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Reviewed by: Emily McFarlane, Elementary School Librarian Title: The Truth About Dragons
Author: Julie Leung Illustrator: Hanna Cha
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: PK-3 Genre/Type of Book: Fantasy
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: None
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: AAPI representation, dragons are a popular topic with my students
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: What journey will the dragons lead you on?
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Review:
A bedtime story weaves the tale of two different forests, two different histories, two different dragons. A small boy roams through lush illustrations guided by his mother's voice, where he meets first a Scottish grandmother and the beautiful Western dragon, then a Japanese grandmother and the elegant Eastern dragon. Through the story, his history is interwoven with mysteries and both grandmothers reveal different truths to him about their ancestral dragons.
This was a soft tale, perfect for sleepy, rainy days and fantasy loving kids. The book is full of lush pictures and lyrical storytelling that capture your attention right away. In each half, the boy is being told about different family histories from different places. In the first half, he is wandering through the dark Scottish forest with little gnomes, will o' the wisps, ancient trees, babbling brooks, and lots of cute touches one would expect to see in a fairy tale. When he meets the grandmother of this forest, she appears as the kindly witch type in a magical cottage and imparts the wisdom of the great red dragon to him.
For the second half, he meanders through the bright and airy bamboo forest of Japanese folklore. Passing kyubi no kitsune (the nine tailed fox), the rabbit and the goddess of the moon, he reaches a palace on top of a waterfall where he meets a Japanese grandmother. She imparts the wisdom of the great blue dragon to him while they share jasmine tea.
After both journeys come together, it is revealed that the women he met were his different grandmothers, and this boy has both Japanese and Scottish heritage- a blend of both cultures. In this way, he carries the legends of both dragons with him. The illustrations convey both a difference and a togetherness in how they portray the different sides of his heritage, but both dragons come together in a beautiful dance at the end of the book. They are almost watercolor in their vividness, but still soft and dreamy. I loved every second of reading this book and can see myself reaching for it again and again. It would be great in units on family, heritage, culture, and mythology, and it has a great place on your AAPI display.
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Find resources for The Truth About Dragons at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publisher's Website
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