This book is so precious. I love the art style, the music making, and the name choosing. K O’Neils books carry a magic and whimsy that always makes me smile.

"It feels like a pair of perfectly fine boots that's never fitted me right. Am i supposed to go on tryin' to wear 'em forever?" -A Song for You and I by K. O'Neill

This book is for the gaybies. An asutute Gay might be able to tell from the above quote that this story is a love letter to anyone who has ever questioned the labels the world gave for them. The story doesn't really dive into the nuances of that questioning, but rather sits with the feelings the questioner has. There are so many panels of expressions of our main characters as they simply feel something deeply. The art was so reflective and slow and ponderous. Things resolved very gently and simply in this world of pegasi and rangers and violinists who play to sheep. It was a warm hug and gentle stroll of a book about finding yourself and the pains that come with doing that, but also the unexpected delights. Fans of K. O'Neill will not be disappointed, and newcomers to this author will be pleasantly surprised by the gentle hand O'Neill offers as they guide you through their stories.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

K O'Neill's Graphic novels are always a delight to experience from the messages in the writing to the beautiful illustrations! A touching novel about being yourself and friendship. Highly recommend!

“It gets a bit tirin trying to prove yourself to others. Some people are just never gonna see you the way you want to be seen y’know? I reckon it’s best to please yourself first , and the ones who love you will get it.”

I love everything K.O'Neill writes and illustrates. A Song For You and I is such a lovely graphic novel about self discovery. It was beautifully illustrated. I love it so much. I can't wait to add it to my library. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's | Random House Graphic for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.

A Song for You and I is a sweet story to self discovery, paired with beautiful artwork to complement the plot and work better than words in some places. Beautiful and heartfelt, another masterpiece by K O’Neill.

K O'Neill writes some of the most charming characters, and some of the most heartwarming stories. I'm a longtime fan of their work, and this is no exception. This is definitely one of my new favorite reads of theirs!

4.25 stars
This was such a sweet story. It follows our main character Rose who is training to become a ranger. After making a bad judgement call and causing her Pegasus to get injured, Rose is assigned to help a local sheep farmer make his wool deliveries.
The artwork of this graphic novel is really beautiful. There are a lot of scenery panels that are just incredibly gorgeous. I would hang them on my wall.
Rose was such a sweet character. At first, she seems happy with her progress in the ranger program. But we see she is really kind of sad about something. Once she writes her name in the dirt, crosses out the "se" and instead writes "Rowan," is becomes obvious she is feeling unsure about her gender. It was never confirmed if Rowan wanted to be a male, or nonbinary, but Rowan wanted to be Rowan and not Rose. Rowan was very nervous about sharing this with anyone, but ends up sharing it with the sheep farmer, Leone. After realizing he completely accepted this and immediately started calling Rowan by their chosen name, Rowan thought that maybe other people might accept it just as easily.
I do wish there had been more words. As a said, there were a lot of scenery panels with no words which were beautiful, but I feel like there could have been a little bit more to the story said in words. The story did come across and was easy to follow though.

There's a consistent warmness to all of K. O'Neill's works that makes the reader feel comforted, and A Song for You and I continues that. The main theme of the graphic novel is about identity and being scared to be the person you feel you are as shown with Rowan wanting to change their name and appearance and Leone wanting to be a bard. The two support each other when it feels like no one else can, or in Leone's case no one else genuinely, and the begin to grow into the people they want to be.

Also consistent with K. O'Neill's works is that they feel very short. The paneling and chapter titles make it seem like the reader needs to be reading slower to give a sense of time passing, so for fast readers like myself it's a bit of an adjustment but doesn't affect the narrative too much.

K. O’Neill writes the sweetest middle grade graphic novels and A Song for You & I is no exception. This is a tale about finding the courage to be who are through the profound gifts of acceptance and friendship set in a low-fantasy world. Few words mar the sweeping landscapes, leaving all the more room for tender contemplation.

I especially loved the movement in the art and how Rowan’s journey starts with frustration but settles into a slow, quiet acceptance and understanding. Likewise, the juxtaposition of Rowan’s struggles to be a good enough ranger with Leone’s insecurities about music is so well done. They both get more than they expect out of their journey together.

I did wish there had been a little more happening in Rowan and Leone’s adventures, but excitement isn’t what this story is about and, honestly, doesn’t a good book always leave you wanting more?

