The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit / La tortuga y la Liebre

by Susan Lowell

Overview

The Tortoise and the Hare with a southwestern flair. Tortoise, living comfortably in her home on Slow Lane, awakens one morning feeling good and challenges cocky Jackrabbit to a race. Patiently bumping her way through the desert landscape, Tortoise heads for the finish line as Jackrabbit cheerfully skips—and sleeps. Roadrunner, Tarantula, Gila Monster and even a Javelina or three cheer them on. Irresistible fun for the young and old alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780873588690
Publisher:	Cooper Square Publishing Llc
Publication date:	06/30/2004
Series:	New Bilingual Picture Book Series
Edition description:	Bilingual Edition: English and Spanish
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	140,021
Product dimensions:	9.05(w) x 10.63(h) x 0.19(d)
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

As in their The Three Little Javelinas, Lowell and Harris revivify a timeworn tale with a Southwestern setting and a dash of wit. The tortoise here is a bespectacled, parasol-toting marm. Her cocky rival-a singing (``Long, low, LEAP, ho!'') jackrabbit-springs into the air to flaunt his speed. ``Tortoise looked patiently up at him with her old, old eyes. `Let's race,' she said.'' A jumble of directional signs tucked under his wing, Roadrunner marks the course through a desert filled with the appropriate flora and fauna. Indeed, with repeated readings, the safari-style ecological subtext may overtake the amusement of the race itself. Precise and punchy, Lowell's undated prose turns hip alongside Harris's comical characterizations. The race ends with an endearing laugh at Tortoise eating her victory bouquet; the book ends with an author's note concerning the current threats to desert creatures. A merry blend of play, allegory and environmentalism. Ages 3-up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3-Lowell gives the familiar fable the same Southwestern spin she gave ``The Three Little Pigs'' in The Three Little Javelinas (Northland, 1992). Tortoise challenges Jackrabbit to a race across the desert; they pass saguaro cacti and mesquite trees, purple sand verbena and desert dandelions, and encounter creatures such as Elf Owl, Scorpion, Tarantula, and Javelina. The spare text is lively and begs to be read aloud. Pronunciation is given in parentheses after unfamiliar words, and while this is helpful, the placement is a little distracting. A note about endangered wildlife of the desert is appended. Harris's acrylic-and-watercolor paintings, reminiscent of Wallace Tripp's work, are full of humor and energy. Tortoise is a staid, elderly female with a hat, gloves, reticule, and lace-edged anklets. Jackrabbit sports green suspenders over a red plaid shirt that covers a slight paunch. The artist uses a range of muted colors that evokes the dry beauty of the area. Even libraries that already own collections of Aesop's fables or Janet Stevens's The Tortoise and the Hare (Holiday, 1984) will want to consider this version for its sprightly, fresh approach.-Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA

School Library Journal