Very cute book. I'm really enjoying my Children Book
Weekend so far- going thru my netgalley and using their
reader finally!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7446802022

Mother of two here, and we LOVED The Tortosaurus, by Katie Cottle. The story follows an adorable girl, Dot, as she starts at a new school and is nervous to make friends. When sharing about pets, in class, Dot tries to impress her classmates by sharing that she has a tortosaurus at home. She then heads home to create an entire costume for her adorable pet tortoise, Monty. Everyone is so impressed by her tortosaurus but Monty eventually reveals his true-self. The story is adorable and Dot ends up becoming great friends with someone else who also has a tortoise, wishing she had just been herself the whole time. As a mother, I felt so compassionate for Dot and the stress of starting at a new school but I loved that she was eventually accepted for who she is. It just takes one friend to make you feel good about yourself! My kids loved the story, and cracked up at Monty’s Tortosaurus costume. The story kept their attention, and they loved the illustrations. I would definitely recommend this book to an elementary-aged family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiger Tales for this eARC!

Starting school is never easy, and Dot is as nervous as can be. On her first day of school she feels the pressure of fitting in and making new friends. In her effors to stand out, she bends the truth when telling the class about her pet tortoise and instead says she has a tortosaurus. After creating a crafty costume, Dot brings Monty, her pet, to school and they quickly rise to fame. Will Monty be able to handle the fame, or will Dot's deception become too much to handle?
This story takes a fun spin on learning to be confident in yourself. The sweet relationship between Dot and Monty is a clear reminder that it's best to just be honest and be yourself. The art in this book is so cute it's no wonder Monty became so famous so fast.

The first day of school can be tough, especially when you don't know any of the other kids. Making friends takes time and can be stressful for anyone, but young Doy had an idea of how to make the other students like her - turning her turtle Monty into a Tortosaurus! Everyone is so very impressed but Dot learns an important lesson: You can only make real friends by truly being yourself AND a real friend won't force you to be someone you're not...even if that friend is a turtle.
This book is perfect for young kids in PreK through grade 2. Especially great for getting your little one ready for starting their journey in a classroom for the first time.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What do you do if you think your pet is going to be boring? Well, obviously, you turn your pet into a dinosaur! This seemed like such a great idea... This is a wonderfully humorous story with a chance for redemption at the end. And who can say no to dinosaurs? Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Katie Cottle really knocked this book out of the park! I absolutely love when children's book are not only well written, but written about very likely conversations/issues/problems that children have or face (no matter how trivial or silly they may seem to the adults). Dot's pet might be considered "boring" by her classmates, but she is determined to make her boring pet a bit more interesting... and boy, does she! The Tortosaurus was so well written and illustrated, it's an immediate "buy now" from me!

Awesome book! I loved the level of imagination, the moral, and the execution of this book. It's clear that the author has a lot of imagination, and it showed itself in the main character's imagination with turning their pet tortoise into a TORTOSAURUS!! That whole aspect of the story was adorable, joyful, and fun, which is always a great thing in a kids' book. The story was presented in an organized way that made a lot of sense, and the plot moved at a perfect pace to keep the reader engaged and, at the same time, fully form the story and message. Speaking of the message, it was perfect! Wanting to fit in is a very real experience for every kid, and this book flawlessly teaches young readers that going with the crowd isn't all it's cracked up to be. I have no doubt that readers will take after the main character and find their own unique group of people, while staying true to themselves. Bravo!

This is a must have book for my school library. It is a wonderful reminder of the importance of just being yourself and not trying to impress others.

Netgalley ARC - Dot is adorable and I think the message of this picture book gets across well through the plot and the connection between Dot and Monty. This is so sweet!

Some nice lessons in this story about a girl and her pet.
1. Being yourself takes time, and that's ok.
2. Little lies turn into big ones quickly, and then it's hard to get right again.
3. Don't expect your friends to be people they're not, any more than you should try to be something you're not.

The illustrations are great, bright but relaxing. Very cheerful and reassuring. And there aren't enough books about turtles, or "girl" books about dinosaurs, so this checks two boxes!

Thank you for the ARC. I'll purchase for my library.

Enjoy this cute picture book with a "shell-ebrity" tortoise. It's the classic tale of a young kid who wants to fit in and make friends but ends up telling a little lie to make her simple tortoise into a torto-saurus. Finding a path to acceptance and finding friends along the way makes this a satisfying read.

This is so cute and has SUCH a great lesson. It's not in your face about it either, which is nice when you're reading 68735 diff kids books a day, iykyk.

I highly recommend this to anyone with littles, especially if they're not as comfy away from home or will be starting school/any kind of new big group activity.

(Thank you bunches to Katie Cottle, Publisher Spotlight, Tiger Tales and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!)

This is a must have book for teachers everywhere! It is a wonderful reminder of the importance of just being yourself and not trying to impress others. It is brilliantly written and very relatable. I highly recommend it!

The Tortosaurus is an adorable story about realizing its ok to be who you are. Dot is going to a new school and hopes to make friends and fit in. She becomes discouraged when her pet doesn't seem to be quite as cool as her classmates' pets. She decides to put a spin, or her pet and it takes her to the top of the class. Read this adorable story to find out if she stays there or realizes it may not be everything, she thought it would be.
I think my pre-k class would love this story, and it would definitely evoke conversations about being ok with who you are. Thank you NetGalley and Tiger Tales for this eARC.

Dot is nervous about being at a new school and making new friends. When her class talks about classroom pets, she decides to say her pet tortoise is actually a tortosaurus! Everyone is obsessed with the tortosaurus, but keeping up the charade becomes harder and harder. The Tortosaurus is a story about learning to be okay with who we are and how it's way better to make friends with people who know the real us, too.

This was a sweet children's book with a message that all kids will need at some point. The illustrations were also very colorful and showed a lot of movement. It was a great bedtime read with my kids.

Thanks to Tiger Tales and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.