Overall, this is a gentle, heart-warming story, full of gorgeous art, and is for anyone who needs/needed tacit acceptance as a kid.

I picked this up to advance read it for my daughter, who has loved other K O’Neill books deeply. Having just finished this one, I anticipate it’ll join the Tea Dragon Society among her favorites — I know I loved it.

The story follows two young kids who are trying to figure out where they fit between family and peer expectations, a struggle so many middle grade readers are going to be intimately familiar with. Our main character is an aspiring Ranger, tasked with flying with a Pegasus, patrolling land to keep humans and the land in a healthy balance. They’ve almost gotten confirmed as an official ranger when the Pegasus gets hurt. While recovering, the pair get tasked with helping a local shepherd take wool to sell in nearby villages. Over the course of their friendship, they encourage each other quietly and consistently to become more self actualitized — one in gender expression and the other in confidence about their passion.

The art style is so soft and tender. It’s a world that feels so gentle and cozy, you just want to sit and admire the work with a cup of tea under some snuggly blankets. While the dialogue is sparse, each frame communicates the narrative beautifully (and bonus if you have new readers, many of these frames with dialogue will be great practice for them, and the frames without words will keep them from feeling overwhelmed).

My favorite elements of this graphic novel were part 9, where we get a flashed forward glimpse of our characters, aged up and self actualized; and the sketches K O’Neill included after the end of the book. The anatomy study of the horse in preparation to draw the Pegasus was particularly endearing.

The only thing I found myself wishing for was more background on the secondary character Leone. I felt like his story could have been fleshed out with a few more frames so we can really understand the passion he has for music. We get a couple of lines of dialogue explaining what happened but it would have been nice to see it on the page, for me.

I absolutely loved this one and can’t wait to pick up a physical copy for my new reader. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this charming book!

Thank you to Random House’s Children Division via NETGalley for this ARC!

I have been a big fan of K O’Neill for the last couple of years and while I love all of their work, this one is by far my favorite. To keep it short and sweet, this beautifully crafted story about finding confidence in who you truly are and the magic that comes along with it is something I wish I could have read as a kid and am blessed to have now.

Beautiful, BEAUTIFUL coming of age with gorgeous illustrations!

Such a cozy story with artwork to match. We follow two characters while they work on finding their paths/passions. The slow pacing and low sakes really helped me connect with our MCs and walk with their on their journeys. I enjoyed seeing both characters explore their gender identities too along the way. Seeing queer characters in middle grade books is SO important and the author does it with such care and ease in all of their graphic novels.

I love this author so much, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Another book I recommend teachers to put in their classroom for their students 🎻💜

a HUGE thank you to random house childrens/random house graphic for allowing me to read an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

this was a 3.5 rounded up for me.

let me first preface this by saying a 3.5 is ABOVE average and this was a good book!! it just felt a little flat and unfinished at some parts.

THINGS I LOVED:
✩ the art style!! it felt like a studio ghibli movie at times while also feeling the authentic vibe of a graphic novel in its own right.
✩ the idea that you don't owe anyone anything when it comes to being able to be seen as who you truly are. rowan finding their identity and name throughout the story was heartwarming to say the least.

THINGS THAT FELL FLAT:
★ the art to word ratio was a little off... this is basically an art book with a loose plot and dialogue here and there. it seemed like most pages were just images. WHICH IS FINE! i just felt that because of the lack of words/dialogue/plot development it felt like the characters appeared flat and one dimensional.

i would definitely recommend this book if you like:
✬ k. o'neill's backlog
✬ studio ghibli
✬ queer stories about knights and rangers
✬ finding yourself as a subtle message in a book

As always, the illustrations in K’s books are fantastic. The story was great and I really enjoyed the characters.

There were a lot of panels without words, but this is fairly common in graphic novels for this age group. The pictures did a great job of conveying the story even when there were little to no words.

There were a couple of words that I thought were a little advanced for the age group this book is suggested for, but it wasn’t a lot and they should be old enough to look up words they don’t understand.

All in all, a great read.

K. O'Neill continues to write such beautiful graphic novels. Their art is amazing, and this novel, in particular, reminds me of The Moth Keeper. (I could see these stories being set in the same universe.) The story is quiet yet radical as both kids grow and discover themselves in new ways. I loved the way O'Neill portrays these changes throughout the book. The setting was rich and I loved the overlying theme of connecting with nature and with the self.

