School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Variations of the race between the tortoise and the hare crop up regularly, but this version, retold as a trickster tale, stands out for its humor and expressive illustrations. Here, the rabbit only thinks he raced a turtle. In fact, it was a flying turkey wearing Turtle's shell. Also a porquoi tale, the story begins when Turkey steps on Turtle's back, breaking his shell into pieces. Turkey recruits an army of ants to mend it with cornsilk, and the shell transforms from a swirl into its familiar geometric pattern. In appreciation, Turtle allows Turkey to try it on just as Rabbit appears, itching for a race. The rest is history, though few have heard the historic event retold quite like this. The prose alternates between rhyming and nonrhyming text and for the most part it bounces along without stumbling. A few lines feel manipulated to create the rhyme, such as "`What is it?' asked Turtle, his eyes opened wide./`Here comes Rabbit,' said the Little Bitty Five./`Rabbit wants to race, and he won't be denied.'" Bright cartoon illustrations capture the tale's humor and energy. Turkey explodes off the page as he emerges from Turtle's shell, ready to run. The animals' various emotions are well rendered, including Turtle's chagrin, Rabbit's aggression and later humiliation, and the budding friendship between Turtle and Turkey. Use this book as a variation to a common folktale, an introduction to Native American lore, or as a fine read-aloud all on its own.-Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this version of the Rabbit and the Turtle fable, slow and steady does not win the race. Instead, an imposter-Turtle?s friend Turkey, who has temporarily slipped inside the reptile?s shell-soundly defeats Rabbit. Turkey feigns being a slowpoke as he waddles to the starting line, and then, "All of a sudden, wings popped out of the turtle shell-long, slow-flapping wings!.... Turkey took off in an explosion of dust." Flabbergasted and humiliated, Rabbit slinks away, suitably chastened for his cockiness. Although the story takes a few pages to pick up a momentum of its own, Tingle (Crossing Bok Chitto), a member of the Choctaw Nation, proves once again that he?s a vivid and generous narrator; the mesmerizing cadences of oral storytelling transfer seamlessly to the written word. Schuett?s (Watermelon Wishes) almost operatically expressive paintings seem to push at the margins of pages, making them an excellent match for the text?s expansive, boisterous voice. Ages 4-8. (May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
In this ""Tortoise and the Hare"" revisioning, Turkey is trying on Turtle's shell when Rabbit (thinking it's Turtle) challenges him to a race. To Rabbit's dismay, Turkey sticks out his long legs, flaps his wings, and flies to the finish line. The story is uneven; parts are relayed in forced rhyme. Expansive illustrations show the action from a variety of perspectives. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In this amusing variation on the traditional tortoise and the hare tale, Turkey tries on Turtle's shell after accidentally cracking and then repairing it. Then, " 'Here comes Rabbit,' said the Little Bitty Five. / 'Rabbit wants to race, and he won't be denied.' " Turkey, hidden in Turtle's shell, accepts the challenge of the bullying Rabbit, who is mean-looking and larger-than-life. The look on Rabbit's face when Turkey pushes out his long neck, then his long skinny legs, and finally his wings, is not to be missed. Turkey circles the lake before Rabbit even gets started, and puts Rabbit to shame. The story concludes, "Rabbit never challenged Turtle again. That's why you never see them racing today." The bold and colorful illustrations are a good match for this lively telling that, with Rabbit's breezy rap-like dialogue, is a joy to read aloud. Based on a traditional Choctaw story, this telling wins the race. Includes notes on sources. (Picture book/folktale. 5-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
