Rodney Was a Tortoise - Hardcover

Forler, Nan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 073526662X ISBN 13: 9780735266629

Publisher: Tundra Books, 2022

Synopsis

This comforting and gently humorous picture book about bereavement and the strength of friendship shows how a child overcomes the sadness of her beloved pet's death.

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.

About this title

About the Author

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

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 Blairα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Tundra Books
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 073526662X
• ISBN 13: 9780735266629
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Kang Yong Ling
• Number of pages: 40