A cute easy=to-read story in graphic novel format. Sweet tale written and illustrated by Tara Hannon. Tara is a former Kutztown University illustration student who is having well-deserved success with Birtle and other projects in the pipeline. Tara was once my student and so I interviewed her for my illustration blog.

This delightful graphic novel turned out to be so much more than I was expecting!

Despite being a quick and light-hearted read, it tackles important themes such as friendship, individualism, belonging, the pressure to fit in and more. I love the pretty purple palette and vibrant illustrations.

Tootie's friendship with Teeny was so sweet and heartwarming. Finding someone who matches your vibe, is on the same wavelength, has common interests and simply gets you just hits different 🥰

Tootie is unlike other turtles in Turtletown because Tootie likes to play tag, but no one else does. When a new turtle lands on top of Tootie, it's a new friend. Soon though this new friend. Teeny, grows a fuzzy thing on its butt! Turns out Teeny might not be a turtle (gasp!) after all. Tootie doesn't care because friends are friends.

5 stars = Outstanding!

I loved this! The characters are darling, the artwork is fantastic. But the story is the strongest piece of what makes this great. This is a fantastic friendship story with a strong emphasis on care and affirmation. I also loved the identity pieces in the story. I will absolutely be picking up a sequel when it comes out.

Cute and enjoyable story. I really enjoyed the subtle colors in the book. The story of Birtle was cute and endearing. I will definitely be adding it to my child's bookshelf.

I had a great time reading this book. We see two different people meet and become fast friends. Things go great at first, until one of them starts going through changes. One of them tries to make them feel better and for a while it works. Yet as this story comes to a close, one of them comes to a shocking realization.

A turtle assumes her new best friend is another turtle when it drops out of a tree – after all, this is a town of turtles called Turtletown. But shock horror when the newcomer starts to grow feathers. This is a very quick and easy look, in comic book form, at fitting in, and how we can all feel different. Best friendship can certainly help get us through, especially when naive misassumptions about us are made. A lot of word-play and alliteration aids to the enjoyment, perhaps – these books are fairly adult-proof, all said and done. But they're certainly not to be dismissed without consideration.

This was a graphic novel about a purple turtle who formed a friendship with a bird, who didn't know it was a bird as it fell out of its nest and had no one to show him who he was and how he should be behaving.

Some funny things started to happen and the ideas the turtle and the bird came up with just didn't work because everyone is different and not everything will work. This was all about embracing your differences and accepting the one next to you for who they are. There were self-discovery moments throughout the book and finally acceptance. I did pick up on The Ugly Duckling inspiration for the story so there were points lost for originality. The book was easy to read but the lack of colourfulness took away a star. While I got that the turtles were purple, the book could've used a bit more colour.

In a Nutshell: A cute little graphic novel for little chapter book readers. Loved the characters and the message. Definitely recommended!

Story Synopsis:
Tootie the turtle loves to play tag, but all the other turtles in Turtletown prefer their own pastimes. Tootie feels quite lonesome, until Teeny comes into her life… almost literally.
Teeny loves tag, and she also loves her one best friend Tootie. But she somehow senses that she doesn’t fit in Turtletown. Can she continue to be friends with Tootie even if she … gasp…. isn’t a turtle?


There are plenty of reasons to invest in this graphic novel for the little ones in your life.
🐢 What child doesn’t love a book with animal characters?
🐦 And these characters break stereotypes! Turtles who love tag? Why not?!
🐢 The storyline is really sweet, and perfect for the target age group of 6-10 years.
🐦 The connection between Tootie and Teeny is amazing. Their bond sets friendship goals as they demonstrate what good and supportive friendships should be like.
🐢 The storyline is linear but is divided in three chapters. This helps in easy breaks in between. The book would thus work well for beginner readers who are exploring chapter books through independent reading.
🐦 The plot offers plenty of discussion worthy points, if it is to be used in a classroom. Tootie and Teeny are both misfits in their own way. This shows that not everyone “feels out of place” in the same way. There can be various types of misfits, and this story teaches them to be comfortable in their own skin. It also highlights how people of different backgrounds can still be friends.
🐢 Furthermore, there are plenty of alliterative words in the book, mostly beginning from ‘T’. A wonderful way of learning alliteration. The title also helps in understanding rhyming words. There are some “created” words as well in the content, à la Roald Dahl.
🐦 The illustrations are also pretty cute, though a tad too cartoonish, which kids might like. The artwork is in exactly the same colour palette as the cover indicates.

