| Title | : | The Tortoise and the Soldier: A Story of Courage and Friendship in World War I |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1627791736 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781627791731 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published July 7, 2015 |
The Tortoise and the Soldier: A Story of Courage and Friendship in World War I Reviews
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An interesting story about some little known facts and places during the first world war. This was written for children so the style wasn’t hard and I found it interesting.
There is at least one use of the Lord’s Name as a swear word. -
It's the early 1950s and office boy Trevor Roberts just wants to be a full-fledged reporter for his hometown paper, the Lowestoft Journal, but so far, he only get reporting jobs once in a blue moon, and usually not very interesting. One March morning, Trevor is sent out to see if Mr. Friston's tortoise has woken up from his winter hibernation. Little did Trevor know that that would be the beginning of a long friendship and a wonderful article for the newspaper.
Slowly, over a series of weekends, Trevor peddles out to the two converted railroad cars that Henry Frisson's lives in and hears the story of how he acquired his tortoise, whom he named Ali Pasha, during World War I. Told in a series of flashbacks and using his saved wartime memorabilia, including his diary, Henry recalls wanting to see the world as a boy, and joining the Royal Navy hoping to realize his dreams. But shortly after, WWI breaks out and Henry's ship, HMS Implacable, heads straight for Gallipoli. There, Henry finds himself on shore and in the trenches, charged with the duty of removing wounded and dead soldiers from the battlefield, ironically in the company of the Turkish soldiers they were fighting with.
It is in the midst of fighting one day that Henry is knocked down into a shallow crater by a shell blast, followed by a hard object hitting his head. It turned out to be a tortoise whom Henry befriends while waiting for the fighting to end. Henry decides to rescue the tortoise and sneaks it on to the HMS Implacable, hiding it in his battleship station, the Number Two Gun turret. Because Henry found his tortoise on the Gallipoli Peninsula, which was part of the Ottoman Empire then, he decides to name it Ali Pasha, after one of its rulers.
From Gallipoli, the HMS Implacable heads to the Suez Canal, and eventually back to England. And Ali Pasha go home with Henry, where the two lived out their days together.
I always know that when I pick up a Micheal Foreman book, I am going to like the story and the artwork equally and The Tortoise and the Soldier is no exception. Here is a wonderful, lifelong story that begins on the battlefield of one of the worst campaigns in WWI and continues of over 70 years.
And though the center of the story is about Henry and Ali Pasha, there is a lot of story relating to Henry's family, his school days, his brothers fighting in Europe, and mostly centrally, his relationship with the other sailors assigned to Number Two Gun turret. Foreman subtly shows the reader how important it is to be able to not just get along with those who live in such close proximity to one, but also how much better it is if you really like each other and work together. As Henry tells Trevor, his shipmates would bring Ali Pasha treats from their own meals in the hope that he would bring them luck.
Perhaps the best message a young reader can take away from this story, is that the enemy, in this case the soldiers from Turkey, are really at bottom no different from Henry and his mates, a important discovery he makes during a short cease fire to collect the dead.
This is a very pleasant story, one told for the most part with a light touch, but make no mistake about it, Foreman doesn't sugar-coat what happens in war, on the sea and in the battle field. Recognizing oneself in the enemy, and realizing how deadly war is are both good reasons for kids to read this book. But so is the enduring friendship between man and tortoise.
The Tortoise and the Soldier is historical fiction based on the lives of the real Henry Friston and Ali Pasha. Foreman includes information, photos and other artifacts about both man and tortoise, as well as his own personal story knowing Henry during WWII. But it is Foreman's own watercolor illustrations that really enhance and give depth to the tale he is telling:
This is a wonderful story that is sure to appeal to many middle grade readers.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted on
The Children's War -
A young soldier finds a tortoise in the midst of war. He feels that the tortoise saves him and so he then rescues the tortoise, sneaks it on board his ship and cares for it throughout the war and after.
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The Tortoise and the Soldier by Michael Foreman
Age range:7-12
Hardcover, 128 pages
Henry Holt and Co, November 24, 2015
Saw this pop up in my McMillan new book feed and bought it immediately.
