A story about storytelling and the whimsical tale of a boy in search of adventure, who just happens to have two moms. The protagonist, Noah, is a little boy who weaves a bedtime tale of magic and dragons with his mother, Go-Ma. Go-Ma happens to be one of his two mothers, but that’s not the point of the story—or perhaps the point is that it’s not the point. Part of the beauty of the book is that it’s not “about” being an LGBTQ family per se, except to the extent that being an LGBTQ family means playing with blocks, putting on pajamas, and telling bedtime stories.
Noah and Go-Ma create a story about a dragon who doesn’t want to be fierce anymore, and a little boy who tells him “There are lots of different ways to be a dragon. . . . You can be however you want.” It’s a worthy message, touching on difference and kindness with a light hand.
For children, however, the best part of the book may be the pure adventure of it, as Noah sails off in search of dragons, his companion cat by his side. It’s a story that should appeal to those from about age three to ten. There’s only a brief scary moment when the dragon first appears, breathing fire, but we quickly find out he’s a kind-hearted soul. The strength of the book is how Bryan perfectly captures the back and forth of storytelling with a young child, with the adult incorporating the child’s suggestions into the narrative.
There are a few rough patches of prose, such as the paragraph listing the people and pets in Noah’s family. Bryan directs this bluntly at the reader (“Noah was a boy who had two mothers . . .”), but might have integrated it better into the surrounding dialogue by framing it as Noah’s own reflection on his family (“Noah thought about his two mothers. . . .”) Elsewhere, Bryan describes a nighttime “firefly and cricket convention,” something to which children may not relate. A “firefly and cricket party” might have worked better, even at the loss of alliteration.
These are quibbles, however. The banter between Go-Ma and Noah and between Noah and the dragon is engaging and wise. There is just enough description to set a scene without slowing down the pace of the tale. Noah sails in a “royal blue and snappy orange boat.” The dragon has “fire in his nostrils and a long, spittley red tongue and lots of chomping teeth.”
The colorful mixed-media illustrations by Danamarie Hosler fill the pages and convey both whimsy and a certain realistic detail, such as the numerous items scattered about Noah’s room.
The family is White.
