Review by Ian Keogh

Charm and allure characterised Katie O’Neill’s timeless first look at the world of the Tea Dragons, and while an Eisner Award for The Tea Dragon Society may have been a surprise, there’s no arguing it wasn’t worthy. A secondary bonus of the award is it ensured a sequel, which is now credited to K. O’Neill.

Rather than returning Greta as the central character through whom young readers are invited into a world of wonder and discovery, Rinn is introduced. While her parents are away she’s staying with her grandmother in a small forest community near a mountain range, and she makes a new discovery deep in the woods when looking for mushrooms. Someone seems to have slept for eighty years. As seen on the sample art, Aedhan is a different type of dragon, cat like and humanoid rather than the smaller creatures hanging around the village. His duty is to watch over the traditional festivals, and as he’s slept many festivals have passed. Real dragons are considered a step up from tea dragons, and with him comes mention of assorted other exotic beings, although with one exception they’re unseen.

There’s no reason to change a successful formula, so O’Neill’s illustrations follow the previous pattern of avoiding black lines and prioritising colour. This time more earth tones feature, reflecting the forest surroundings, but the look is again that of a favourite childhood picture book. Everyone and all locations are drawn to look attractive and delight young readers.

The same applies to the story, which carries mystery and a minor threat without ever reaching a level that would actually scare them. The most violent sequence has Aedhan using his dragon form to battle a large eagle. It’s the only occasion real conflict occurs, O’Neill even managing to sort out the book’s major problem without violence, as she’s more interested in promoting the wonders of nature and the joys of co-operation. An interesting addition this time is the use of sign language as a form of communication, and The Tea Dragon Festival bolsters the capabilities of dragons, introducing some limits in Aedhan’s case.

A well-judged level of sentimentality infuses the festival taking place in the penultimate chapter, after which the final chapter isn’t really necessary, but that’s not anything to bother young readers, who’ll be just as engrossed as they were first time round. The Tea Dragon Tapestry is next.