Birtle and the Purple Turtles - Tara J. Hannon - ★★★★

-
AUTHOR: Tara J. Hannon
GENRE: Children's Graphic Novel
RATING: 4 stars.

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.

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Explore more posts from this blog:

Takeout Sushi - Christopher Green - ★★★★

-
Image
  AUTHOR: Christopher Green GENRE: Contemporary Short Story Collection, Japanese Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE:  May 2, 2024 RATING: 3.9  stars. In a Nutshell: An interesting collection of stories, with most of them set in Japan. Loved the writing style and enjoyed the diverse emotions. Much recommended! This story collection has, as the title suggests, a strong Japanese flavour. So let me begin by confessing that I am not a fan of Japanese literature. Most Japanese fiction that I tried hasn’t suited my reading tastes, so I generally keep away from this genre. The reason I picked this collection up is... No, no, the sushi had no role to play in my decision; I can’t stand even the thought of sushi! The reason I wanted to read this is that the author is NOT a Japanese! 😁 I know this sounds quite silly to declare, but had the author been Japanese, I would have resisted opting for this. But by virtue of his being an “outsider”, I thought it was a great opportunity to get a look at Japan witho
Read More»

Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales - Catherine Cawthorne - ★★★★★

-
Image
AUTHOR: Catherine Cawthorne ILLUSTRATOR: Sara Ogilvie GENRE: Children's Nonfiction PUBLICATION DATE: April 25, 2024 RATING: 5 sparkly, scientifically accurate stars. In a Nutshell: This book and I were a match made in book heaven! Loved the approach that combines humour and logic to debunk the sillier elements of some fairy tales. Strongly recommended! I enjoy fairy tales. I love scientific thinking. I adore logic. I relish humour. Seeing all four of these together in a single work was almost a “bookgasmic” moment for me! 😆 Had the book not delivered on any of these factors, I might still have been happy reading it. But the content not only reaches but also surpasses the promise made by the title and cover. All of us know that there are several logically impossible elements in fairy tales. In childhood, we might have oohed and awwwed at the stories without overthinking the practicalities. In adulthood, we might have cringed at the gender bias, wealth bias, and the lack of conse
Read More»

Red Runs the Witch's Thread - Victoria Williamson - ★★★★

-
Image
  AUTHOR: Victoria Williamson GENRE: Historical Fiction, Horror. RATING:  4 stars. In a Nutshell: A psychological horror inspired by the last witch burning in Scotland in 1697. A disturbing yet compelling read. I wanted more closure at the end for my own peace of mind, but other than that, this was a satisfying book. Recommended! Plot Preview: 1722. Paisley, Scotland. Thirty-seven-year-old widow Christian Shaw is obsessed with perfecting her thread bleaching process. She wants to make the thread the purest white, so it can sell better and restore their family fortunes. In the absence of any male family members, it is up to her as the eldest daughter to ensure the security of their house, her mother and two younger sisters, and her late father’s social position as the laird (landowner.)  However, Christian’s mind is troubled. With the 25th anniversary of the witch burnings of 1697 approaching, Christian’s thoughts go frequently to the past, and to the role she played in the burning of s
Read More»

Making Up the Gods - Marion Agnew - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Marion Agnew GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2023 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An indie drama with some quirky characters and a great setting in Lake Superior, Canada. Mellow in tone, genuine in content, thought-provoking in themes. I enjoyed this unusual novel. Plot Preview: Simone, almost 70, is a retired widow who lives an isolated life in her cottage on the banks of Lake Superior and still misses her husband, though he’s been dead for five years. While she is now active in her local church and finds solace in baking for those grieving, she is fiercely protective of her privacy. But when the local reverend asks her to take care of nine-year-old Chen while his widowed mother goes on a much-needed trip, Simone finds it tough to refuse a fellow-mourning widow. Just before Chen arrives, a stranger named Martin knocks at Simone’s door, claiming to be her cousin. Simone is suddenly handling two strangers at once, and she worries that they will dis
Read More»

The Great Divide - Cristina Henríquez - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Cristina Henríquez GENRE: Historical Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: March 5, 2024 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A literary fiction focussed on Panama during the time of the construction of the Panama Canal. Note that this isn’t a book directly about the canal or its construction, but about the people connected to the canal in some way or the other during that period. A great book if you go in with the right expectations and enjoy character-oriented fiction. Plot Preview: 1907, Panama. Francisco, a Panamanian fisherman, hates the commercialisation of his country under the foreigners, and hence resents his son Omar’s joining the canal construction crew. Omar, however, wants to learn and earn more than his little village can offer him. Sixteen-year-old Ada has heard about Panama having many jobs. She has stowed away to Panama, hoping to get some work and earn enough for her ailing sister’s surgery back in Barbados. Her mother Lucille, a tailor, doesn’t yet know of her ru
Read More»