Rodney Was a Tortoise

K-Gr 3–A gentle look at the friendship between a young child and her pet, and inevitable loss. Rodney and Bernadette are best friends who share all of their adventures from sunup to sundown. Rodney is a wizened old tortoise with wrinkles lining his olive-green face. Bernadette is a young girl with a dark brown bob and warm brown skin. The duo eat, sleep, and play together. They enjoy games, contests, show-and-tell, and dress-up. Bernadette can tell when Rodney is smiling. He is Bernadette’s faithful and loyal friend, though he moves very slowly and slower each day, until one day he stops altogether. This story of grief is honest and genuine as Bernadette struggles; she feels as though her world has stopped, while for others the world keeps whizzing by. Watercolor and pencil illustrations are charming in their simplicity. The muted palette leans heavily on grays and greens, a fitting choice for a story not only about the somber topic of loss and mourning but also about a tortoise.