Customer Reviews

Hurry Up and Slow Down

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The Hare is always in a big hurry to do everything. He chases through the fields after a mouse, is in a big giant hurry to get up in the morning, he hop hop hops over the stream chasing a butterfly, eats his food like there is no tomorrow . . . hurry, hurry, hurry! Now the tortoise is a different sort of critter altogether. He likes to relax and take his time with everything.

Lunchtime is a slow and easy time for him when the hare yells out, "hurry up and eat up!" Of course the tortoise likes to chew each bite "at least eleventy times." Naturally that old hare will always yell, "is it time for dessert?" All creatures are different, but with these two together there would always be a push pull relationship. Wait a minute . . . there is something that will make the hare want to slow down. What could it possibly be?

The tortoise and the hare have different personalities and ways of going about things as well as children do. This is a perfect bedtime story to read and discuss differences. The artwork is quaint and expressive in a Beatrix Potterish sort of way, but not as detailed. Are you going to want to rush through this book or take your time?

This is a beautiful version of the classic tortoise and hare story. The illustrations were so beautiful and I spent time going back over them. The illustrator uses pictures where re-occuring characters appear (the frog and snail that follow the tortoise and hare)

I thought of many ways I could use this with my classroom as a read aloud. Discussing the value of slowing down and enjoying things, the value of really enjoying a book and the pictures, and the value of time well spent together. I never heard of the author, and stumbled upon the book looking for another, and fell in love with the story twist, the pictures, and the sweetness of the characters. Would also be an excellent bedtime story, since the characters are going to bed and reading a story together. I shared this with a few other elementary teachers and it is a new favourite.