The Tortosaurus is a heartwarming picture book about friendship and being yourself. The friendship between Dot and her pet tortoise, Monty, is tested after Dot, desperate to make friends on the first day of school, tells the class that she has a tortosaurus.
The Story: When Dot tells her classmates that she has a tortosaurus they’re excited to meet Monty who soon becomes the neighbourhood shell-ebrity. But Monty becomes unhappy with being the centre of attention and Dot struggles with being somebody she’s not. The situation comes to a head when Monty is awarded a certificate of reptilian excellence…
Making new friends can be hard and after a classmate’s comment about tortoises being boring Dot invents the tortosaurus and creates a disguise for Monty. At first Monty’s happy to help Dot but when life gets too busy he’s pushed to his limits and just wants to be himself again. Dot is cross with Monty when he reveals his true identity but his bravery and ability to do so also encourages her to make new friends by being herself. And luckily one of her classmates also has a pet tortoise!
We really empathised with the characters as they tried to deal with the situations that stemmed from their deception. The underlying message that being yourself rather than lying to impress is subtly woven into an enjoyable story which also includes amusing puns – shell-ebrity and shelfie are our favourites. We love the bold, colourful illustrations which are full of humour and Monty’s tortosaurus costume is brilliant – his little hat is so cute 🙂
The Tortosaurus can be used in the classroom to initiate discussions about how to make friends and the consequences of not being honest about yourself. It could also stimulate a fun art and craft session – what would a pigosaurus or a spidersauaus look like?!
Age Range: 3 +
Author / Illustrator: Katie Cottle
Thank you to Little Tiger for sending a review copy of this gorgeous picture book.
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