This one is going in our school library And my home library. (I am delivering two books to our library today so great day!)
First, full disclosure, I have a tortoise obsessed son who Loves military history so I took a chance based on the description that this would be something he would want to read.
Now this book is a bit young for his reading level (and just like me he read it in one sitting yesterday evening). But it is a wonderful story with beautiful watercolor illustrations and real photographs throughout.
The story starts in the 1950s with our narrator Trevor, going to visit an older gentleman in his small English village who has a tortoise. The Editor wants to know if the tortoise has woken up from his Winter bromation and is walking about yet. So over on his old rickety bike rushes the young teen to see what the big deal about this tortoise is. Trevor asks Mr Friston what's the tortoises' story. So while Trevor works around the yard, Mr Friston, recounts his story as a young sailor aboard the HMS Implacable.
Along the way we meet Mr Henry Friston as a young man, Ali Pasha (prince among tortoises), and many exotic locations where Henry was stationed during WWI. I am sure a bit of artistic liscense has been taken, but the book is filled with actual pictures of Henry, the tortoise, and artifacts from Henry' time in the Royal Navy. The stories about Galipoli are realistic and not pretty, but Mr Foreman tempers the death and tragedy of trench warfare with occasional sometimes dark humor. My favorite is when a truce is called where both sides took "a half time in hell" for first aid and burial to be rendered to both sides. Or later when Henry is carting aboard crates of dates (Ali' favorite food). This is a middle grade book though, and while some of the story might give sensitive readers pause, it is done in small doses with a huge dollop of compassion and humanity to balance the horror. Besides this is a story about war, and trench ware fare no less.
The author Mr Foreman does explain that he met Mr Friston driving the local bus usually filled with soldiers in WWII, and became friends with Dan, Mr Friston' son. It was Dan who introduced Michael to Ali Pasha, and he grew up hearing stories about Henry' time in WWI over many years. So while the story about Henry and his adventures with Ali Pasha are true, the narrative about the newspaper and a young boy learning about it over days is not. -
Michael Foreman tells the story of Henry Friston, a young WWI soldier fighting for Britain through a reporter's interview. The book is based on true events and accounts of Friston's experiences in the British Royal Navy. Similar to many war veterans, Friston has artifacts and treasures from his experience fighting in Turkey that he holds dear, but one of them is a tortoise named Ali Pasha. The book uses lots of language from the time period and goes back and forth between the war via Friston's diary or descriptions and the present time period in which the interview is being done. There are two friendships that develop. One, during the war between young Henry Friston and Ali Pasha, and the other, between old Henry Friston and the reporter, Trevor. While war happens in the background of the retelling, a large focus is on friendship and ever soldier's desire for peace. There are small illustrations that supplement the text throughout the story that show the reader that Henry was still just a child while in the war. The illustrations reflect his youth, while at the same time showing the truth and carnage of war.
Read on Kindle. Source: 2016 USBBY Outstanding International Books List -
This is a lovely story!! I knew people had animals involved in World War I - dogs, horses, a goat. Hell! The Canadians had a bear!! (It ended up at the London Zoo & became the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh.) I had never previously heard of or thought of a tortoise or turtle involved in WWI. So glad this story exists!
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Young Henry Friston, a gunner on a Royal Navy battleship adopts a tortoise he finds on a battlefield during the Gallipoli campaign and takes it back to England where they remain lifelong companions. Based on a true story, this is history with a light touch. A nicely illustrated, simple but engaging story for middle grade readers.
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We really enjoyed this book as a family read-aloud! I did some editing on the fly as there were about three instances of mild unsavory language which I preferred to omit.
