Review of Rodney was a Tortoise by Nan Forler

Authors

Janelle Burd, Cedarville UniversityFollow

Publisher

Tundra Books

City

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Date of Publication

2022

ISBN

9780735266629

Date of Review

2023

Disciplines

Children's and Young Adult Literature | Library and Information Science | Modern Literature

Keywords

Children's literature, reviews, picture book

Review

Nan Forler captures the struggle of loss in the eyes of children. The story follows the joys of having a childhood pet in the times of play and stories. A little girl named Bernadette shares her dear tortoise pal, Rodney, with her classmates. One day the tortoise passes away and the little girl struggles with the loss. Rodney is all she can think about yet wonders why nobody seems to care. She puts on a shell of her own and distances herself from the other kids. One day a boy named Amar finds her and talks about Rodney. Amar shares about a pet bird he once had, and they become friends. The story concludes with them playing games together. This story brings up an important discussion of childhood loss. The author does an excellent job of portraying the struggle to the intended audience while also showing a light of hope and encouragement. This story would be excellent for parents, teachers, or librarians to help children and show that it is okay to feel sad when dealing with loss and that it is important to help out those around us who are struggling.

Recommend Janelle Burd, Centennial Library Intern, Cedarville University

Recommended Citation

Burd, Janelle, "Review of Rodney was a Tortoise by Nan Forler" (2023). Library Intern Book Reviews. 356.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/356

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