The Tortoise and the Hare

A Fast Hare and a Slow Tortoise

One sunny day, a quick Hare was hopping in the field. Hop, hop, hop!

He saw a Tortoise walking by. The Tortoise was very slow. Plod, plod, plod.

"Ha ha!" laughed the Hare. "You are so slow, Tortoise! I am the fastest of all!"

The Tortoise smiled. "Then let us have a race," he said.

The Hare laughed even more. "A race? You will never beat me!"

Ready, Set, Go!

All the animals came to watch. A wise old Owl said, "Ready, set, go!"

The Hare zoomed off. Whoosh! He was far, far ahead. The Tortoise had only taken three small steps.

"This is too easy," said the Hare. "I have lots of time. I will take a little nap."

So the Hare lay down under a shady tree and closed his eyes. Z-z-z-z.

Slow and Steady

The Tortoise did not stop. Plod, plod, plod. He went past the tree where the Hare was sleeping. He did not run. He just kept going.

The sun moved across the sky. Still the Tortoise walked. Plod, plod, plod.

At last, the Hare woke up. He looked down the path. Where was the Tortoise? He looked up the path — and there was the Tortoise, almost at the finish line!

The Winner

The Hare ran as fast as he could. Whoosh! But it was too late.

The Tortoise crossed the line first. All the animals cheered. "Hooray for the Tortoise!"

The Hare was very surprised. "How did you win? You are so slow!"

The Tortoise smiled. "I am slow," he said. "But I never stopped. Slow and steady wins the race."

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The moral: Slow and steady wins the race. Keep going, even when it is slow.

Want more read-along tales? Try The Lion and the Mouse or The Ant and the Grasshopper next.