The Tortoise and the Hare by Janet Stevens

Summary:  This is the traditional fable of The Tortoise and the Hare.  The tortoise is very friendly and quiet while the hare is flashy and rude and does things very quickly. He is the bully in the story constantly teasing the tortoise about how slow he is. There is a race challenge made between the tortoise and the hare. With the help of his friends, the tortoise begins training for the race while the hare doesn't take the race seriously.  When race day approaches, animals from all over are there to watch the race and support their friends. The hare is easily distracted and takes his speed for granted and decides to rest because he has already predicted a victory for himself. However, the hardworking tortoise inches his way and unexpectly beats the arrogant hare for the trophy.      

Mrs. Garza's Thoughts:
I think the best part of this version of The Tortoise and the Hare are the illustrations. All of the animals are creatively illustrated to represent humans. My favorite illustrations are the ones of the tortoise training for his big race. I liked how Janet Stevens ended the book with the lesson of the story, "Hard Work and Perseverance Bring Reward." The Summer Olympics took place this summer and many of our children were able to watch the different athletic events. We could easily relate this book to the Olympic Games. Work hard and win Gold!!
We could also learn not to be a bully like the hare is in the story. We should respect one another and our different qualities. The lesson we learned from the story is an everyday lesson. We have to work hard to be able to succeed.