Turtle and Tortoise Are Not Friends: A Funny Picture Book About Opposites Learning Friendship for Kids

by Mike Reiss, Ashley Spires (Illustrator)

This is Turtle.

This is Tortoise.

As little hatchlings, Turtle and Tortoise decided that they could never, ever be friends.

Why?

Because they are so different.

But maybe they've got it all wrong.

A hilarious and clever story about an unlikely friendship between two stubborn creatures, Turtle and Tortoise Are Not Friends proves that you can't always judge someone by their shell.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 23, 2019

Reviews

[Maia James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adult readers will enjoy this hilarious and adorable book as much as their audience of children! The illustrations are adorable (who knew a turtle and a tortoise could have such expressive faces), and the slow/fast jokes had me laughing out loud. (Everything happens in extreme slow motion. A ball falls into their pen, and they race to get to it first. The turtle wins. It only took him seven years.) The hilarity builds throughout the book and ends with a charming reconciliation and recognition that they aren't as different as they thought. This would be a wonderful book to spark a conversation with young readers about friendships with people who are different from one's self.

[Ben Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turtle and Tortoise Are Not Friends is a children's picture book written by Mike Reiss and illustrated by Ashley Spires, which features two eggs find themselves in the same pen in a London zoo, and when they hatch, a turtle and a tortoise emerge.

Reiss' text is rather simplistic and straightforward. Reiss dutifully notes the lengthy passages of time to comic effect. The two are so stubborn and slow-moving that it takes an entire human generation, plus the time it takes to realize they can become friends. Spires' digital illustrations have a comedic pacing that matches the text's mix of exaggeration and understatement. As the cityscape modernizes behind the zoo enclosure’s drama, it becomes clear that some things, from buildings to friendships, just take time.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. When Turtle and Tortoise hatch in the same city zoo habitat, they seem destined to be best friends for a good long time. However, Tortoise quickly and haughtily declares that they are too different to be friends. Turtle wimpishly cedes the point, and they hunker down on either side of a small pond as the years pile up and they come to the realization that they can indeed become friends.

All in all, Turtle and Tortoise Are Not Friends is a humorous and charming children's book that celebrates friendship, tolerance, and acceptance, which are all worth sharing.

[Matthew Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

It might be a a tiny bit longer than I would normally read at a Story Time session, and some of it may go a a little over the heads of younger listeners, but it is a very cute and funny story with really nice art.

[Sharon Skinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous friendship story about opposites learning they have more in common than they think. And the illustrations are so good.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of the school year is a great time to share this story about tolerance for differences and living in relationship with each other. Turtle and Tortoise are born in the same pen and right away embrace misinformation about themselves and use that as a reason to reject the idea of friendship with each other. Because these creatures live so long, they go many years without talking to each other or helping each other in any way. But an unfortunate accident leaves them both stuck on their backs and they're going to have to figure out a way to redeem their relationship and move past it in order to help each other get back on their feet. Sometimes young people have a hard time moving past misinformation and prejudices to realize that we all are more alike than different and that differences should be celebrated rather than letting them close us off to terrific friendships.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stubbornness. It can affect your life for far too long. For turtle and tortoise, their "perceived differences" make them NOT be friends. And it affects them for YEARS.

Oh how I loved all of the verbiage about turtles and tortoises being slow. I found myself cracking up!! I want to share this book with my storytime kiddos and use it as an opportunity to share about embracing differences. Don't waste time on stupid stuff!

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A turtle and a tortoise hatch at the same time at a zoo. They quickly discover they are far too different to be friends and spend the next many years antagonizing one another. But one day they both end up on their backs and discover that if they help each other perhaps things can change.

Excellent illustrations.

[Peace_Love_Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

We LOVED this book! My sons and I laughed out loud multiple times while reading this book . It was hysterical . We loved the time increments! Can’t wait to check out this authors other works !

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some cute pictures, but it is mainly just jokes about moving slowly, and inaccurate about the members of the Testudines order.

[SheReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for YA Books Central

Turtle and Tortoise Are Not Friends is a cute children's book that kids will like simply for the fact that it's about turtles. The turtle and the tortoise are born around the same time in a pen but determine they can't be friends because they are different animals. So, they go about their lives on separate ends of the pen, trying to ignore each other.
Until they can't anymore because something happens and they realize they need each other's help.

The story is told in simple terms with certain exceptions. It relies a lot on the reader or listener to understand the passage of time and just how long years are in order to really be funny. Kids young enough to enjoy the book would have a hard time with that.
The images also lack vibrancy. I wish there'd been more color to keep a kid entranced.
But it's short enough that they won't get bored before the end. Stories about animals are always a hit and this one is no different.

Final Verdict:
A cute story of what it takes to become friends, told in an engaging style that's sure to entertain little ones.

