Aesop’s classic tale of an egotistical and speedy hare racing against a slow but determined tortoise has never been as vivid and well paced as it is now in Jerry Pinkney’s version of The Tortoise & The Hare. Pinkney, who won the Caldecott Medal for an earlier ode to Aesop in his masterful rendition of The Lion & The Mouse, brings the race alive with sparse text and wonderful watercolor, colored pencil, and pastel paintings. Set in the American Southwest, the colors are largely made up of subtle tints of brown and tan. The cast of animal characters on the other hand stand out as they are dressed in bright colored bandanas and hats, adding a vibrant energy to the setting. While the moral of this well loved fable stays the same, Pinkney has found a new way to teach that moral by progressively building it one word at a time through slow and steady repetition. In the end Hare stands out not for his speed nor his over confidence, but for his sportsmanship as he ties the victory flag around a Tortoise who wears a modest but triumphant smile. Highly recommended for all ages, in particular for those who love to take it slow, this version of an old favorite is undoubtedly a new classic.
