I absolutely love this Storybook! I grew up watching the Avatar series and rediscovering the stories of Aang was incredibly refreshing. I greatly enjoyed the creative take on some of the stories from the franchise and the new spins and twists which the author included in their telling. Additionally, I greatly enjoyed the introduction of the storybook. While I enjoyed the show when I was younger, I never thought too much about the cultural roots of the story or the philosophical applications of how humans interact with that which they do not understand; both of which the introduction did a great job of framing both for initial understanding and continued interest.
When reading through this Storybook it was obvious the writer had read Rick Riordan's stories of the Greek gods and goddesses: a favorite of mine! These stories from which the storybook author borrows some ideas and language are already reframed versions of Ancient Greek myths. However, one author cannot hope to do justice to the mass of Greek myth; there's just too much. The storybook takes some of the tales which were left out by Riordan and gives them life. These stories give depth to characters and their motivations while helping create a cohesive story which ties together many characters in a common thread of compassion and dutifulness.
What I enjoyed most about this storybook is how each story stood alone within a grand framework of mythos. No character connections between stories and thousands of miles separating the cultures represented in each of the stories; giving a wide scope to the world created by the author and credence to the real-world prevalence of dragon myth. In these stories I love how the dragons were depicted as wise and judicious lords of the skies and waters which guided mankind by sharing their knowledge with all who care to seek it.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Image from Avatar Aang's Lost Tales
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