Rodney was a tortoise

Title:

Author:

Summary:

Bernadette and Rodney are the best of friends. Rodney's not so good at playing cards, but he's great at staring contests. His favorite food is lettuce, though he eats it VERRRRRRY SLOOOOOWLY. And he's such a joker! When Bernadette goes to sleep at night, Rodney is always there, watching over her from his tank. As the seasons pass, Rodney moves slower and slower, until one day he stops moving at all. Without Rodney, Bernadette feels all alone. She can't stop thinking about him, but none of her friends seem to notice. Except for Amar. Rodney Was a Tortoise is a moving story about friendship and loss. It shows the importance of expressing kindness and empathy, especially in life's most difficult moments. -- Dust jacket.

Audience:

006-008.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 26 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Subject Term:

Turtles -- Juvenile fiction.

Pets -- Death -- Juvenile fiction.

Loss (Psychology) -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Grief -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Kang, Yong Ling,

Publisher:

Tundra,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9780735266629

Publication Information:

[Toronto, ON] : Tundra, [2022]

Call Number:

P FORLER

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003557850	New Picture Books	FORLER	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Author Notes

NAN FORLER is a writer and a teacher who lives in a house overflowing with music and books. She likes to write stories at an old wooden table in her kitchen, and some of those stories are made into books, such as Winterberries and Apple Blossoms , Bird Child and Trampoline Boy . Nan shares her home with her husband, her two children and a yorkie-poo named Alice. Nan is also the aunt of an ancient tortoise named Gus, who appears to have spent his entire life chewing on a single piece of lettuce.

YONG LING KANG is a freelance illustrator raised in Singapore and currently living in Toronto. She has worked in animation studios and a publishing company and has illustrated picture books including William's Getaway , Tanna's Owl and This House Is Home .

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3--A gentle look at the friendship between a young child and her pet, and inevitable loss. Rodney and Bernadette are best friends who share all of their adventures from sunup to sundown. Rodney is a wizened old tortoise with wrinkles lining his olive-green face. Bernadette is a young girl with a dark brown bob and warm brown skin. The duo eat, sleep, and play together. They enjoy games, contests, show-and-tell, and dress-up. Bernadette can tell when Rodney is smiling. He is Bernadette's faithful and loyal friend, though he moves very slowly and slower each day, until one day he stops altogether. This story of grief is honest and genuine as Bernadette struggles; she feels as though her world has stopped, while for others the world keeps whizzing by. Watercolor and pencil illustrations are charming in their simplicity. The muted palette leans heavily on grays and greens, a fitting choice for a story not only about the somber topic of loss and mourning but also about a tortoise. VERDICT A tale of grief over losing a precious pet that hits just the right note of optimism for the future. Pair with The Legend of the Rainbow Bridge and The Tenth Good Thing About Barney for readers experiencing this loss firsthand.--Monisha Blair

Publisher's Weekly Review

Wry, observational writing by Forler (Trampoline Boy) and loose, frequently funny vignettes by Ling Kang (The Midnight Club) give this tale of loss its own distinctive, endearing resonance. Rodney, Bernadette's tortoise, is practically prehistoric--older than her great-aunt--and girl and reptile share a happy kinship. Watercolor and pencil illustrations capture their intimacy, as Bernadette, who has light skin and straight black hair, dresses up as a queen and holds a mirror up so Rodney can admire the miniature crown she's made for him ("She could tell he loved it"). One morning, though, Rodney doesn't wake up. "Maybe he's just holding his breath to be funny," says Bernadette, before the truth of Rodney's death launches her into mourning. Her schoolmates don't acknowledge what's happened or seem even to see her, and she copes by behaving like her old pal ("Bernadette put on her protective shell, and lumbered to school"), until compassion arrives from an unexpected place. Grieving Bernadette needs someone to meet her where she is, and classmate Amar, portrayed with brown skin, is just such a person in this quiet picture book that balances mourning and remembrance. Ages 3--7. (Feb.)