Official Review: Courage the turtle by Artoine Jones

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AvidBibliophile
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Official Review: Courage the turtle by Artoine Jones

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Courage the turtle" by Artoine Jones.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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When a little turtle named Courage is born without a shell, he grows up being ridiculed by the other woodland creatures living in Forest Bay. Courage often feels inadequate and incomplete, but he tries to keep his feelings hidden by crying behind closed doors. On a daily basis, he feels teased, taunted, and mistreated, and a great majority of the hurtful behavior is instigated by his older brother, Speedy. Courage’s parents and older sister try to offer him consistent emotional support and encouragement, but nothing seems to fill the void he feels inside his heart. When a sudden storm arrives in the skies above the forest, chaos and injuries result. While offering aid to a fallen acquaintance, Courage loses consciousness and senses the sudden arrival of a magical fairy god turtle who grants him three wishes.

Will he finally have the chance to request the missing shell of his dreams, or will he decide to make benevolent requests that collectively help his neighbors instead? Will Courage ultimately succeed in accepting his unique differences as gifts, or will he secure a sturdy shell to ensure he gains everyone’s valued friendship and adoration? Written by first-time author Artoine Jones, Courage the Turtle was a unique and colorful children’s book. The 40-page story included 12 full-page illustrations, and there was an equal gender representation depicted throughout the cast. The adolescent forest creatures wore a variety of backpacks, shoes, dresses, and headbands, and they all walked upright on two legs. I appreciate stories that assign anthropomorphic attributes to the main players, and this author succeeded in believably humanizing all of the named animal characters. All of the dialogue was genuine and relatable, and young readers would likely enjoy encountering mentions of purple Popsicles, relay races, rainbows, and rubies.

I was also pleased to see unique character names, such as Don “O” the Platypus, Shirley the Squirrel, Pokey the Porcupine, and Gladys the Rabbit. I suspect that kids would be attentive to the electrically charged presence of thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and forest fires, too. I feel this book would be appropriate for children between the ages of seven and ten. The storyline ultimately promoted simple messages of love, peace, and kindness, but there were quite a few words present on each page of typed text, and some of the themes might be a little frightening for younger readers.

While there were implied mentions of ridicule, shame, humiliation, loneliness, and shattered self-worth, there were also many positive qualities present, such as ingenuity, bravery, kindness, and perseverance. I did encounter more than ten grammatical and typographical errors while reading, so this story would benefit from another round of thorough editing, but these minor mistakes and inconsistencies were the only things I disliked about the book. The overall length was satisfactory, and a fitting conclusion was present.

Due to the aforementioned errors, I must award this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars, but it was a truly inspirational story with an encouraging and uplifting message. Anyone who has ever tried to put on a grin to mask their true feelings will relate to this sensitive turtle’s emotional plight. While we all wish to be accepted, no one is capable of achieving a truly unblemished life of perfection. This plot reminds us all to embrace and celebrate the differences that make us individually unique.

******
Courage the turtle
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GoodLuck ES
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Post by GoodLuck ES »

This is a beautiful story with an amazing plot. I'm definitely checking this out because I would want to find out what Turtle's request to the magical fairly god will be.

Brilliant review.
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Kavita Shah
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Post by Kavita Shah »

Courage the Turtle reminds me of Pinocchio. The story sounds wonderful and apt for kids. Great Review!
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Post by AvidBibliophile »

GoodLuck ES wrote: 25 Apr 2021, 00:35 This is a beautiful story with an amazing plot. I'm definitely checking this out because I would want to find out what Turtle's request to the magical fairly god will be.

Brilliant review.
Thank you kindly for all of your positive and uplifting words! This little turtle definitely has a heart of gold. 💛 Readers of all ages could learn something from Courage!
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Post by AvidBibliophile »

Kavita Shah wrote: 25 Apr 2021, 03:15 Courage the Turtle reminds me of Pinocchio. The story sounds wonderful and apt for kids. Great Review!
You make a great inference and comparison. This story has an undeniable deeper meaning, message, and moral! Thank you so much for your lovely comment! 🐢
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Post by Becca Olsson »

Such s cute story with great lessons for kids. Thanks for the great review!
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Booklover Becca wrote: 25 Apr 2021, 14:56 Such s cute story with great lessons for kids. Thanks for the great review!
Really appreciate you stopping by to check out this sweet little story! The life lessons are endless in children’s books. 📚
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Post by TheMazeRunner »

This book carries an important message. I would love to read it. Great review!
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TheMazeRunner wrote: 26 Apr 2021, 03:27 This book carries an important message. I would love to read it. Great review!
Appreciate your positive words of feedback and support! I do love a children’s book with an uplifting and important message. 🔆
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Post by RetiredOBNurse »

Courage is the perfect name for this little turtle without a shell. It sounds like a wonderful story as not one of us is perfect, we all have flaws that require courage to accept and persevere. The animal friends he meets along the way makes it even more magical. Wonderful review!
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Post by AvidBibliophile »

RetiredOBNurse wrote: 27 Apr 2021, 20:56 Courage is the perfect name for this little turtle without a shell. It sounds like a wonderful story as not one of us is perfect, we all have flaws that require courage to accept and persevere. The animal friends he meets along the way makes it even more magical. Wonderful review!
It’s hard not to sympathize with and root for this little turtle. He tries so hard to fit in, but the majority of the other forest animals his age bully him. Despite that, he keeps making selfless gestures and kind attempts, in hopes of being accepted someday. It was a sweet story with a realistic message. Thank you. 🐢
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Post by Mwatu »

I feel the book aptly captures the struggle of sibling rivalry. Courage's own brother is a great source of his misery. It is interesting he gets a chance to choose to get out of it and I hope he made better decisions concerning that chance. Thank you for a lovely review!
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Post by AvidBibliophile »

Mwatu wrote: 29 Apr 2021, 01:03 I feel the book aptly captures the struggle of sibling rivalry. Courage's own brother is a great source of his misery. It is interesting he gets a chance to choose to get out of it and I hope he made better decisions concerning that chance. Thank you for a lovely review!
There is definitely a presence of sibling discord within this storyline. Speedy and Courage clearly represent the typical roles of an aggressive bully and a sensitive victim. I love that the plot places Courage in a position to finally become the master of his own destiny. Thank you for your kind words! 🌟
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Post by Shaira Lou Casala »

"Courage" means bravery .This is the simple word i can say. Its a nice book..And theirs a lot of positive lesson that children will learn.And its timely happening right now, because of differences..I love it so ill i give it 4 out of 4..
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Post by AvidBibliophile »

Shaira Lou Casala wrote: 29 Apr 2021, 16:05 "Courage" means bravery .This is the simple word i can say. Its a nice book..And theirs a lot of positive lesson that children will learn.And its timely happening right now, because of differences..I love it so ill i give it 4 out of 4..
Courage was undoubtedly a brave little turtle, different but determined. This one contained many positive lessons for sure! Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. 🍃
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