The only major negative for me was that the turtles in the book are actually tortoises! Their rounded shells, their land-based habitat, and their rounded legs all confirm this. Of course, tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. I wish the book had included a page to highlight the difference between these two species, otherwise children would assume all turtles to be land-dwelling herbivores with dome-like shells.
Other than the above, this is a lovely story about how to be comfortable in your own skin (or shell, or feathers.)
Much recommended to little readers looking for a super-duper story with a marvellous message. This debut work gets a turtletastic thumbs-up from me.
4 stars.
My thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “Birtle and the Purple Turtles”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This is a great story about friendship and acceptance with cute illustrations. My little one had a blast reading this book

Turtletastic! Such a sweet story about friendship , love and.acceptance. I love the friendship, the color scheme, and the art style. Fantastic book about not only being accepting and loving of yourself but also the love and acceptance you deserve from your friends and loved ones.

It's a comforting graphic novel about the friendship of a bird and a turtle (birtle). The book conveys our tendency to fit in. Moreover, it also shows the character development of the main character, which teaches us to be confident in our shells and just be ourselves. I really love the story, which is relatable to me and might also be relatable to other readers, and the great-adorable illustrations.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Birtle and the Purple Turtles" is a delightful and magical adventure that takes young readers on a journey full of wonder and friendship. Written by Tara Hannon, this charming children's book is filled with colorful illustrations and a heartwarming story.

I received a free arc from netgalley for this book.
Birtle is a cute comic style book of turtle Tootie of turtletown meeting a new friend, Teeny and accepting them as they discover who they are,

It’s an adorable reminder to embrace our differences and not try to fit in in a way that it harms ourselves.
This books displays a lot of fun antics of these friends, and would be a cute gift for a young child.

This was such a cute picture book about a turtle befriending another animal that might be a turtle? Or maybe not? It speaks of identity, it speaks of diversity, it speaks of acceptance and being there for one another and learning to love yourself with all your idiosyncrasies and seeing that you can coexist in harmony even when there are fundamental differences and it warmed my heart.

What a fun and wholesome graphic novel for kids, about loving and accepting your friends just the way they are and being there for them when they struggle.

Tootie the turtle keeps disturbing the other turtles in their daily activities (which were so fun to watch), trying to find someone to play tag with.

When a friend to play with, literally falls from the sky, Tootie couldn’t be happier!

They have so much fun together and so much in common, they soon become the bestest friends!

But Tootie’s new friend Teeny, soon starts realizing he’s different. Teeny tries to hide it, and worries so much about it and when it becomes clear for anyone to see, Teeny hides and becomes miserable. But Tootie is there for Teeny, Tootie is so kind and positive and literally gets his friend out of his shell.

At first Teeny doesn’t want to be different but he soon realizes that it’s okay and even awesome in a way!

Thank you NetGalley, for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

"Birtle and the Purple Turtles" by Tara J. Hannon is a delightful children's book that captivated me from the moment I saw its eye-catching cover. The story revolves around the endearing friendship between Tootie and Teeny, which is beautifully portrayed throughout the book. Tootie's supportive and caring nature is heartwarming and sets a great example for young readers.

The illustrations in the book are visually appealing and complement the narrative perfectly. They bring the enchanting world of purple turtles to life, making the reading experience even more enjoyable.

Overall, "Birtle and the Purple Turtles" is a charming and well-illustrated book that not only caught my eye with its cover but also warmed my heart with its message of friendship and kindness. It's a great addition to any child's bookshelf.

I appreciate the opportunity from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this delightful e-ARC and making my reading experience enjoyable.

This book is a story about friendship, accepting oneself, and being different. The two main characters are Tootie the Turtle and Teeny the Birtle who form a friendship when Teeny drops from the sky at just the time that Tootie needs a friend to play tag. This book offers different species of characters, but isn't much different than other books about friendships amongst different people or species. Tootie and Teeny are cute characters and make great friends. I just can't find anything that sets this book apart from others about the same subject. I give this book a 3 out 5 stars.

Birtle and the Purple Turtles is a cute story of acceptance. Cute pictures and simple dialogue lead Birtle the non turtle to learning to love and accept his differences in crowd he doesn’t quite fit in. Great for young kids who may find themselves on the outskirts and need a reminder that’s it’s okay to just be themselves.

I received an electronic ARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley.
No one in Turtletown will play tag with Tootie until she meets a new friend one day. Teeny is a bit different for a turtle but the two have many adventures together. By the end, they discover what type of animal Teeny really is and the adventures continue. The artwork is fun to study and simple enough for younger readers. This comic is geared for lower elementary level readers who are beginning to explore stories on their own.