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The Tortoise and the Soldier almost reads like nonfiction, except it seems clear from the beginning that the boy telling the story may be an invention of the story. Foreman explains at the end the circumstances that really led him to Henry and Ali Pasha (the tortoise). The inclusion of photographs from the real story is great. As a story about an individual's experiences during World War I, Foreman does a great job. It was interesting the way he combined that story with the story about the boy wanting to become a journalist. So in reality there are two stories here, that of the growing friendship between the boy and Henry, the soldier, and his tortoise, and the story of Henry's year at sea on a war ship along with gathering the wounded on shore during the invasion of Turkey where he meets Ali Pasha for the first time. Not only is it a glimpse of a part of World War I that I haven't read much about, but it's a powerful reminder of the impact that animals, pets, can have on the human psyche. The soft pastel illustrations help soften the impact of the violence depicted and the illustrator is careful not to make the illustrations too graphic in terms of the wounded. But it is a story about war, so that can't be avoided entirely. I found the book appropriate though in terms of middle grade readers, except for maybe the most sensitive of readers who aren't ready to read about death and war quite yet.
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This is the story of real-life Henry Friston who longed for adventure and found it in 1914 when he fought in World War I. During a battle, he befriended a tortoise who he named Ali Pasha. They became friends and even after surviving the war together, they stayed friends until death. On the inside front and back covers are photographs of the real Friston and Ali Pasha. There are also some newspaper snippets about the famous tortoise towards the end of the book. Throughout, there are illustrations that capture the essence of the story.
I had never heard of Friston or Ali Pasha before reading this book. I also am not too familiar with the battles concerning World War I, so this was an interesting read. Readers will learn of Friston’s courage and teamwork as he represents millions of soldiers who witnessed (are witnessing) the severity of war. I would recommend it to late elementary to middle school students, because they will learn more about that part of history and also read about a good story of friendship. -
An interesting story of one man's experience in World War I. Not all blood and gore, but the experiences of a young man away from home for the first time. It told of his special "friend", a tortoise, that he felt saved his life while he was hiding in a trench that he had been blown into from enemy fire. The next day he goes back to the trench and saves the tortoise's life then smuggles him onto his ship. He becomes a good luck mascot for the men while they travel to different battles.
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This novel is formatted as a children's book, containing illustrations interspersed with text throughout. But the storyline is about war and life lessons aimed at adult readers. The tortoise does fulfill a satisfying role throughout.
Four stars for the "based on a true story" aspect. -
A great introduction to World War I for all ages, but especially upper elementary students interested in wars and battles. British soldier Henry Friston finds an unlikely companion amidst the horrors of war in Gallipoli, Egypt, and aboard a Royal Navy Ship.
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Good personal account of the reality of WWI. Talks of geography and exploring the world, but also hardships of war. Would be pleased for my children to read this.
Content consideration: use of Lord, God-awful in first hand journal entries. -
Interesting historical story not many will know, but presented in an unexciting way. Didn't appeal to my 11 year old at all.
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My kids thoroughly enjoyed this book.
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A lovely WWI story read aloud to my eldest son.
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What a wonderful book! Would be fantastic for a unit study on WWI and animals in war, Great additions of actual photos in the end.
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Instead of paying attention to lectures during class, young Henry Friston dreams of seeing the world and often stares at the world map in his classroom. After a brief stint as a deckhand, he joins the Royal Navy and becomes a gunner. The young man faces plenty of dangers, but none as frightening as the trench warfare in Gallipoli where he and a tortoise share the same space. As the war rages around them, Henry regales the creature with stories of his life back home and even shares a tomato with him. After the shelling has ceased and Henry is reunited with his crew, and then impulsively decides to take the tortoise with him. From then on, he and Ali Pasha are inseparable, and he manages to keep his presence a secret from most of the men. Once they return to England, the tortoise settles into an idyllic life. The fact that this account is based on a true story about World War I adds to its charms, even while the framing of the story through the eyes of a boy intent on getting his first feature published in the local newspaper works well. Framing the tale in this fashion as the narrator visits Henry and reads his diary entries over a series of weeks allows readers to sip the story rather than to gulp it down, making it even more compelling. Gorgeous illustrations of pastoral scenes as well as the battlefields as well as archival photographs of this unlikely pair add to the book's delights. Most amazingly, Henry lives to be 83 and Ali Pasha makes it to the century mark. This book from the United Kingdom will fit easily in a collection of books on war as well as one celebrating unlikely friendships. Above all, it stands as a ready example of heroism and the importance of even the smallest creatures during a conflict of this nature. It is highly recommended, but be sure to have a box of tissues nearby.
