The Tortoise and the Hare

by Alison Ritchie, Nahta Noj (Illustrator)

Overview

Experience the classic race in a new way with this die-cut picture book!

One of Aesop’s best-loved fables gets a contemporary twist in this retelling with simple text and bright, graphic artwork. Ingenious die-cut holes let you turn the page to send Hare racing ahead, then, slowly and steadily, move Tortoise toward a win.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763676018
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	05/12/2015
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,125,430
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Alison Ritchie has written many picture books for children. When she is not writing, she works as an editor or spends time at home in England with her two children and her dog.

Nahta Nój studied graphic design at Reigate School of Art and Design. This is his second title with Templar Books.

Editorial Reviews

The familiar tale of the boastful hare and the plodding but determined tortoise has a contemporary feel because of the stylized digital illustrations.... A simple retelling that could introduce a new generation to this iconic tale.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

04/01/2015
PreS-K—The familiar tale of the boastful hare and the plodding but determined tortoise has a contemporary feel because of the stylized digital illustrations. The creative use of font adds interest: bold for the brash hare and italicized at times for the humble tortoise. The placement of the text also adds enhances the storytelling as it takes a meandering path as the race progresses. However, there are also peek-through windows and flaps that may not stand up to heavy circulation. VERDICT A simple reteling that could introduce a new generation to this iconic tale.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

School Library Journal

2015-03-03
Flat graphic images in pastel colors reinterpret the well-known tale.The drawback of choosing the ultrafamiliar Aesopian theme is that comparisons with other renditions of the tale are inevitable. The flat, abstract-leaning style of Nój's illustrations seems at odds with the content of the gentle tale and is a far cry from the warmth, humor, and rich detail of other picture-book versions of the story. The hare is depicted as an odd-looking, round-headed, straight-legged creature; the tortoise is represented by a green and yellow round shape with another circle attached for his head. The shapes of the animals are so similar to the shapes of trees and foliage that some of the spreads are visually hard to decipher. When the hare snacks on some grass, he is taking a bite out of a green semicircle, as if the illustration has completely lost touch with what grass really is. Occasional circular die cuts add to the confusion; snail bodies are equated with the hare's eyes, when seen through a small circular die cut. Other die cuts seem to have little purpose. The illustrations are too sparse and one-dimensional to provide more than superficial interest and perhaps would be better suited to an iPad app. The sophisticated graphics lack the warmth and variety needed to justify yet another rendering of this oft-told fable. (Picture book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews