The Tortoise and the Hare: An Aesop Fable

The third retelling of the classic fable of The Tortoise and the Hare that I have read for my Aesop project, Janet Stevens' picture book ranks somewhere below Caroline Castle's The Hare and the Tortoise, and above Caroline Repchuk's The Race in my esteem, making it a solid two and a half-star book.

Stevens gives her adaptation a distinctly contemporary feel, with the "friendly and quiet" Tortoise and the "flashy and rude" Hare. But her narrative never really engaged my interest, and her illustrations, while colorful and very cute, simply didn't compensate. It's not that there is anything wrong with this book, it just left me feeling indifferent.

The main idea of this book is to show that hard work and perseverance are rewarded, while arrogance and pride can be our downfall.
I liked this adaptation of the Tortoise and the Hare for a few reasons. I enjoyed the additions to the plot that this author chose to make. She opened the book with Hare taunting Tortoise about how slow he is during various times of the day, which is an element I do not recollect. This gives the readers an immediate sense of the nastiness and bullying nature of the Hare. She also gave the Tortoise a bit more background and preparation before the day of the big race. For example, Tortoise trains to run the race. He jogs with his friend Frog, his friend Raccoon cooks him meals, etc. I never remembered these show more details being incorporated into the fable when I heard it as a child. I appreciated these additions because it reinforces the idea that Tortoise was very hard working as he trained. It also reinforces the idea that friends can help us through challenging times. Each of our friends, like Frog and Raccoon, have different talents that can help us.
I also liked this book because of the contrasting characters. Tortoise is a very friendly, humble, hard working animal who always tries his best. Hare is a bit arrogant; he knows his strengths and is not afraid to show them off. For example, Hare boasts, "You're so slow, I could beat you at a race, hopping backwards on one paw." I think that these contrasting traits are helpful for young readers. While there isn't too much complexity to these characters, and they do not appear to develop throughout the book, I believe young readers will be able to latch onto the very stark character traits. It makes the moral of the fable (perseverance vs. laziness/arrogance) much more comprehensible for young readers as well. They do not have to sift through complex character development, but will be able to clearly see the different outcomes for each of the very different characters (Tortoise and Hare). show less

This is one of my favorite children's book because it has such a great message “ He learned an important lesson: HARD WORK AND PERSEVERENCE BRING REWARD." I love that the story concluded with the lesson in all caps at the end; it drives the message home to the reader. This book is such a classic and I have seen it used in the classroom numerous times. The story has the reader guessing who will win the race. Children would love to read this story and make predictions along the way.
I found the characters in the story to be relatable. Growing up with an older brother who always doubted my abilities makes me the Tortoise of the story. It reminds me of all the times when I was able to beat my cocky brother and how I felt at that moment.

The Tortoise and The Hare is a very short picture book about an arrogant hare and a confident tortoise. The main theme is something you might have heard before, slow and steady wins the race. In this case, the hare was overly confident and showed it by bragging about how fast he is. It can be a life lesson that bragging gets you nowhere and that there are even consequences. Now the tortoise decides to go slow and steady to win the race because the hare decided to take a break, resulting in him to fall asleep, allowing the tortoise to work hard and keep going. Another great lesson for the kids coming from this book, is to never give up no matter what.

I really enjoyed this book because it is a classic and I am pretty sure it is a story that many people have heard at some point in their lives. I really like the fact that the Tortoise is the "under-dog" in this story and pulls through at the end to beat the Hare. The Hare basically bullies the Tortoise and says things like, "by the time you get there, the store will be closed." and, "You're so slow, I could beat you at a race, hopping backwards on one paw." I also like the fact that the story shows the hard work that the Tortoise went through to run in the race. For example, all of his friends helped him do something. The Rooster helped him when he was at the gym, the Raccoon helped him eat healthier and cooked his meals, and the Frog show more jogged with him every morning until the day of the race. All of this showed how determined the Tortoise was, and I really liked that.

The big message can be worded in many ways. In the story it is in all capital letters on the very last page -- HARD WORK AND PERSEVERANCE BRING REWARD. There's also, slow and steady wins the race, which is something that I think many people have heard. Both mean the same thing and you can see it in the story. You can see the Tortoise putting in the hard work and really taking his time with the race. On the other hand, you have the Hare, who has a huge ego, and passes the Tortoise three times and stops for drinks (from Bear), snacks (from Mouse), and a nap (near the finish line) because he thinks he has the race in the bag. This also shows that you can't be lazy and make assumptions. The Hare just "knew" he would win because he was faster and that is what hurt him and made him lose the race. If the Hare wouldn't have made all of those stops, he definitely would have won the race. However, because of his ego getting in the way, he lost the race for himself. show less

The tortoise and the hare are racing against each other. The hare thinks he has the race in the bag because he is fast, so he stops and sleeps. He doesn't suspect this, but the tortoise catches up with him and wins the race.

I would have given this story four stars if the illustration was more colorful, but I do adore this tale. Slow and steady does win the race. Hare also did not believe in his opponent and was too conceited. Another lesson within this story, I have come to understand, is that life is meant to be taken day by day. When we take things at a normal pace, we enjoy more out of life. Furthermore, if we are about to win something, we should not take it for granted like the Hare does.

"The Tortoise and the Hare" by Janet Stevens is a delightful retelling of Aesop's timeless fable about perseverance and humility. It an excellent choice for teaching moral lessons about determination and the pitfalls of overconfidence.

Awards:
Reading Rainbow Book selection.
Recognized for its vivid illustrations and accessible retelling of the classic fable.