Tortoise and The Hare Race Again

Children's Literature

The hare has lost the famous race with the tortoise. Every day is a "bad-hare day" now for the loser, who is constantly teased by all the other rabbits, from the Easter Bunny to the White Rabbit and General Rabbit E. Lee. He would really like another chance. Surprisingly, so would the tortoise, who is tired of the constant attention he receives as a hero. After some jolly banter, the two agree to another race. This time the hare is festooned with alarm clocks, while the tortoise has only a small backpack. The clocks succeed in waking the hare from a nap once, but he falls asleep again short of the finish line. The tortoise then uses a secret weapon to regain his peaceful life, while the puzzled hare cheerfully accepts accolades. Glass's colored pencils and opaque watercolor paints create a comic cast of characters full of personality, headed by the contestants whose portraits on the cover guarantee a rough and ready adventure. Hare's bulging tummy and the tortoise's spindly legs liven the interaction in their scenes. Very little scenery is needed as we focus on the racers in this fresh and funny, pun-filled fable follow-up. 2006, Holiday House, Ages 4 to 8.
—Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Everyone knows the outcome of the famed race-slow and steady, and all that. But until now, no one has considered what happened afterward. Losing a race to a tortoise is humiliating; every bunny everywhere feels free to laugh. Even the hare's mother is unsympathetic. Surprisingly, life is none too good for the tortoise, either. In addition to the turtle parades, which take an average of six weeks to complete, young turtles constantly challenge him to race. Finally, tortoise and hare schedule a rematch. Although the hare has learned little over time, the tortoise has developed a scheme to ensure that once the race is over, he can live in blissful, anonymous peace. Puns and humorous references pepper the lively story, and Glass's illustrations complement the tale's zany tone. The sketchy quality of the art conveys energy and a slightly unfinished feel reinforced by a watercolor wash that adds blocks of soft color. Glass's rabbit looks like an unsavory but endearing deadbeat; the tortoise is cagey and a tad grumpy. Combine this book with Caroline Repchuk's The Race (Chronicle, 2002) and a traditional retelling for a zippy storytime.-Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Glass's scenes of disheveled-looking animals in rumpled clothing create an appropriately comic setting for this Aesopian sequel. As Hare is subject to continual dissing from Pete R. Rabbit, lucky Rabbit Foote, Rabbit E. Lee and others for losing a race to a tortoise, and retiring, peace-loving Tortoise is discovering that being voted "Most Admired Reptile" isn't all it's cracked up to be, the two agree to a rematch. Rightly suspecting that even the second time around, Hare won't be able to stay on task, Tortoise concocts a motorized bunny suit, which he dons as soon as he's passed his snoozing opponent and zooms across the finish line. Later, groggily accepting congratulations for a win that he doesn't quite remember, Hare declares himself a racing machine, coming closer to the truth than he supposes. Readers who enjoy such remakes of the original as Margery Cuyler's Road Signs: A Harey Race with a Tortoise (2000), illustrated by Steve Haskamp, or Caroline Repchuk's The Race (2001), illustrated by Alison Jay, will line up for this amusing spin-off. (Picture book. 6-8)