This is a sweet story about how Cool Turtle forgets his shell one day, and feels lots of sad feelings. This book would be great for a classroom with a teacher to help expain about how sometimes on the inside we feel one way, but that's not always how other perceive things. This is a great story to help build kids self-confidence!
Thanks NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was a very cute little story about a very cool turtle who didn't always feel cool. Some days Cool Turtle is all fun and happy, ready to learn and play with his friends. But sometimes Cool Turtle has doubts and wants to be alone. It was a lovely story with a very important life lesson to learn that children especially could benefit from learning at a young age. I'll be honest, I did get slightly confused at the end by some of the imagery, however I don't think children would question it and I think I was just thinking too much about it. The illustrations were beautifully done, not too busy and overstimulating but with nice bright colours to keep kids engaged. I think this would be an excellent bedtime story to read with your children.

An annoyingly perfect turtle really doesn't see himself as all that at all when he leaves his house without his shell. His grades and intelligence drop, his friends have to go without his helping or playing with them, and his self-opinion is really not good. But then lo and behold – therapy, and the revelation he did actually have a shell on all the time. Yes, this is a very simple look at self-esteem and a situation where almost an inverse of the emperor's new clothes happens, but I think this might have been simplified too much. It's very succinct, but the use and worth of the actual lesson might not be as clear as it could be. The visuals are fun, mind, so I wouldn't say people working in a certain therapeutic field should not examine this for themselves. Three and a half stars.

The writing was simple with different levels of word difficulty. This means that the story can grow with the child. The book started off with very few words on each page then gradually built up. This meant that focus wasn't lost and the message could get across without being overbearing.

The text was in a clear font and mainly black on a white background. Whilst the text could be anywhere on the page it was easy to keep track of where you were.

The pictures were often colourful characters on a white background. This meant that you could focus on the main character without getting distracted by the background. The pictures were also eye catching and full of life and emotion.

Overall a lovely story with a lovely message.

Cool Turtle’s Life Lesson, written by Janell L. Jordan and illustrated by Eleanor Loseby is a short little story that deals with self-confidence and behavior in a very basic way. The story depicts a confident Cool Turtle who generally has a positive self-image demonstrated through his self-affirmations. He loves everyone, and everyone loves him. However, Cool Turtle can quickly lose his cool if he perceives his body image in a negative light. With his shell he is strong and sweet, but without it he is consumed with negative feelings, self-talk, and a negative attitude towards his friends. With the help of Beautiful Butterfly, he soon realizes that what he feels on the inside is not always a true reflection of what is on the outside.

As a picture book for the youngest audience, the story is well balanced with lots of pictures and very little text. Many of the sentences start in the same way so it has a flow and a narrative that becomes memorable after several encounters. I appreciated that there were not words on every page, providing time for brief reflection throughout. In terms of illustrations, the pictures are simple and uncluttered but have a fairly bland color palette in the beginner and doesn’t quite match the vibrancy of the cover. However, I recognize that babies don’t see bright colors.

Suited for children from birth to around five years of age, this book could provide enjoyment and a starting point for talking about feelings and emotions. It works well as a book that carers can read to the child. Alternatively, the pictures provide enough of a framework for children to tell their own story until they are competent enough to read the text for themselves. Given its versatility, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Janell LaFaye Jordan's “Cool Turtle's Important Life Lesson,” beautifully illustrated by Eleanor Loseby, delves into the emotional journey of Cool Turtle as he grapples with self-doubt despite his apparent strength. Through the supportive presence of Miss Beautiful Butterfly, the story elegantly conveys the essential message that true confidence comes from within. A delightful tale imparting significant life lessons to young readers, encouraging them to recognize and embrace their inherent worth!

I think many children would feel related to this story. How they feel good one day and the next day—because of some unexpected situation—they become their worst self. As a teacher, I have seen this dynamic a lot in my students and it is really hard to get their confidence back.

The Cool Turtle can teach them how to handle their emotion and keep believing in themself, and it is okay to ask for help from other people when they get overwhelmed by it.

The writing style is simple and doesn’t feel too much. The children definitely can understand the meaning of the story easily. Because the writing is so simple, I can use this for a reading practice section. Such a good book to have! I highly recommend it.

I LOVE Cool Turtle. He is kind, brave, a good friend, and a perfect lesson about sadness and feeling self-conscious. However, how did Cool Turtle get his rainbow shell? I can see kiddos asking some questions about Cool Turtle's journey with Miss Beautiful Butterfly, I'm left wanting a bit more.

This is a delightful little story about Cool Turtle, who is both kind and popular in addition to being cool. But sometimes he has bad days, and then he behaves badly.

It is not until he speaks to Miss Beautiful Butterfly that Cool Turtle is actually able to understand why he behaves like this.

And gradually, as he learns to understand himself better, Cool Turtle is able to share the Really Important Thing he has learned in the process of talking to Miss Beautiful Butterfly.

There is an important message in this story that every child will benefit from. It comes with simple and easily comprehensible text, as well as very cute illustrations. Overall, highly recommended.

Beautifully illustrated, this book is a great way to teach kids about self worth and kidneys towards ourselves and others.