‘The Tea Dragon Society’ Is a Beautiful, Inclusive Comic That Should Be on Your Shelf

With colorful art, a charming, inclusive story, and dragons, “The Tea Dragon Society” is one of my new favorite comics.

When I was at San Diego Comic-Con, I would go up to publishers and say, “Hi, I write about diversity and inclusion in media. Do you have anything I might be interested in?” This was how I found myself with a copy of Katie O’Neill’s book The Tea Dragon Society. I went back to my hotel that night, read it, and then messaged my fiancé; I had found something incredible.

The story follows the young blacksmith-in-training, Greta, after she rescues a small green dragon in her town. She quickly learns that the dragon, Jasmine, is a tea dragon, a unique creature that grows tea leaves from her horns. As she returns Jasmine to her owner, Hesekiel, she says she wishes she could have a dragon too. He replies, “Would you like to learn how to take care of one?” And so begins Greta’s story, as she learns about tea dragons, and the shop’s two other residents: a shy girl named Minette, and a man named Erik.