True friends can and do emerge in the darkest of times, from the most unlikely of places, if you’re willing to wait, believe, and hope. Wonder, an unusual and rare baby dragon with beautiful, multi-colored skin, is captured and caged in the Kingdom Zoo. Her captors use her to make money by putting her on display to visitors. But she is rarely cared for, or valued for the creature she is. She is mistreated, bullied, and barely fed and watered enough to survive. She’s held in a cage too tiny to spread her wings. She loses all but a shred of hope of ever having a better life.

Other animals in the zoo suffer a similar fate, but rather than care about her, they too bully her. From the zookeepers, to the other animals, it seems like the entire world is against her - and the only one who seems to care, the Zoo’s vet, is powerless to help. Wonder longs to escape. She’s not sure how she’d ever break out, until several unlikely allies come to her aid. In the actions and kindness of strangers, she finds unexpected hope, community, and safety. Her freedom is short-lived. Back again in her cage, Wonder learns that true friends fight for each other, no matter the risks.

The lessons of Wonder’s adventure in breaking out of the Kingdom’s Zoo provides a thoughtful and inspiring story that anyone who cares for children can use to have conversations about persisting and believing in love, friendship and hope in the face of hopeless circumstances.