Tortoise and Hare's Amazing Race Written by Marianne Berkes & Illustrated by Cathy Morrison

ISBN 9781628556407
$9.95 Paperback
Ages 4-8, Grades K-3

A retelling of the classic story with a math twist. Henry Hare was always bragging about how fast he was. One day he challenges Tessie Tortoise to a mile-long race up the hill. Henry leaps ahead for the first eighth of a mile. As Tessie approaches, he bounds ahead again. Fractions and distance measurements mark their progress as Tessie and Henry race to the finish line.

Find it here on Arbordale Publishing

My thoughts: First of all, the illustrations by Cathy Morrison are simply charming. Realistic critters and yet captivatingly fun to look at and filled with character.

And then Marianne Berkes sets forth with her retelling of the old tried and true Aesop's Fable of the Tortoise's and the Hare's Race. Of course, we all know that the fast and furious pace of Henry Hare doesn't get the winning results in the end. It is the slow, methodical plodding of the Tortoise that wins the day.

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.

Take a look at these "For Creative Minds Pages" - the link is for that special section as shown on the Arbordale Publishing website. CLICK HERE

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy fro Arbordale Publishing to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own. I was not compensated for the review.