I read this book with my son, 6, who is also very shy. There aren’t very many books about shy kids, so this was a great book for him. I liked how it addressed Mika’s feelings of anxiety being the center of attention around so many people, and how she overcame that. I think this is a great book to read with a shy or anxious child!

Charming little story, with lovely eye-catching illustrations. It's the perfect length for a bedtime story, with a very encouraging story for a child who might have apprehensions about school or socialising. Also the language used is simple, so it's a good pick even as a starter book, for a 3-4 year old to try reading.

This one was a very cute book about helping others.
It was about a little girl named Mika who helps a dragonfly who has lost one of her wings.
Must read as it gives a very valuable lesson.
Perfect Children's Book.

The drawing style is very different from what you get in a lot of children's books, and it gives you details about dragonflies without feeling like an educational lesson thinly disguised as a story for kids.

A beautiful children's book about Mika, a young girl who is more comfortable in nature than interacting with classmates. She finds a dragonfly with an injured wing, unable to fly. With her knowledge and interest, she finds herself confident and eager to discuss her new dragonfly friend with other kids. This book would be perfect for children who prefer love nature and are shy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

This was a very cute story about a little girl with who has trouble fitting in with other kids. She loves nature and when she finds a dragonfly who is missing a wing, she decides to help it, and along the way, learns to interact with the other children because the have a shared curiosity in something that is important to her (the dragonfly). I don't think that necessarily translates to a continued sense of confidence all of a sudden though.
I didn't care for the fact that the dragonfly is a passive participant in their relationship. While it does benefit in the end by getting its wing fixed, Mika didn't seem to consider what the dragonfly wanted. I also didn't like the solution itself. While I don't think everything in children's books needs to be very realistic, I think that the idea of conveniently finding the dragonfly's wing days later and gluing it back on after a bunch of other experiments was highly unrealistic and a bit disturbing to think about what would have happened with an actual dragonfly. I would have preferred if she had somehow built a tiny mechanical wing or come up with some other creative solution.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
What a delightful book! Mika and the Dragonfly tells the story of a young girl who seemingly has social anxiety, Mika, and her mission to help a dragonfly who has lost a wing fly again. When I was younger I struggled with severe social anxiety and ASD, so I really related to Mika. I remember when my emotional support dog would come into social situations with me, I was able to talk about him and play with him with other people without getting overwhelmed with anxiety. Mika's dragonfly friend has the same impact on her and seeing that in a picture book really touched my heart. Not only does Mika and the Dragonfly have a wonderful story, but it's also complete with absolutely gorgeous illustrations! To me, the pastel colors of the world surrounding Mika, the Dragonfly, and Mika's classmates are reminiscent of the slightly overcast days that I loved as a child and still love now. Both the characters and Mika's house are brighter and stand out more against the pastel background, highlighting their importance without letting the beautiful flowers and trees fade entirely away. All in all, Mika and the Dragonfly is a beautifully done picture book with an encouraging message. I'd especially recommend it for children struggling with anxiety and/or ASD.

This is a sweet story that will appeal to older preschoolers and young elementary ages. Many children will relate to Mika's shyness and feeling more comfortable in nature. The illustrations are soft and colorful. Readers will cheer Mika on as she finds a way to solve a problem and overcome her worries about making friends.

Thanks NetGalley for this early release copy! My toddler loved this story! She eagerly sat and listened to the entire story. I enjoyed the message behind the story about sharing your knowledge with others. It's not an overbearing message, just subtle and nice. My little connected with her caring nature for a hurt animal and enjoyed how the story ended.

Mika is adorable and this book is so precious. It evokes a combination of emotions. An appreciation of nature's delicate creatures and the confidence and courage required to face your fears. A perfect story time book.

When shy little Mika finds an injured dragonfly, she tries her best to help it fly again.
This story not only teaches us to be empathic but also not to give up on helping others. I might have enjoyed this story as a child. With short narratives in easy language and beautiful illustrations, this book is perfect for new readers and also for bedtime stories.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Mika and the Dragonfly is a story about a little girl learning how to help others, make new friends, and practice not being shy. I loved the illustrations and the story. The only part I was worried about when reading to my 5 year old is that she would want to fix insect wings with glue but she hasn’t mentioned it! She loved the story also. It was the perfect length and continued to keep her attention.

