The Tortoise and the Hare Race Again - Dan Bernstein

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

03 Jul 2008 12:00 PM

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and fix something that happened in your past? In the children's picture book "The Tortoise and the Hare Race Again," that very thing takes place.

It all begins with a bad hare day. The hare feels mocked and belittled as the other animals laugh at his failure to defeat the tortoise. He did come in second, but in a race between two people, that's really not saying much, now, is it?

All the rabbits made it their business to tease the hare whenever they see him. In fact, Stu Rabbit even got boiling mad. That's how intense the emotions were running in this little rabbit community.

Feeling the need to clear up his reputation, the hare decides he needs to race the tortoise again. And that was fine with the tortoise, too-the pressures of fame had been getting to him. You realize that a turtle parade lasts six weeks-that's a long time to have to smile.

Soon the rematch was planned. And a wager was laid. If the hare won, the tortoise had to buy him a pair of purple silk pajamas. But if the tortoise won, the hare had to buy him a pair of sunglasses.

The next day at noon, the two racers met up at the starting line. The tortoise wore a backpack, and the hare wore a necklace made of alarm clocks. (You know, in case he went to sleep again.)

Well, he did go to sleep again, but the tortoise was so anxious to lose the race, he rigged it. You'll have to read the book to see what this clever tortoise did, but suffice it to say, the hare got his purple pajamas after all, and the tortoise got to return to his life of anonymity and peace.

I enjoyed the cute puns that littered this book and the darling illustrations. This is one book you won't mind reading to your children again and again.

(This book was published in 2006 by Holiday House and was illustrated by Andrew Glass.)

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Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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