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Rodney Was a Tortoise

Author Nan Forler
Illustrated by Yong Ling Kang
Look inside
Hardcover
$18.99 US
Tundra | Tundra Books
8.44"W x 10.31"H x 0.43"D  
On sale Feb 15, 2022 | 40 Pages | 9780735266629
Preschool - 2
Reading Level: Lexile AD560L | Fountas & Pinnell M
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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.
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. She lives in Waterloo, Ontario. View titles by Nan Forler
Yong Ling Kang was born in Malaysia and grew up in Singapore. Her formal education is in animation where she developed her love of storytelling. When she was a child, she remembers being given a special piece of jewelry as part of a family tradition. The illustrator of numerous picture books, Yong Ling Kang now lives in Toronto. View titles by Yong Ling Kang
  • SHORTLIST | 2024
    Shining Willow Award
  • NOMINEE | 2023
    Blue Spruce Award
  • SELECTION | 2023
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2023
    Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
  • HONOR | 2023
    Charlotte Zolotow Award
  • SHORTLIST | 2023
    IODE Jean Throop Book Award
One of CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens (Fall 2022), Starred Selection
One of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids 2022

"Wry, observational writing and loose, frequently funny vignettes by Kang give this tale of loss its own distinctive, endearing resonance." —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

“Line breaks in Forler’s warm text slow the pace and focus on moments in time. Kang’s gentle watercolor and pencil illustrations touchingly depict this special relationship, making the inevitable all the more heartbreaking.” —STARRED REVIEW, The Horn Book

"Bernadette's happiness and grief both are conveyed through distinctive details in a narrative that adeptly balances a hard topic with moments of laugh-out-loud humor." —Cooperative Children's Book Center

". . . [T]his gentle book may resonate, bring comport, and help children work through their feelings." —CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"The firm directness here makes this more an authentic exploration of grief than an assured comfort, and the focus on Bernadette's ongoing sorrow, especially as it contrasts with the bustle of an ongoing world, will resonate with readers who have suffered a recent loss or are still mourning one long past." —Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books

"This is a heartwarming book about love, loss, friendship, and restoration. Children . . . who've lost a pet will be touched by this sweet tale." —Manhattan Book Review

"This is a touching story with sweet illustrations that will speak to kids of all ages." —Midwest Book Review

About

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.

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. She lives in Waterloo, Ontario. View titles by Nan Forler
Yong Ling Kang was born in Malaysia and grew up in Singapore. Her formal education is in animation where she developed her love of storytelling. When she was a child, she remembers being given a special piece of jewelry as part of a family tradition. The illustrator of numerous picture books, Yong Ling Kang now lives in Toronto. View titles by Yong Ling Kang

Awards

  • SHORTLIST | 2024
    Shining Willow Award
  • NOMINEE | 2023
    Blue Spruce Award
  • SELECTION | 2023
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2023
    Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
  • HONOR | 2023
    Charlotte Zolotow Award
  • SHORTLIST | 2023
    IODE Jean Throop Book Award

Praise

One of CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens (Fall 2022), Starred Selection
One of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids 2022

"Wry, observational writing and loose, frequently funny vignettes by Kang give this tale of loss its own distinctive, endearing resonance." —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

“Line breaks in Forler’s warm text slow the pace and focus on moments in time. Kang’s gentle watercolor and pencil illustrations touchingly depict this special relationship, making the inevitable all the more heartbreaking.” —STARRED REVIEW, The Horn Book

"Bernadette's happiness and grief both are conveyed through distinctive details in a narrative that adeptly balances a hard topic with moments of laugh-out-loud humor." —Cooperative Children's Book Center

". . . [T]his gentle book may resonate, bring comport, and help children work through their feelings." —CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"The firm directness here makes this more an authentic exploration of grief than an assured comfort, and the focus on Bernadette's ongoing sorrow, especially as it contrasts with the bustle of an ongoing world, will resonate with readers who have suffered a recent loss or are still mourning one long past." —Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books

"This is a heartwarming book about love, loss, friendship, and restoration. Children . . . who've lost a pet will be touched by this sweet tale." —Manhattan Book Review

"This is a touching story with sweet illustrations that will speak to kids of all ages." —Midwest Book Review

Additional formats

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