The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit
Book Review:
This version of the tale of the tortoise and the hare takes place in
the Sonoran Desert. It's springtime: seeds are sprouting, eggs are hatching,
and cactus buds are blooming. Jackrabbit comes to the Tortoise's burrow.
He tells Tortoise his big shell drags him down. As for the Jackabbit,
he's free and fastest. Tortoise challenges the rabbit to race, and Jackrabbit
accepts.
The Roadrunner marks the course through the desert and Rattlesnake
draws the starting line. Tortoise and Jackrabbit take their places,
and the race begins. Tortoise moves slowly through the landscape, enjoying
the blooming prickly pear, the saguaro cactus, and the flowers of the
desert. Jackrabbit has a good lead and decides to rest under a mesquite
tree. He falls asleep. Tortoise walks past the sleeping rabbit and heads
straight for the finish line where the Sonoran Desert animals await
the winner.
The familiar story line makes this book fun to read to a class or share
with a friend. The illustrations by Jim Harris are acrylic and watercolors
on Strathmore paper. He provides extraordinary detail for both setting
and the characters. Tortoise, for example, is small and frail and wears
reading gl'sses and a hat with matching purse. Jackrabbit wears overalls
with carpenter's suspenders. The background and other characters have
just as much detail as Jackrabbit and Tortoise. In the author's notes,
Susan Lowell discusses the current threats to tortoises in the Southwestern
deserts.
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