artwork alone would be worth the admission.

This is the second book in the Tea Dragon series, but it is not necessary to read the first book, although characters reoccur from the first book, you don't need to know this. This story is set in a slightly different area that keeps tea dragons around.

The basic story is that of a dragon that went to sleep, mysteriously and missed taking care of Rinn's village.

Rinn, who discovers the dragon while looking for wild plants, explains that it is ok. He is here now, and that is fine. Live in the moment.
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<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5253" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/tean-dragon3.png" alt="" />

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Wonderful book. I love the use of sign langugue, that is used because one of the characters is deaf. This is just accepted, and Rinn has to explain it to the dragon.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

These books are so stinking adorable and I love them so much. I love tea dragons (they are so cute!) and the lore that they have. I love the inclusiveness that I see in her work, in this one there is a deaf character, not to mention characters of color throughout. The stories are just lovely heart-warming tales involving personal connection.

The illustrations are beautiful, vibrant, and expressive. I can’t express how lovely the are in this book is-I would own this book just to flip through an look at all the beautiful artwork.

I feel so blessed to have been able to dive back into this world so soon. Last month I absolutely fell in love with these precious little dragons and the people around them. It has become one of my favorite graphic novel series ever!

The Tea Dragon Festival is more like a prequel to The Tea Dragon Society, but I am so glad we got to see some familiar faces, plus meet some new ones. This story was just as magical. I loved the representation (especially the sign language aspect!! I wish there was more of that in graphic novels)! To me, this world and the stories within it could be endless. So, it's perfect.

Give me more, please.

A heart warming book just like the first Tea Dragon graphic novel! The artist's illustration style is absolutely lovely and her stories always include a sense of acceptance and love.

The Tea Dragon Festival is an outstanding little story - so gentle, lovely, warm, pretty. It makes me very dreamy.

It's really nice that this second part is a bit longer than the first installement in the verse and also shows a very different narrative and new characters, while being set in the same world with the same beautiful aesthetic and still some familiar faces. There's so much to love about it.

Personally I liked the first book a tiny bit better, but I don't think it is possible for anyone to NOT enjoy them both thoroughly. And this one also gets a lot of plus points for the sweet and interesting inclusion of sign language.
I really hope there's more to come for this series.

Recommended for tea lovers and dragon lovers and aesthetic admirers, but also all of your friends, your family, your neighbors, everyone's kids and grandmas and lovers and your sworn enemies.

I will be more thoroughly reviewing this book on my blog at the URL below, but I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this book, and it did not disappoint. Especially excited for the positive disability representation, body diversity represented in the art, mixed/chosen family structures, and genderqueer representation. Thank you so much.

This story is so beautiful and the art is gorgeous, and together they are magical! I just love the sense of love, friendship, and family that they provide.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.