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Picture
This book surprised me and was a delight for me and the lad.
I read this book first, I wanted to preview it for my lad. When I finished it I said "Son, you will like this book, you should read it. It really happened."
He somewhat uncertainly took the book because it's out of the usual genre that he likes to read. And he had it read in two days flat....reading it not only during his required reading time, but also at night before he went to bed.
The end result was "Mom, that was a GOOD BOOK. I really liked those pictures too. That was a neat story about the tortoise mom."
What a neat book for children. Written by Michael Foreman, it tells the story of a young journalism given the task of seeing if Ali Pasha, the tortoise has woken up yet. As the boy got intrigued by the story of the tortoise, he learned about the war through an old soldiers war diary and stories.
Detailed black and white illustrations help tell the story.
Lessons in the book:
People are people regardless of what side of the war they are on.
How a dream to travel came to fruition in the Navy.
Sometimes little things (like having a pet tortoise) can make big things less scary
Heading home can be more alarming then heading away from home.
Neat to find out the tortoise was real!! In reality the tortoise was called Blake. -
Henry Friston always longed for adventure. The high seas seemed just the place to find it. So at the age of nineteen, he joined the Royal Navy. A year later World War I began. Henry saw the world and experienced adventures that were not exactly as he imagined. One grim day while lying in a trench in the midst of a desperate battle, Henry realized he shared the lonely spot with a tortoise. Disregarding regulations, Henry took the tortoise back to the ship. Ali Pasha became a rallying point, a symbol of hope and courage. He became Henry’s lifelong friend.
Based on actual events, this endearing story is told to a young journalist years after the war. Journal entries, letters, and first person narration of events surrounding the war are interspersed with the young reporters efforts to learn about the tortoise Ali Pasha. The watercolor illustrations are often dramatic and draw readers into the horrors of war. This title is primarily a memoir of one man’s war experiences with Ali Pasha being a focal point to help him survive the bleak days. Readers will be fascinated by the well-written, vivid storytelling. While not overly graphic, this title may not be suitable for sensitive children. -
Henry Friston is a young English soldier in Gallipoli when he makes an unexpected acquaintance in the trenches: a Greek tortoise. At first leaving the tortoise to its fate, he thinks better of this and goes back to save it. He names the tortoise Ali Pasha and takes it home on the battleship to Britain. Ali Pasha becomes a kind of talisman or symbol of strength for the men on board ship, and for Henry himself, he is a lifelong friend. Endearingly, Ali Pasha's annual emergence from hibernation becomes a sign of spring for Henry's little Suffolk village. Gorgeous paintings by the author accompany detailed first person accounts of the Gallipoli Campaign battles. The endpapers have photographs of Henry with Ali Pasha and other scenes from Henry's life, as well as copies of newspaper articles featuring Ali Pasha. Ali Pasha outlived Henry by ten years and passed away at over 100 in 1987. Anyone who has a bond with tortoises will cotton to this wonderful story. Upper elementary.
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This will make a good addition to fill the gap of books for youngsters about WWI. It provides a bit of background about the war, but doesn't get too bogged down in details, rather, it reveals an overview in bits and pieces as Trev, journalist wanna-be, interviews Henry, tortoise-saving veteran. Or, did the tortoise save Henry?
The text alternates between images of Henry's journal, Henry's words in italics, and Trev's narration of his interviews. This helps the young reader easily distinguish between the three parts of the story.
Could be a good companion book to "Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh" by Sally M Walker. -
Based on true events, this story of courage and friendship begins when Henry Friston joins the Royal Navy. Henry is looking for adventure, but never imagines that he will be involved in World War I. During a particularly frightening battle at Gallipoli, Henry is hit by a shell (a tortoise shell). This begins the lifelong friendship between Henry and Ali Pasha, the tortoise. Told in flashbacks to an aspiring news reporter, and using illustrations alongside photographs, this is the perfect introduction to World War I for young readers.