[Angel Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley Spires did a great job in creating the illustrations of lines and patterns on turtle and tortoise in this book. The story goes turtle and the tortoise were born in a pen together. When they introduced themselves, they established that one was a turtle and the other was a tortoise. Immediately, they decided they could not be friends and stayed on the opposite sides of the pen, avoiding each other for years. One day they fought over a ball that randomly fell into the pen and got stuck on their backs. The owner of the zoo was giving a tour and said how even though there's a turtle and a tortoise, they are both turtles at the end of the day. The turtle and the tortoise decided they needed to work together to get off their backs. In the end, they found a way to get up and became friends. This story is such a thoughtful way to present friendship, compassion, and acceptance to kids. I would read this story to kids, preferably first graders and teach them to not judge others because beneath the surface there is more in common than our differences.

[Emma Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Turtle and Tortoise are hatched in the same enclosure. But soon realize they cannot be friends because they are different. They spent years on opposite sides of the enclosure until they grew old and started to change their thinking.

I really liked this book, it is super funny and easy to read. This book is a funny example of conflict. The turtle and tortoise are forced to live in the same enclosure but they don't want to be friends. This is where the conflict starts, they still have their whole lives ahead of them and they are stuck together. The conflict is then resolved when they become friends and are excited to live together and share stories.

[Carly Hawksworth]

This book is about a turtle and a tortoise who are both born in the same pen at the zoo, but do not become friends with one another because they are different and think one is better than the other. At the end of the book, they are flipped over on their backs and decide to help each other get back onto 4 legs and they became friends. I could use this in my classroom when talking about being kind and explaining that one person is never better than another person. I would definitely have this book in my classroom.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and quirky book about two reptiles (tortoises are actually a subgroup of turtles) who are born together, live together, but don't get along. (Spoiler alert--finally they do.) But the time frame and longevity are quirky but fun. Not sure if little kids get the humor of so many years, when just a couple of weeks of waiting for a birthday or Christmas seem a lifetime to them, but the reading adult will probably get an additional chuckle out of this.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turtle and Tortoise hatch on the same day, at the same zoo. And yet despite all their commonalities they decide they are too different to be friends. I picked this because Oz has an "enemy" in his class who he is remarkably similar to in a lot of ways, and while I don't think he picked up on that, he did enjoy this story of the turtle and tortoise who end up working together and becoming best of friends in the end, no matter how long it takes.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turtle and Tortoise are hatched in the same pen. They spend decades not being friends because they are different. Eventually, they figure out how silly that is and decide to be together.
Obvious lessons on not judging others and getting to know those who are not exactly like you. Terrific read for early in the school year.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about 2 creatures who decide they can't be friends because they're different. They spend years in the same pen without talking to each other. Then they learn they have a lot in common and turn into friends.

I don't like the exaggeration of how long it takes them to meet or to get turned over (they're slow, but not that slow). Kids might find it funny, though.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the eyes of a turtle and a tortoise, the subject of friendship is addressed in this picture book. I loved this story and see how easily it could be used to spur conversations in a classroom or with parents and their children. Differences do not have to divide us and can, in fact, allow us much richer lives.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turtle and Tortoise were born in the same zoo enclosure. Being so much alike they should have been fast friends, but the two let the distinction between their species keep them apart for far too long. Children will not miss the message of acceptance in this charming book.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

As hatchlings turtle and tortoise were at odds with each other. They decided not to be friends because they thought they were different from each other. Their stubbornness held out for 46 years until one day they heard a remarkable fact. It was then they became fast friends.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A turtle and a tortoise live in a park in England and proceed to fight over silly things and take an extraordinarily long time to do things. Apparently turtles can live for 100 years, so you see the people's clothes in the background changing throughout the decades.

[Sadina Shawver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only was this a fun read but the subtle signs of how slow time is passing outside of their tiff are super amusing. It forces some engagement outside of the norm in Storytime so you can call attention to this abstract idea. Not sure all the kiddos found it as funny as I did, but that's fine.

[Mrs Getz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my preschoolers and they laughed. There was also a lot of adult humor for us big kids as well. It was a good lesson in how we should still be friends even if we have different qualities. Also a good lesson in the difference between turtles and tortoises.

[Izabella Bensing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern Fantasy
Kindergarten-2 Grade Reading Level

This is such a silly book. At first, it’s very sad, but it becomes sweet in the end. There are a few interesting facts throughout the book as well that would be very informational. It’s a good lesson on friendship and kindness!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork was terrific, and there was humor right from the beginning. at birth. Tortoise says he and Turtle cannot be friends. The large passages of time are always a scary thing to me, but it was also funny.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not how time works! But otherwise absolutely charming.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

While didn't like as much as my co-worker did, there is plenty to love and laugh along with

[Ethan & Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like I declared at the beginning of the book, "No, Mommy, they ARE friends!"

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the most clever and humorous picture book ever created.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A turtle and a tortoise share a habitat and a hatred for many years. Will they ever become friends? Cute. preschool and up