Bernadette adores her tortoise Rodney, interacting with him in ways that may surprise those who doubt the species ability to be a gratifying pet. Bernadette (brown-skinned) engages with Rodney in ways well matched to his behavior, like the staring contests he inevitably wins because Bernadette always laughs first. When she reads animal stories aloud to Rodney at bedtime and says the tortoise lines, “she was sure she caught him smiling.” But Rodney is slowing down in his old age and one day he stops moving. Bernadette imagines he’s holding his breath as a joke, but her mother says Rodney is dead. The family holds a burial and tribute to Rodney’s many qualities, but in the days that follow Bernadette continues to mourn, withdrawing from the other kids at school, who seem incomprehensibly oblivious to her loss. Receding into her metaphorical protective shell, Bernadette is isolated until classmate Amar acknowledges her sadness and offers the sympathy she needs to move forward. 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. Honor Book, 2023 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center (Ages 3-7)