Hi, Harry!: The Moving Story of How One Slow Tortoise Slowly Made a Friend [Hardcover]

Martin Waddell (Author), Barbara Firth (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

The author-illustrator team who brought us the best-selling LITTLE BEAR series offers a reassuring reminder that there’s an ideal friend for everyone, no matter what your style.


I wish I had someone to play with, thought Harry.
Someone not quick who has time to play with a tortoise.

No question, Harry Tortoise is slow. He’s very, very, very slow. And everyone is so fast. If only he could find a friend as slow as he is, they could play games like Slow Races, and Turning Around and Turning Around Again. Even better, they could talk about how good it is to be slow, and how very, very nice it is to be friends. Isn’t there anyone out there who appreciates life in the s-l-o-w lane?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-The creators of Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? (Candlewick, 1992) have teamed up again for another gentle and endearing story. Harry the tortoise wants to play, but Buster Rabbit, Stan Badger, and Sarah Mouse just speed past his friendly hellos. After attempting to engage a mushroom, a rock, and a pond, Harry is pleasantly surprised when Sam Snail joins him. The two play Slow Races, Heads In and Heads Out, and Turn Around and Turn Around Again, all at just the right speed. "Then they sat by the pool and they talked and talked about being a tortoise, and being a snail,- and how good it is to be slow. And how nice, how very very very nice, it is to be- friends." Firth's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations aptly depict all of the characters, especially the friendly personality of the dusty brown tortoise with his jaunty red baseball cap. The use of repetition within this simple text will engage listeners who will be touched by this tender story of friendship.
Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS. The tale of the slow-moving tortoise gets a nice twist here. Harry the turtle would like to hang out with friends, but everyone is in a hurry. Buster Bunny breezes by as Harry asks if Buster wants to play; ditto Stan Badger. Sarah Mouse hops away before Harry can engage her in conversation. Harry thinks he'll never have a friend and lumbers off to find someone who is slow enough to play with a tortoise. A mushroom? A rock? No, but Sam Snail might be just the fellow to sit around with and talk to about tree stumps and moss, badgers and bunnies, "and how good it is to be slow." Like Harry, this tale has a soft, slow sweetness to it, an effect that's complemented by watercolor art that captures Harry's hopefulness. The book's horizontal design adds to a feeling of meandering through the story. Young children who sometimes move pretty slowly themselves will identify with Harry. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763618020
• ISBN-13: 978-0763618025
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martin Waddell is the Hans Christian Andersen Medal winner 2004 and two-time Smarties Prize winner. Among his many books for children are the Little Bear and Farmer Duck series. Martin lives in Newcastle in County Down.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars sweet story for the very young listener, June 23, 2005

By 

J. LISLE - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hi, Harry!: The Moving Story of How One Slow Tortoise Slowly Made a Friend (Hardcover)

My son is 3 and loves to be read to. This one is a bit short and simple for him now. It would have been perfect for 2. I'd recommend it for that age. Cute story about making friends. OK illustrations.