This was one of the loveliest things I've read all year. Queer, beautiful, and dreamy, it was like reading a Ghibli movie full of small moments of wonder. I really loved how the sign language was depicted, and the illustrations were incredible and lush. Beautiful art, beautiful story, heartwarming everything. I almost couldn't bring myself to read this because I knew I would fall in love with it, and I really did (and also I'll be needing my very own tiny sulky tea dragon immediately). <3 This was perfect!

Another beautifully written, beautifully illustrated story by Katie O' Neill. While you don't need to read the first one before reading this one, this one does serve as a prequel of sorts, or a backstory that is, for two of the main characters in The Tea Dragon Society. It is just as imaginative and lovingly done, and one of my favorite works by her so far.

Ahhhhhhhhh, my heart! This is definitely going to end up as one of my favourites of the year. It was a lovely little tale about family, and belonging, and peaceful coexistence, and love and making your own path, and and and. All good things.

The art as always is absolutely gorgeous, with a diverse range of humans and nonhumans, and representation of different skin colours, disability and queerness. The characters in the book use sign language on-page, and few are explicitly gendered. The main character Rinn is explicitly nonbinary. Erik and Hesekiel make a lovely reappearance, and we get a glimpse of how they were in their (relative) youth, many years before we met them in The Tea Dragon Society.

Their appearance and talk of retiring to Erik's home village was bittersweet, for reasons that those who have read The Tea Dragon Society will understand. Although the people in this village are smart and enterprising, and maybe will find a way to solve that problem.

Overall I really really loved this book, and, like with its predecessor, I now want to gift it to every single person I know so that it can enrich their lives too.

This was very cute a fast read and can’t wait to read more by this author. Can see great things in the authors future.

One of the biggest and best surprise of 2019, I love this story so much 😭❤

Not that much of a surprise actually, I know this graphic novel is very well-loved by many people from across reading preferences. I’m still floored by how much I love this though!

The obvious one is I love the art style. The drawing and the color palette are just so soft and calming (◕‿◕✿). The story is also precious, about found family and self discovery and getting out of your comfort zone. Everything is just so Soft™ and peaceful and magical, it’s soooo calming and something I’d associate with happiness. I wish the plot is a bit more developed but then again, I also love it just how it is now.

Furthermore, it has well-developed, diverse cast of characters! And I love that it’s not made as if it’s a big deal??? Like it is what it is, there is no overly long description on the appearance or the why… the story just progresses naturally. Rather than focusing on the differences between the characters, the author managed to give us the backstory of them and show us the thing that unite them, which are the tea dragons, and I love that!

So as you can see, it’s just perfect and I can’t wait for the second volume! 💖

Just adorable. From the story. To the illustrations. To the characters. Love Katie O'Neill's work.
Keep them coming. Can't wait till my nieces are old enough to read her graphic novel.s

Gentle, lovely and delightful with beautiful art and a real emphasis on shared humanity. My students are SO excited to see this one coming into the library.

The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill, 131 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL, LGBTQIA+
Oni Press, 2019. $16.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Rinn stumbles upon a sleeping dragon and accidentally wakes him up, their first reaction is to run. But, as Rinn and the dragon, Aedhan, start to become friends, they come to see the best in each other, aiding each other in their desires to belong.
This story is gentle and floats along like a dream. While Rinn and Aedhan’s experiences don’t have a lot of action, the story is compelling because of the heart -- the characters are easy to love and support. For me, the best part was being a beholder of the marvelous illustrations.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I loved reading Katie O'Neill's "The Tea Dragon Society" last year so I was really excited to get my hands on the second installment in the series. It definitely did not disappoint! The illustrations are flawless, the characters are lovable, and the story is warm-your-heart cozy. I love this book!

The Tea Dragon Festival is the second book in The Tea Dragon Society series and is an adorable graphic novel! The art is fantastic and the story is whimsical and and diverse. The story follows Rinn, Erik, and Hesekiel as they try to investigate and help the dragon, Aedhan, who has been asleep for 80 years and is struggling to accept the time he has lost while being asleep fo so long.

A delightful graphic novel with lovely illustrations that is perfect for any age group.

Full of diverse characters and communication methods, this is a great introduction to The Tea Dragon Society.

You can never go wrong with a Katie O’Neill book, especially from her Tea Dragon series! This one was just as adorable as the Tea Dragon Society, and features even more representation - a genderfluid character, characters of color, and characters who use ASL! The art in this, especially of the mountain setting, is absolutely breathtaking. We delve deeper into the lore of O’Neill’s dragon universe, and meet some new magical creatures/beasts! There’s also a really fun twist at the end that places the whole story in perspective, and makes me excited for any of O’Neill’s future Tea Dragon works! If you need something light and fresh to cleanse your palette, I highly recommend this book!

I love everything about this sweet, gentle series. It's effortlessly inclusive, with charming illustrations that manage to express so much depth and character. I've been recommending this one since I first heard it was coming out, and I can't wait to see what's next.

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Although I waited so long to read it that I read the hardcover instead. There's something about the oversized format that feels perfectly nostalgic, like cozying up with a childhood favorite.)

Beautifully illustrated and charming. This is my first book by Katie O'Neill, but now I would really like to try to find her previous work, which I'm sure was fantastic.
The story is kind and gentle, with adorable characters. I loved the diversity aspect- there should be more books like this, which would help to create a tolerant and peaceful world.
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

I just reviewed The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill. #TheTeaDragonFestival #NetGalley

I thought this book will tell a story about a certain tea ceremony, but actually it is not. This is a fantasy comic about human relationship. What I appreciate most in this work is their effort to connect with people in need of sign language. This is the story of coming home, acceptance and harmony.

Another great addition to the series, the art work is beautiful and is sure to please fans of fantasy and magic.

3.5/5

I really enjoyed The Tea Dragon Society so was eager to read this one. Equally beautiful illustrations and a lovely story about finding where you belong. This is a sweet and gentle series for graphic novel readers young and old.

Comics by Katie O'Neill just fill me with such deep happiness and peace that I want everyone in the world to read them. 😭💛The art is so so beautiful and magical, especially the foresty parts here...I felt like they were glowing off the page?! And the overall softness of the style the warm colours, and the expressions that so perfectly capture emotions (they're lovingly surprised faces when kindness happens just makes my heart swell). Look, I definitely am not an artist, but I can appreciate art 1000% and the Tea Dragon series is my favourite ever!

And I also have to mention the beautiful inclusivity, with characters who are queer, a nonbinary protagonist, all skin colours but especially brown and black characters, and deafness and gender fluidity. It's beautiful and loving and carefully crafted.

These comics are a soft journey of wishes and beauty and I love every page!

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. The art work is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and I truly enjoyed the story, I believe our Juv and YA patrons will love this, I actually want to order the first one of this series because of this. I mean really, who doesn't love dragons?!?!?! I liked that they tried to incorporate sign language into it, I'm just not sure if it was as effective as it could've been? I'm not sure how to draw sign language but I'm sure there could've been more action or signs associated, but honestly the book is amazing and I appreciate the inclusivity period.

As you might expect from the titles, the Tea Dragon books are a gentle and artistic exploration of a society. This is a world with dragons and other mythological creatures. Some are humanoid and, in fact, interact with people on the same level. Others, primarily the tea dragons, are more like pets or farm animals. Through the course of the two books we see various aspects of the world: careers, relationships, and dangers. The dangers come into play more in The Tea Dragon Festival, where we see the wildness and violence of the world. Even so, this is a relatively minor element of the plot. It's shown more as a complexity of the world an a real plot element. The art style is soft colors without distinct outlines, making the books gentle both to read and to look at.