The Tortoise and the Hare: An Aesop Fable

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1AMiles's introduction informs parents that "old stories" are good for new readers because of their use of familiar story lines and repetitive words. The author then uses these techniques in her retelling of this classic Aesop fable, using only dialogue, keeping the words to a minimum, and repeating certain phrases throughout. While the tale itself remains unchanged, this version has a modern bent to it, expressed primarily through the cartoon illustrations. All of the animals are dressed in colorful clothing, except for Tortoise, who wears nothing but his shell and a pair of sneakers. They all sport letters on their chests (Tortoise wears a 'T,' Hare an 'H,' and Bear a 'B") except for Fox, who has his whole name on his shirt. These cleverly placed clues will help children remember what letter each animal's name starts with. Amusing details include Tortoise's little round glasses perched on the end of his nose and the banners that cheer on the racers. A great choice for beginning readers to tackle on their own.ADina Sherman, Brooklyn Children's Museum, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 1. Miles does a fine job of turning Aesop's fable into a story that beginners can enjoy reading. Sentences are short ("one step, another step") but work beautifully. When the hare falls asleep, Miles only needs one word of text to explain the situation: "Zzzzz." Pen-and-watercolor artwork adds to the sprightly package. A fun entry into the Starting to Read series. Ilene Cooper

From Kirkus Reviews
The well-known fable is economized in a Ready-to-Read edition from Miles (see review, above); the events of the race now take place entirely in dialogue, sometimes in a Dick-and-Jane staccato. Quotation marks and speech bubbles have been abandoned in favor of brief blocks of text placed in proximity to each animal speaker. Once the race begins, it's not long before Hare settles into a nap; a night and a day later, bespectacled, sneaker-wearing Tortoise is still plodding along, slow but steady, coaching himself--``One step, another step. One step and another'' until he takes first place. Meisel's whimsical, uncluttered line drawings fit the format well, bright enough to attract attention and to express action. Larger animal characters sport T-shirts with identifying letters--H for Hare, B for Bear- -while a cheering section of smaller creatures displays banners proclaiming ``Yippee'' and ``Hooray,'' highlighting the tale with humor. (Picture book. 5-7) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Card catalog description
Recounts in simple dialogue the famous tale of the race between the persevering tortoise and the boastful hare.


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