4 Stars
One Liner: Terrific illustrations

A ranger’s job is to protect but the position isn’t given to anyone. When proving herself worthy results in the injury of the winged horse, Rose is given another job. Helping the lazy Leone seems like a punishment until Rose realizes some lessons are yet to be learned and it comes from understanding who she is. Along the way, Leone might learn something too!

My Thoughts:
Firstly, I’m not sure about the blurb. The Rowan part doesn’t come until later and is a part of character and plot development. Not revealing it might have been better maybe.
After loving the Tea Dragon Society trilogy, I was delighted to get approved for this book. The author’s illustrations tell the story with a few words to ease the narration. I also love how seamlessly the author includes gender identity in the work.
As a middle-grade fantasy, this one is pretty low-stakes and super cozy. It is soothing, gentle, mellow, and heartwarming. However, it also tends to rush through some scenes while lingering on others.
Without revealing spoilers, I’ll say that the book subtly and deftly shows the wannabe ranger’s dilemma about identity. The solution is simple acceptance, which fits the cozy and utopian-ish vibe of the book.
I love the Pegasus. It looks so majestic and beautiful! There are many frames without text. These effortlessly advance the plot. The silence feels peaceful and respectful (like how we don’t speak in scared sites). Every character is distinctly drawn, so there will never be any confusion about who’s who.
Why did I not rate it higher? Leone needs more backstory. The focus is on Rowan but also on Leone. This didn’t work as well as it should have. A few more pages would have helped.
To summarize, A Song for You and I is a beautiful, sweet, and lovely book about identity, nature, and friendship. The book has a few sample practice sketches at the end. These are my favorites! Is there anything better than getting a sneak peek into the illustrator’s drawing book?
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Graphic, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Similar to the author’s other works (The Tea Dragon Society, Princess Ever After), this graphic novel is so lovely, sweet, and calm! The illustrations were outstanding, and I loved the slow pacing. The main character goes through some great growth, and I appreciated their relationships to the people around them. An absolutely lovely queer graphic novel!

🌈Queer rep: nonbinary main character. NB/M main pairing. Secondary FF couple.

A Song for You and I was a beautifully soft story that warmed a part of my core as I flipped though the pages. It follows a young bard and a young ranger as they are facing a turning point in their lives. This story is sweet and approaches figuring out oneself through a layer of care and compassion that I thoroughly enjoyed. I, like many, am one of my toughest critics and I could see myself reflected in these characters. I saw myself in Rowan who is trying to figure out who they are, while Leone reminded me of a part of myself who is always there to celebrate and cheer me on. There is something to be said for unconditional love, care, and support especially from those who we may not feel we deserve it from. All of that to say, this book was sweet, and cozy. I imagine it a lot like laying in a meadow, listening to the wind, flowers and grass dancing around your head. Their may be clouds, but ultimately the sun shines on your face again and warms your soul. This book was beautiful, the art was phenomenal. My only complaint is that I wish it were longer and didn’t move so fast. I would’ve loved to dive further into these characters, but I feel like we just scratched the surface.

Thinking about A Song for You and I is going to make me cry tears of joy. It was so cute!

The story follows Rowan, a ranger, and Leone, a musician, after Rowan’s horse is injured and she gets reassigned to accompany Leone on deliveries.

It was full of short adventures that allowed both Rowan and Leone to grow more comfortable with themselves and confident in their livelihoods. The people they met at each destination or along the way were all interesting and helpful in letting the two open up more to themselves and to each other.

The art style, coloring, and storytelling through illustration was wondrous. Soft, joyful, and purposeful. I loved all the scenery and nature as well as the details in the characters.

Honestly for anyone looking for a comforting, reassuring, and low-pressure adventure of a book, look no further!

Every time I pick up a graphic novel by K. O’Neill I go and expecting beautiful artwork and a cute, fun story and then I end up sobbing my way through the end. You’d think that by now I would’ve learned better and would be going in prepared. But you would be wrong. At least the art is beautiful.

A Song for You and I is about two kids who are trying to find their place in the world. Sometimes in order to embrace who you are, you need someone to believe in you first and grant you the courage to be yourself. This is a story about friendship and acceptance. It also has winged horses which you can never go wrong with.

This book was like a warm hug. I highly recommend it to anyone with kids in their life who are questioning their identity or knows someone who is. So basically every kid.

Overall I loved everything about this and I cannot wait to see it on my shelves. Thank you, Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy!