Module 2 Book Review #3: The Tortoise and the Hare

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*This book review was written for one of my MLS courses at SHSU.*


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pinkney, Jerry. (2013). THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780316183567

PLOT SUMMARY
The Tortoise and the Hare by Jerry Pinkney is a version of the classic fable in which a tortoise, who is seen as “slow”, and a hare, who is seen as “fast”, participate in a race against each other in their Southwestern habitat. The hare takes off rather quickly from the starting line while the tortoise takes his time and continues the race in a slower manner. The hare believes he is definitely going to be the winner of the race and decides to take a nap before finishing it; however, the tortoise actually catches up during this time and ends up taking the victory instead.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
There are many variants and versions of The Tortoise and the Hare; however, Jerry Pinkney’s is truly one of a kind. This book has very few words, in fact, they are also dispersed on different pages, causing the story to seem wordless majority of the time. The moral/theme of the fable is represented in the text but builds up as the story progresses. For example, on one page, the words “SLOW AND STEADY” are displayed. A few pages after that, the words “SLOW AND STEADY WINS” appear. “WINS” was added to go along with the story’s plot and to allow the reader to start predicting what the story is trying to imply before it reaches the end.

Because there is a light amount of words, Pinkney’s illustrations definitely play a huge role in the fable’s plot. Since the setting was in the American Southwest, desert-like species were visible during the two animals’ race. These various animals gathered around to watch and were all dressed in appropriate attire for the setting (i.e. bandanas, hats, overalls, etc.). Their facial expressions allowed the reader to sense the anticipation that was brewing because of the race. Their character traits appeared believable, thanks to Pinkney’s vibrant uses of watercolor, graphite, and colored pencils.

Pinkney did an overall excellent job when it comes to displaying the theme “slow and steady wins the race”. His illustrations showed how the tortoise struggled yet kept pushing himself to keep going. In addition to this, Pinkney also added other animals to gather around the tortoise, in which they appear to be motivating and encouraging him. This can be seen as how one should not feel like they need to complete a difficult task alone, for there are many people who would be willing to offer some type of assistance. In addition to this, there is also a second theme presented in this version that isn’t in some other ones. On the very last page, the readers can see that the hare gives the tortoise his checkered bandana and even ties it on the tortoise. The bandana represents victory; therefore, the hare is not being a sore loser and instead is showing excellent sportsmanship. Readers will be able to learn that although participating in a competition is fun, the opponent does not have to be seen as a pure enemy and should be recognized for their accomplishments.



REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Starred Review from School Library Journal: “Following up on his superb rendition of The Lion & the Mouse (Little, Brown, 2009), Pinkney has created yet another stunning interpretation of a classic tale in this virtually wordless picture book.”
*Starred Review from Kirkus Reviews: “A captivating winner—start to finish! (artist’s note, design notes)”
*Starred Review from Publishers Weekly: “Pinkney’s portraits are so lifelike that the animals appear to breathe, and they present a peaceable kingdom in which predators and prey live in harmony.”

CONNECTIONS
*The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney is seen as the companion book to The Tortoise and the Hare. This version of the classic fable demonstrates kindness between two completely different animals.
*Some other authors of versions of The Tortoise and the Hare include Janet Stevens and Teresa Mlawer. Students can compare and contrast all these versions since the settings differ and they were all published different years.
*A lesson that educators can incorporate from this version of the famous fable can be teaching students to take their time when it comes to completing work. If they rush and don’t take their time, they may miss some important information and result to a failing grade. If they take their time and do everything little by little, they can improve and earn a much better grade.

PICTURE SOURCE
https://www.amazon.com/Tortoise-Hare-Jerry-Pinkney/dp/0316183563/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1537387076&sr=1-1&keywords=the+tortoise+and+the+hare+jerry+pinkney


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