Rodney Was a Tortoise

Bernadette loves her pet tortoise, Rodney, and finds ways to share time with him, from staring contests to bedtime animal stories. As Rodney grows old and stops moving, Bernadette’s mother tells her that he has died. The family holds a burial and remembers Rodney’s qualities, but Bernadette remains deeply sad afterward. At school, she withdraws from classmates who do not seem to understand her loss and retreats into a protective shell of her own. A classmate named Amar recognizes her sadness and offers sympathy, helping Bernadette begin to move forward after losing Rodney.