O'Neill has done some surprising things with the story of Dewdrop. The setup is fairly standard: Dewdrop and friends are preparing for a festival, each wanting to show off a special skill. Dewdrop in particular is quite confident in her cheer-leading abilities. In their desire to compete, though, each creature begins to doubt their existing plain and their efforts to be more impressive leave them entirely unprepared. Dewdrop innocently reaffirms their initial joy in their skill. Thus the plot becomes not about being better than anyone else but about finding joy in activities and pushing aside concern over other peoples opinions. Dewdrop uses her skills to lift up her friends without ever having to diminish herself. Older kids will take away a valuable message. Younger kids may enjoy simply leafing through the pages and exploring the small elements of O'Neill's charming illustrations.
More information: Dewdrop releases May 26.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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