'Rodney Was a Tortoise' by Nan Forler with illustrations by Yong Ling Kang is a picture books for young readers about a girl who loses someone very precious to her.

Bernadette has a pet tortoise named Rodney and they are best friends. He's great at staring contests, but eats pretty slowly. Rodney is pretty old, and it seems like he will be around forever, until he isn't. Now Bernadette has to figure out how to live without Rodney and that is really hard.

This book made me ugly cry, and that is wonderful. I really felt for poor Bernadette and her loss. The illustrations are really quite nice. This may not be a book for every occasion, but I think it's probably the right one for some.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books for giving me a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
This is a highly readable and enjoyable book about a little girl and her friend Rodney the Tortoise, an old tortoise who is a family pet and with whom she bonds with tremendously. She reads to him, has tea parties with him, takes him to school, etc. One day Rodney dies and she is filled with unconsolable grief and nobody cares what her problem is until a young boy comes and talks with her and they soon become friends. We feel lots of sympathy for the young girl as she struggles with grief after losing her friend Rodney the Tortoise. But a happy ending is in store for her. Just a sweet book and one I highly recommend.

Omg what an adorable story! I absolutely loved it! My kids loved it so much that this is all they ever want to read!!

This picture book was extremely cute, definitely sad at some point, but hopeful, with a lovely ending that brought a smile back on my face! It tells the story of Bernadette, a young girl, and her pet tortoise, Rodney. It’s about losing a pet, and dealing with loss, but also finding someone to support you and be there for you during hard times.
I really enjoyed this.

Bernadette and Rodney go way back. Way, way back. In fact, even before he was Bernadette’s pet, Rodney belonged to Bernadette’s mom, and her grandma. Which explains why Bernadette feels so connected to Rodney. The two do everything together. Play games, eat meals, read stories. Rodney is, without doubt, Bernadette’s best friend. So when he dies, she is heartbroken. The thing is, no one else seems to care. Their lives are all going on as if Rodney never existed. Which just makes things worse. . . until someone does ask about Rodney.
Rodney Was a Tortoise by Nan Forler, illustrated by Yong Ling Kang, is an absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking tale about the loss of a pet. While we can only hope this is something our children will never have to experience, the reality is that many will, and this book perfectly captures the essence of such a moment. Simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, this tale rings so true to the emotion of losing someone that may not matter to others, but who means the world to you. An absolute must read.

This book was simple, and it was perfect. It was a great way to address a challenging topic. Often, we forget how much pain a child could feel over the loss of a pet. Sometimes, all they need is for someone to acknowledge that their pain is valid, real, and understood. This is a great story that parents can use to open up the discussion of The loss of a pet, either one that has already passed or for future pets they may get. The illustrations are beautiful and match that story well, and they also allow room for discussion by asking questions using the pictures to draw them out even further. I do wish they would have had more of a conversation and interaction with the one boy at school who acknowledged her loss.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this lovely book!

'Rodney Was a Tortoise' is a sweet story about a little girl and her aging pet tortoise. While I do not see this as one a young kid will want to read and reread I do think if you have an aging pet it will be a good book to get before they are nearing the end. It is written in a way children will definitely relate to but can also help prepare them for sadness and that not everyone will see their sadness or feel it as deeply. It also shows that life moves on and there is happiness ahead. The artwork is sweet and the prose gentle.

Books often find us at just the right time, don’t they?

I’m not sure when I requested this children’s book through NetGalley, but it was several months ago. My request was only granted a couple days ago and I’d forgotten what the story was about. I didn’t review the synopsis. I simply went ahead and read this short book.

If the publisher had granted my request in early December, the pain of losing a pet would have been too fresh. I would have been a mess by the end of Rodney Was a Tortoise. Reading it now - it felt like it was just the right time. I teared up, but I could also appreciate the beauty of it in a way I may have missed last month.

The book captures a child’s love for her pet and the loneliness that follows as she grieves her pet’s death. Loss of any kind can feel isolating and the extremity of grief does not yield to societal timelines, but I’ve found pet loss unique, in that many don’t even understand why one grieves at all. That only compounds the pain. But pets are family and pets are comforts. We know our time with them is short, but they take up such an enormous space in our hearts while they are here.

Rodney Was a Tortoise is a precious picture book that can help children process personal pet loss or understand its meaningfulness in their peer’s lives. It’s a sweet story with adorable illustrations and a touching message.

I’m so happy it found me when it did.

I am immensely grateful to Tundra Books for my digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Rodney Was a Tortoise will be out on February 15, 2022.

