Windmill Dragons: A Leah and Alan Adventure

Leah and Alan Adventures

by David Nytra

A Junior Library Guild Selection.

When Leah and Alan arrive in a chaotic land, they are the only people brave enough to try to set things right. Their path takes them through a magical world full of ancient monsters and aging knights. Relying on each other and a good deal of luck, they find their way to Monster Island—but in their quest to restore order, will they lose everything?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Childrens, Adventure, Dragons, Graphic Novels Comics, Humor

120 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2015

About the author

David Nytra has been drawing since he was old enough to hold a pencil. An artist who works in many media, including clay, wood, and animation, he lives in the small town of 100 Mile House, in British Columbia, Canada. This is his first children’s book. Though his own dreams are often unexciting and he’s only a little bit allergic to bees, he loved books with many creatures in them as a child and he hopes he has put enough critters in here to satisfy even the most demanding reader.

Under the penname Deadmouse, he published a very well-received web comic named Ballad, which was available via now defunct webcomics site Modern Tales. It was also released by Onabok as a printed book in France.

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually appreciate graphic novels, but this one was a little difficult to read. The pictures were beautiful, but without color, it felt like it lacked something.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: 4 stars
Art: 5 stars

Siblings Leah and Alan are back for another fantasy adventure in this children's graphic novel. Inspired by Don Quixote and Jewish mythology, the kids go on a quest to restore the natural balance of the world and save their dog at home from windmills turned into dragons. The brother-sister relationship is endearing. But the true accomplishment of this graphic story is the black-and-white art. The detailed pen-and-ink drawings provide a visual feast on every page.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hamlet's Mill for the kiddos. I probably would've liked this more if I hadn't spent three months plodding through that book earlier this year. It also could've used more windmill dragons tbh.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel has a lot of wonderful elements: intricately detailed illustrations "drawn in india ink with a Hunt 104 nib on bristol board," a dramatic and humorous tale that draws from various stories from around the world, and young and enthusiastic main characters who remind me of the characters from Hergé's famous series Tintin.

Yet, I struggled to really understand what was going on in many of the pictures. Perhaps they were just too detailed, or maybe they would've been easier to discern if they were in color. Either way, I had to look at many of the images very closely to figure out exactly what was going on and it significantly detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

Nevertheless, I am very impressed with the author's artistic ability, research, and creativity and I am sure that many children will be fascinated by this fantastical tale.

[Amy Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an odd and interesting book. I'm kind of torn on how I feel about it. The illustrator pays so much attention to detail in the scenery, but the characters feel, in some ways, underdrawn. Their expressions are simple, and I'm sort of missing the complexity you typically get from a graphic novel or even a picture book. The story was a little odd, but it definitely held my attention, and I like the way that, at the end of the book, the author explains where elements of his story originate. I suppose I'd recommend this book to upper elementary kids. It has some excellent vocabulary! Oh, also, I don't like the way the characters keep saying each others names. I don't know why, but it gets under my skin. Overall, though, I liked it!

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cool—Leah and Alan are awesome. The Ziz, Behemoth, and Leviathan were sick 👌
The art was so good 💯😦

[Fred Patten · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Windmill Dragons, a Leah and Alan Adventure" (113 pages), is a standalone sequel to David Nytra's The Secret of the Stone Frog, less a picture book than a novel in pictures for young readers. Like Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, it is a fantasy that draws children into it. Leah, about 10 years old, reads an adventure fantasy to her younger brother Alan, and he imagines them as the brave knight (Leah) and her impulsive squire (Alan) in it. They come to a peaceful farmland that is suddenly terrified when its windmills turn into ferocious dragons and menace them. Alan's brave dog Rowdy rushes at them and is trapped. Alan wants to fight them, but Leah notices that the dragons are artificial clockwork beasts that appear menacing but don't really hurt anyone. She and Alan go on a quest to rescue Rowdy and discover the truth behind the windmill dragons. Their adventure leads them to a friendly gnome and his giant chicken Pertelote, a surly ogre innkeeper, the dragon-slaying Sir George who has grown too old to help with more than advice, and three giant beasts that live on Monster Island at the edge of the world, which can only be reached by a meat-eating boat. Nytra's novel in black-&-white spidery pictures ("drawn in India ink with a Hunt 104 nib on bristol board") are inventive, detail-filled, exciting, and charming. I'm an adult, but I would have loved to read this hardcover book when I was 8 to 10 years old. --Fred Patten

[Jason]

I enjoyed this, but Nystra set the bar really high with The Secret of the Stone Frog and doesn't quite match the spooky, dreamlike atmosphere that set his debut apart from the pack. The elements of the plot are interesting and I like how he pulls from a variety of mythological and cultural traditions, but the plot itself seems pretty standard and I found myself rushing to finish it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewing as a duo, I think the two volumes could be one story. This captures all the same qualities I liked about the Stone Frog, with a magical and fantastical adventure. I think a color edition would be a great enhancement and provide a different layer of storytelling. Overall, I love this series and it evokes the quality known by Toon Books.

