The Tortoise and the Hare

The Tortoise and the Hare

Pinkney, Jerry. The Tortoise and the Hare. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2013. ISBN 9780316183567

Summary:

The Tortoise and the Hare is a timeless classic folktale, and in this southwestern version, it is told in only twenty-seven words. It is Pinkney’s pictures that tell the beautiful tale of the perseverance and patience of a tortoise and the humility of a rabbit. Through the illustrations, the reader will travel along the path of the tortoise’s slow and steady journey, wind past the snoozing rabbit, proudly cross the finish line, and in the end, receives a gentle hug from his competitor – rabbit.

Analysis:

Pinkney perfectly captures one of my most beloved folktales in few words but in beautiful, captivating illustrations. Jerry Pinkney recalls, “’Slow and steady wins the race,’ was particularly meaningful in my youth, since I often struggled in school because of dyslexia, but the moral rings truer than ever today.” I couldn’t agree more, since our twenty-first century lives seem to always be at a fast pace… It’s nice to slow down and enjoy the journey. Slowing down leads to greater appreciation.

This classic folktale is captured in Pinkney’s artistic techniques of using a variety of media to create his illustrations. In The Tortoise and the Hare, he used graphite, gouache, colored pencils, pastel, and watercolor on Arches hot-pressed watercolor paper to create this book’s artwork. His inspiration for the characters comes from “a lifelike metal sculpture of a tortoise and a ceramic hare” that he stumbled upon at a pet curiosities shop.

Awards and Review Excerpts:

- 2014 ALSC Notable Children’s Book

- 2013 Parents’ Choice Award for Picture Books – Gold Winner

- Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Picture Books of 2013

From Booklist: “From jacket to cover to endpapers, every element in the book contributes to the dreamlike vision of a curious adventurer exploring the natural world.”

From New York Times Book Review: “A free-form journey from woodland to dreamland.”

From The Horn Book: “A worthy follow-up.... The richly detailed illustrations are lively and humorous, but what makes this retelling particularly ingenious is Pinkney's use of the oft-quoted moral.... slow and steady wins the race!”

From The School Library Journal, starred review: “The limited text, used sparingly but extremely effectively, reinforces the theme of the story—that the journey is as important as the ultimate goal.... This spectacular success is certain to become a classic in its own right.”

From Kirkus Review, starred review: “Will engross readers.... A captivating winner—start to finish!”

Connections:

Collect and share other books by Jerry Pinkney, such as:

- The Lion and the Mouse (2010 Caldecott Medal) ISBN 9780316013567

- Aesop’s Fables ISBN 9781587170003

- The Grasshopper and the Ants ISBN 9780316400817

- Noah’s Ark ISBN 9781587172014

Collect and share other versions and variants of The Tortoise and the Hare, such as:

- The Tortoise and the Hare: An Aesop Fable by Janet Stevens ISBN 9780823405640

- The Tortoise and the Hare by Bernadette Watts ISBN 9780735842076

- The Tortoise and the Hare an Aesop’s Fable from Aesop’s Childhood Adventure Series by

   Vincent Mastro ISBN 2940016183053

- The Tortoise or the Hare by Toni Morrison ISBN 9781416983354

Study and learn more about Jerry Pinkney’s artwork.

- visit his website at Jerry Pinkney's Studio

- watch this Interview with Jerry Pinkney

- read this article  "Jerry Pinkney, Artist and Children's Book Author"

Try creating illustrations and artwork using Jerry Pinkney’s use of media. 

View some of his original sketches at "Books of Wonder"

*Cover image borrowed from www.amazon.com

Slow and steady... Reading wins the race! 
~ Mandy :)