"Henry Hare's a braggart who's always putting down Tess Tortoise, boasting that he can make it to the top of a hill before Tess can even reach the bottom. And just how far is that? "1,760 yards," pedant Oliver Owl says. Freddy Frog restates it for everybody's benefit: "That's a whole mile!" "Or 5,280 feet. Tess could never do it!" gloats Henry. As the race gets underway, Henry is distracted by some butterflies at the one-eighth mark, lunch at the half-mile post, and a nap at the three-quarter point. Readers all know how the story ends: "Henry admitted in disgrace that slow and steady won the race!" Morrison's Henry looks bedraggled and sad at the finish line, ears drooping, eyes shifting to gaze at the winner."
This is a new twist on an old classic. Henry Hare has a GPS, a water bottle, and he knows math! Fractions and distance measurements are used during the race between Henry and Tessie Tortoise. The book offers beautiful illustrations which depict nature realistically, yet are characteristic of folktales, and uses alliteration for all of the character names. Included are four pages of math activities and more free activities on the publisher's website.
- Montessa Reed
"Tortoise and Hare's Amazing Race" reviews the familiar tale with a focus on applied math, fractions, and more. Henry Hare and Tess Tortoise have decided to run a race of 1,760 yards, or 5,280 feet, which equals one mile. All the animals and birds are interested in the unevenly matched racers... Amusing but realistic illustrations show Tess and Henry and all the other animals cheering and helping during the amazing race. Additional resource sections titled For Creative Minds, Measure It! Equal to, Greater than, Less than, and Animals of All Sizes provide opportunities for further study and review. "Tortoise and Hare's Amazing Race" is recommended for children in elementary grades.
"Since the ultimate goal of this book is to teach the reader about measurements, the forest animals discuss the race in terms of distance, such as 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet...The best part of the book comes in the last four pages of instruction about units of measurement; activities in measuring; and determining if values are greater than, less than, or equal to each other. The last page challenges the reader to arrange the animals by size. This fine retelling of a familiar fable adds a dynamic learning tool that both readers and teachers will enjoy."
"The Tortoise and the Hare is a classic Aesop's Fable that's familiar to most. Tortoise and Hare's Amazing Race is very similar to the classic tale but has some added details. It tells of Henry Hare who brags that he can outrun Tess Tortoise. To prove which one is faster, a race is planned. At first it seems Henry Hare is beating Tess Tortoise but, in the end, slow and steady wins the race.
Throughout the book are cute and colorful illustrations of forest creatures. Units of measurement are included in the illustrations and the actual story, to give an idea of how distance is mapped."
Starting at 6 am the race is on. From there on, the race is measured in fractions of total distance, and also in feet. So the language of math becomes part of the tale. I don't need to tell you the ending because you already know it: slow and steady wins the race. At the back are four pages of activities for creative minds: things to measure, using different measurement tools, an introduction to "greater than" and "less than" and a letter scramble puzzle.
"I like this book because it has really beautiful pictures and I like the moral, which is ‘slow and steady wins the race’, or that if you keep working toward your goal, you will reach it, but if you get distracted, you won’t get to it. The pictures of the animals are really detailed and realistic, but they are funny too, like there is a picture that shows the animals using a calculator and a measuring tape, or the Hare using his GPS to see how far he’d run. This is a fun retelling that everyone who likes the original fable will enjoy!"
-Rachel Age 9
...But the story in this cute book is not simply that of which critter will get to the finish line. The story involves understanding measuring distance and talking about it in different terms - yards in a mile, feet in a mile. But story also teaches the lessons of not playing around, not sleeping on the job, and being steadfast. Lots of fun and educational opportunities in this fun book.
I just love the "For Creative Minds Pages" that Arbordale puts at the back of these books. They aid teachers and parents in directing the children's minds for further knowledge. Taking them beyond the fun story and pictures to critical thinking and discovering of new ideas.
This retelling, however, also includes elements of measurement as we learn how long a mile is in feet and yards, and fractions are used to show progress in the race. Cathy Morrison's illustrations are big and colorful, but the text is a little didactic. The book, however, is designed for educational use. The appendix includes measurement activities, a lesson on greater than, equals, and less than, and a game to put animals in the right size order. The Lexile Level (610) is included, as well as a list of key vocabulary concepts. These elements enhance the book's use in a Common Core curriculum.