[Rachel Kohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Windmill Dragons is the most important book in our 4-year-old’s life, and has been for nearly a year. My husband picked it up randomly at our local library trying to find a graphic novel to read to her, and although it takes a full half-hour to read aloud, she sat through the whole thing excitedly and immediately asked to read it again. I don’t think any other 3-4 year olds I’ve ever known jabber on about leviathans and giant chickens (well, maybe the latter?) but ours does. We have easily read Windmill Dragons 50, if not 80 times. There have been weeks where she wants to read it almost every night.

It’s perfect for our daughter: full of magical creatures and stars a big sister (like her), and the Ziz (her name is Liz and we’ve been calling her Ziz from day 1). She loves drawing and art and the art in this book is gorgeous. I can’t pretend this book would be perfect for most kids her age, just based on the length, but since our kid has an unnervingly long attention span… it is just the perfect book for her personality, interests, and passions.

Honestly, I am only writing this review because I want to thank David Nytra for writing this book and drawing its beautiful illustrations. Thank you so much for giving our daughter her first real, meaningful taste of the magic of fiction (particularly fantasy). This has been formative for her imaginative play and creativity. She acts out the plot with us during the day sometimes, and uses the plot points in her own made up adventures. We are so lucky to have found this book and gotten to experience how it is shaping our daughter’s curiosity and sense of adventure in wonderful ways. Thank you, thank you!

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was initially attracted to this book on the library shelf by its title and the cover illustration, which suggested some sort of children's graphic novel adaptation of Don Quixote (which I've not read, so I didn't recall that to him the windmills were giants, not dragons). Then I recognized the art (and cover) style from Nytra's other work, The Secret of the Stone Frog. The two provide an interesting contrast: Stone Frog presents itself as a sort of adventure in wonderland scenario, but makes sense as a dream, with the story framed by the characters lying in bed and a sort of dream logic of strange things and odd transitions between scenes; while this book explicitly frames the majority of the story as a dream of Alan's, but the story has a sensible linearity to it that is more like a fairy tale in its structure. Another commonality is how their titles don't quite fit their content: we never really learn the secret of the stone frog, and while the windmill dragons here are part of what instigates the adventure, they aren't really the focus of it.

This was a fun story. I like the world that developed from mashing together various pieces from folklore and literature, and I like how those sources are given attention and explanation at the end of the book. The artwork is wonderfully detailed and nicely balances realism with cartoonishness; it reminds me a bit of the work of Jason Thompson, and Leah and Alan in particular have a bit of the simple design of his mockmen.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second Leah and Alan adventure is told through a story they are reading together that combines parts of Don Quixote, Sir George the Dragonslayer, Ziz/Behemoth/Leviathan from Jewish mythology, the Man-eating boat from Native Americans/Canadians of the NW coast, and Pertelote from The Canterbury Tales. Again, the drawings are lovely, but the story is very simple. 3.5 stars.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not really a sequel, more another adventure of Leah and Alan (just as it says in the title). This graphic novel is a stand-alone story about the same siblings we met in The Secret of the Stone Frog. This book has more of a fairy-tale feel than the horror slant of the last one. I enjoyed it just as much as the last book, perhaps even a bit more.

[Aim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchased for my class. It's a nice mix of mythologies and Don Quixote.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one feels a lot messier and more chaotic than the first - he just smooshed a bunch of mythology bits in together and hoped it would work. It doesn’t really, for me,

[Becky Loader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice re-telling of the Don Quixote story for juvie readers.

[LeeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was....
Different.

The artwork is detailed and delightful.

The story is a bit like Alice in Wonderland meets Don Quixote with a mighty mixture of folkloric animals.

It's nice.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siblings on a quest through detailed pen-and-ink illustrations.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely, if not quite as satisfying as the first volume. Still, the imagination at work (this time, rooted in literature and mythology) is splendid.

