Coming out of your shell: The inspiration behind the Tortosaurus by Katie Cottle

Posted in Author/Illustrator Posts on Thu, 6 March at 11.20 am

My new picture book The Tortosaurus follows Dot as she starts a new school, and struggles to make new friends. She ends up hiding behind a big stressful lie when all she needs to do is be herself.

Making friends is tough at any age, especially when everyone already knows each other. Sometimes, an effort to fit in sparks a little dishonesty. Somehow saying “Yes, I watched that on TV, too,” spirals out of control, and a few weeks later you’re getting invited to a Love Island Megafan Pub Quiz. The irony is that a little awkwardness in being honest about your differences at the start saves a lot of discomfort (and wrong quiz answers) later!

I first started drawing the character Tortosaurus while I was in university. I was working on an idea in which kids attempted to transform their pets into weird new animals using simple crafts. I loved the tortoise character so much that I decided to focus the narrative around him. Tortosaurus wanted to spruce himself up to gain more attention. However, after getting to know Monty the tortoise—who was grumpy, slow, and old—I realized that he was very happy with himself as he was and probably wouldn’t choose a flashy new look.

(Here’s one of my first doodles of a Tortosaurus from 2016!)

So, I began to focus on Monty’s owner and wondered why she’d be dressing up her lovely, grumpy old tortoise. Sometimes we put on costumes to help us fit in—much like wearing trendy clothes. I remember being a child at school, where there was a certain cool way to fold down your socks. Dot, in her nervousness, has concluded that the people in her new school will want to be her friend if she has the coolest, most exotic new animal!

Dot’s always loved Monty for being himself, and he’s always been there for her. Plus, there’s only so much of this new attention he can endure. By being his authentic self in front of *everyone*, he gives Dot the courage to do the same.

By being yourself, you offer others the reassurance to be themselves with you, too. Even though it can feel daunting to expose yourself, there’ll always be someone who thinks you’re wonderful—Tortosaurus or no Tortosaurus!