The illustrations in this book were marvelous. My daughter is obsessed with turtles… and I was so excited to read this to her. However, I took it upon myself to read it before reading to her, and I am so glad I did. My daughter would be devastated to have this read to her. Her heart is so big … and she would have been so upset about this book. It is also very hard to read seeing as words are in the wrong place. Overall, I would think this book is a little too depressing with not enough uplifting.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tundra Books for a free digital copy.

A sweet and quirky story about a girl who's pet tortoise dies and she has to make a new friend. I thought it was a little heavy for a kids book, but also very tender.

Beautiful illustrated children’s book. The art work, the watercolour drawings are lovely.

It is a very tender story of a beloved pet, an adorable tortoise called Rodney. Death is part of life but it is never easy, it is always painful to loose a loved one.

This story will help children understand their feelings and encourage them as they read how Bernadette is coping with her grieving.

Unfortunately the interaction between Bernadette and Amar, the only friend that noticed Bernadette’s withdrawal and sadness is too short. The angle that Amar understand because he also lost a beloved pet is precious. It always helps when someone else has gone through what we are facing. They understand. It makes a huge difference.

The book would benefit greatly by a longer exchange, discussion, and encouragement by Amar to help Bernadette process her feelings and with days, we could see her sadness slowly diminished, leaving primarily, fond memories of Rodney. Lets hope that, by the time this book is published, we will see exactly that.

The synopsis pretty much explains the whole book, but you really do need to read the book to understand what a special little story this is. The text and accompanying illustrations are subtly amusing, showing the emotional connection of a little girl and her pet tortoise. When Rodney dies, none of Bernadette's friends seem to notice how upset she is; life goes on for them, and they're all wrapped up in their own lives while she mourns in her own quiet, lonely way. It's Amar who finally reaches out, with empathy and compassion, and Bernadette finds a new friend who can relate to what she's going through.

This is a book about empathy. It's such a simple concept, but not always easy to get right in a picture book. I think Rodney Was a Tortoise does exactly what it sets out to do, providing a message of hope and comfort. It would be a great book for any reader who has experienced the loss of a beloved pet.

This book is about the loss of a pet. What I like is that it does not try to explain that loss, just shows a child in their feelings, or in their “shell”. It also shows that it may take a bit, but one day soon, that shell will crack and the good things will be remembered, new friends made, and lives changed. This book was lovingly done, and a great title to add to a collection on grief.

Rodney Was a Tortoise is about a little girl who spends a lot of time with her beloved pet turtle, who one day stops moving. She experiences a lot of sadness and sees how even when you are dealing with a personal loss, the world continues around you. One friend acknowledges her sadness and spends time with her, showing her that she can continue to enjoy things despite her loss. This is a great book to facilitate conversations about loss and death with very young children. The illustrations were very sweet.

Rodney is such a cute character and this story could help many youngsters. I think this book could become a family favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for this review.

Rodney Was a Tortoise is a moving story about losing your family pet and dealing with the grief that come with it, and the author hit it out of the park.
The story flows nicely, the language used is appropriate for the target audience and the illustrations are lovely.
The book does a wonderful job illustrating different stages of grief the main character goes through, before ending on a hopeful note, which I really appreciated.
This book will find it's way into my classroom library for sure and I will recommend it to all my elementary teacher friends and moms of littles who have experienced loss recently.

This book is a great resource for parents and educators of children that have lost a pet. The illustrations were perfectly done and made me fall in love with Rodney. A pet is more than just a pet to many people, especially children. This book demonstrates this, and shows children that it's okay to feel sad for a little while, and that maybe there is someone out there who has gone through the same thing as them. I would definitely read this to my children and/or Kindergarten class.

Sweet picture book about the loss of a pet. The story was just right to help explain how losing a pet can be traumatic to anyone, especially a child. The pictures were the right match. I recommend this book.. I'll be buying it for our public library. #NetGalley #Rodneywasatortoise

I came really close to losing it while reading this book, I think we have all had a Rodney and can therefore relate to the pain that Bernadette is feeling. This is a beautiful book with lovely illustrations and it will hopefully help young children deal with the loss of a friend.

A sweet and sad story about a young girl and her beloved pet tortoise, Rodney. Lovely illustrations support the text, as readers learn about what makes Rodney so special. When Rodney dies, Bernadette struggles to cope with the loss of her dear pet. This book would be a great conversation starter for children about how to cope with sadness and how friends can help us get through difficult times.