The hare and the tortoise Book

4+ stars. Loved this retelling!!! The story is told simply but, oh, with such flavor! I couldn't stand the hare from page one!!! What a pompous, careless, self-centered little creature. (Possibly adults get a little more out of the story, knowing how such individuals really do run around and make havoc in our lives, haha!) The tortoise, on the other hand, doesn't make a stink about it--he simply goes along calmly with his own life, not getting upset, allowing the hare to build his own destiny (ah, again, such wise lessons for us all!) The illustrations are gorgeous--they are quite realistic and yet also charming. (At times, they reminded me a bit of Marjolian Bastin's work.) Lots of creatures from all over the world gather to watch the race--even some "obscure" ones that kids will love meeting. The end of the book has a great educational segment identifying all the creatures and giving a little info on them.