“Vlad the Fabulous Vampire” is written and illustrated by Flavia Z. Drago. Vlad is a vampire who loves fashion, but has a terrible secret… His cheeks are rosy pink! Too lifelike! Too bright! What would his friends say if they knew?!? So he tries designing different fashion looks to hide his cheeks. The book ends with the theme that it is better to love what makes us unique rather than force ourselves to fit in. I like that the book admits that even when being yourself, you may still feel insecure at times, but your real friends will still love you.

I love the bright crayon-like illustrations. Characters are cartoony and fun and each image has a lot of details to delve into. Written for kids 4 to 8, this book is a recommended purchase for picture book collections, especially where monsters like vampires and ghosts are popular. I read both the English and Spanish editions of this book.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.