[Tammy Haberer]

There is minimal text and busy, black and white pictures. This book lives up to the note on the cover that says it is for visual readers.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leah and Alan are your typical brother and sister. One day, however, they awake in their beds to find that they have been transported to the middle of a forest. Not wanting to be lost in this unknown forest forever, they begin to look for a way home. That is when they encounter a stone frog (hence the title of the book The Secret of the Stone Frog) who sets them on a path home. In typical child fashion, they don't stay on the path for long, because Alan is hungry. The first place they stop is a castle with a very large-headed woman. The lady has bees as pets that eat words to prevent you from speaking, so they must escape her and her bees. With Alan still being hungry, they wander to a different area with an orchard full of giant candied cherries. The owners of the orchards were proper talking lions, who were helpful in getting them part of the way home by riding on giant rabbits. They eventually get home, but not before more dangerous, adventures.

In Windmill Dragons, Leah and Alan are sitting in the woods at their house. Leah is reading a book and Alan sees some pictures inside the book that interests him. He asks Leah to read to him, and that is where the adventure begins. Leah and Alan are transported to a land where there is magic and they are knights. The magic, unfortunately, has stirred up the windmills and turned them into dragons. On their quest to defeat these dragons and restore order to this world, they must encounter a troll, save an aged knight, and face many other obstacles. I normally try not to spoil books like this, but if you've read the first book, then you know that they are able to defeat the dragons and return to their own home.

The illustration style in these books can be described as pen and ink. It is not colored, but it is highly detailed and makes the pages and the story come to life. The stories themselves clearly draw from popular literature, which is most obvious in the second story taking inspiration from Don Quixote. There are several things I liked about these books, including the close bond of Leah and Alan and the way the author/artist captures the power of dreams and imagination. Dreams and imagination are two powerful entities when you are a child, and while we might forget that as we grow older, to children they are just as real, if not more real than the actual world we occupy. The only complaint I have is that the books are two different sizes. The Secret of the Stone Frog is approximately a 6" x 9" book, but the Windmill Dragons is approximately a 7" x 10" book, and this creates an incompatible look on your shelf when the books are placed next to each other. If you can get over this gripe, then you should really check out these fanciful graphic novels!

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first book in this Adventure series. Leah and Alan are brother and sister and get lost in various books. The story becomes their adventure.

This one doesn't offer much in the way of plot, but I do like the illustrations. There are lots of allusions that are explained in the back of the book, so I think this would be a fun one for a kid because then they are exposed to the impetus of the ideas used within the story.

I came across this one at the library and since I had already read the first one, I figured why not read this one.

[Loto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I reached for this novel because of the title and illustrations. The first few pages were very promising! The idea of the dragons is very creative. The drawing are beautiful! But the story doesn't blow away... It goes too fast, it's not breath taking, it's very linear... I like the legends that the author combined together, it reminds me a lot about the legend of Zelda skyward sword and wind waker. I was disappointed with this book. It didn't use its potential :(

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I loved the adventure but something didn't quite please me though. I loved how detailed the art was, especially the part when Alan tamed the three great beasts. The only feedback I am giving the author was how short the story was. I wish that the speaker could add some more suspense making it more thrilling. I also heard feedback from friends that have read the book, saying that the first was much better. I can't wait to read the first book and see if it had met expectations. :)

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second Lean and Alan Adventure continues to have intentionally old-fashioned, intricately detailed, gorgeous black-and-white artwork. This one has a more purposeful, substantive plot than the first, which makes the fantastical chaos all the more fun.

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "The Stone Frog" but this one didn't do much for me. There were things I liked about it, and I can certainly see the kid appeal. But it seemed just a bit over the top bizarre in places and I found that distracting.

[Melle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as charming as the first volume but very well-illustrated and engaging with its numerous literary and cultural references (Hebrew bible, Cervantes, Chaucer, Haida boat art, the myth of Saint George, etc.).

[Deborah Pickstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another Windmill titled book proved impossible to obtain for my Quixotic attempt at the whole Geocaching challenge. Time is running out; I am become desperate. I am not keen on graphic novels but needs must. It was OK. Definitely children's fiction.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This go-round was not nearly as magical as Leah and Alan's first adventure. Perhaps it needed more dragons.

[Daniel Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

today I'm read at book enjoy lots fun but little sleep try read hard high? how are you know read fun or bored which tell you store that one book "windmill dragon" you see did ago like or once something two girl or boy you think kind for went happened mess his own city just cool?