Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire
Join fabulous vampire Vlad as he learns to embrace his pink cheeks and and find his confidence!
Vlad’s passion is fashion. And just like every other vampire, Vlad dresses head to toe in the colour black. But unlike other vampires, Vlad has bright pink cheeks: cheeks that make him look, and feel, so different. Vlad tries to hide behind his clothes and his cape but, as it turns out, being yourself – truly yourself – is the most fabulous way to be.
An uplifting and charming celebration of our differences set in the same monster universe as the New York Times #1 bestseller, Gustavo, the Shy Ghost and Leila, the Perfect Witch.
Resources
Creators
Flavia Z. Drago was born and raised in Mexico City. As a child, she wanted to be a mermaid. When that didn’t happen, she began her career as a graphic designer and a children’s book illustrator. Her debut, Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, was a smashing success and #1 NYT bestseller. Flavia is also the author-illustrator of Leila, the Perfect Witch and two monster-themed board books, Monsters Play... Counting! and Monsters Play... Peekaboo!. She has an MA in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art, was shortlisted for the 2018 Sebastian Walker Award and won the 2021 Klaus Flugge Prize. She loves colours, textures, and shapes and enjoys creating them with different materials and a bit of digital sorcery. Find her online at flaviazdrago.com, on Twitter as @Diafla and on Instagram as @flavia_zdrago.
Reviews
I love this series. They’re books I’d happily read over and over again. The characters are relatable and they have positive messages. There’s so much to see in the illustrations.
Schizanthus Nerd
The story can be read on many levels – a fun read for Halloween with charming characters, and a story about accepting your own attributes and abilities and being happy to live with them and find friends who will understand you, regardless of whether those around you reject you.This is sure to become a favourite with young children and will be a great book to share before Halloween.
ReadPlus
Vlad tries to hide behind his clothes and his cape but, as it turns out, being yourself – truly yourself – is the most fabulous way to be.
Readings
Suffice to say this is a lovely, Halloween flavoured take on the corrosion of self-esteem when ones identity is in question. Vlad is beset with feelings of failure and non conformity because he sports a unique and, it has to be said, very fetching feature which does set him apart from his contemporaries. That is part of life – or life after death if you’re a vampire kid. What’s more important is that with the help of an understanding and kind-hearted friend, he finds a new kind of confidence and sense of pride in his difference rather than shame. A useful life affirmation if ever there was one.
Kids Book Review
This feel-good and spooky celebration of uniqueness, the joys of being yourself and embracing who you truly are, will be welcomed by parents and children. For anyone who has ever felt different or that they don’t fit in, Vlad’s story is comforting, reassuring and empowering. It’s hard to blend in when you’re born to stand out!
A Word About Books