The illustrations of this book are what initially made me want to read it and throughout the book they remain stunning.

The story was intriguing but I felt the message could have been better.

I thought finding the wing on the ground was a bit unbelievable and it might have been more interesting to find a way to create one.

Lastly, I didn’t like the ending that from that day forward she was not shy. Being shy is usually an ongoing issue and I think the wording of it could confuse kids.

The concept is great and the pictures are beautiful though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for sending me an Advance Reading Copy of this book.

First of all the illustrations are extremely adorable! I love the way it is drawn. The way Mika's hair is drawn is detailed just like the rest of it. I like these kind of drawings because it is unique and I don't see these styles of illustrations often.

The story is also heartwarming. It teaches children to be kind to animals and to help them when they are hurt or in need. The way Mika help the poor dragonfly who lost one wing is sweet. She tries to find a way to help the poor animal and she was able to do it.

When it comes to writing it is pretty straightforward and easy to digest. There is no complicated way in explaining things which is good for children reading.

Overall, the book is good. I recommend this to children and even adult who likes Children's Fiction.

This was such a beautiful story! Not only was the art absolutely stunning but the story itself was so heartwarming and full of wonderful messages.

Mika is a shy girl and wishes she could make friends with the kids in her class. One day, after finding an injured dragonfly, the kids notice and start asking her questions. Mika is passionate about this subject so it is easy to talk about it, eliminating her shyness! It’s a great way to teach kids to find something you’re passionate about to talk about and that being shy is okay too, they’ll find their wings one say too.

Absolutely adored this and cannot recommend it more if you have young kids!

5/5 ⭐️

While I appreciate the morale of the story about friendships and bravery, the dragonfly’s wing gave me a bad feeling about the whole book. Kids will try what they see and animal cruelty isn’t cute.

This is the story of Mika, who wants to speak to her classmates but doesn't know how, and the dragonfly that she finds. My favorite part of the story is that Mika doesn't have to change who she is. She doesn't have to force herself to be someone else, but simply connects with her classmates through being her own passionate self for dragonflies... However, I felt like the end (*spoiler ahead*), where she suddenly solves the problem by gluing the wing back on, wasn't super great in a children's book. I know all too many young children who would take that message away, rather than the other message about being yourself.

This was such a sweet story! Perfect for springtime. This book could be a great asset for getting kids talking about inclusion and differences.

This delightful story stars a little shy girl named Mika. She doesn't have the confidence to play with the other children so she sits under her favourite tree and observes them. As she is sitting there some dragonflies swoop by. She focuses on them and then notices one struggling on the ground. She runs over to see what is wrong and discovers that he is missing a wing. With her compassionate heart she tenderly picks him up and takes him home hoping she can help him fly once again.

Mika tries many different methods to try to get him airborne. Will she succeed? This sweet story is about helping others and in so doing learn how to fly yourself.

The illustrations enrich the text and I love adorable Mika who is caring and tenderhearted. She also is a problem solver which I like. Kids are encouraged to ascertain the wonders of nature that they see all around them. I highly recommend this book.

I received a free eARC of this book in return for an honest review; thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

This book tells the story of a shy young lady who encounters a dragonfly in need of assistance. She demonstrates resilience and creative problem-solving to help the dragonfly and overcome her shyness with her classmates.

The Illustrations in this book are very appealing, the color palette and the natural elements do a great job of creating a positive and animated tone that really helps guide the story forward.

I really liked the messaging of the book and its intent was pretty clear. However there were a few things that really didn’t resonate as well with me.

I felt that the text used was too small and had some odd placement issues. Some pages had too much text and others had some very odd line breaks.
From a story perspective I was also challenged to connect emotionally with the child’s predicament. I liked that she demonstrated resilience and problem-solving but I’m not sure that that as strongly translated necessarily into confidence with her schoolyard shyness.

If you have a child who loves dragonflies, or is struggling to connect with their peers I think this would be a good read.