The Tortoise and the Hare

This story is called The Tortoise and the Hare, a traditional fable by Aesop. This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording. Back in the days when animals could talk, there was a hare. Now, in case you’re not familiar with hares, you should know that they are long-eared animals that look a lot like rabbits. Hares can run fast, which helps them get away from all the bigger animals that want to eat them up. One day, the hare in our story was bragging about his speed to all the other animals. "I have never been beaten," he said. “When I run, I’m as fast as the wind! No one can catch me.” The other animals snickered at the hare’s bravado. “You don’t believe me?” asked the hare. “Fine, I challenge anyone here to race!” “I don’t need to prove myself to you,” said the deer. ”It wouldn’t be a fair contest,” said the mouse. “Your legs are much longer than mine.” “I have a strong jump,” said the grasshopper. “But I’m too busy eating to race.” “Will no one race with me?” said the hare. "I accept your challenge," said a quiet voice. It was the tortoise, poking her head out of her shell. The hare laughed. "That’s a good joke! You’re so slow, I could beat you in my sleep." "Maybe,” said the tortoise. “But I recommend waiting to gloat until after you’ve beaten me. Shall we race?" So a course was fixed and the two animals took their places at the starting line. “Ready, set, GO!” The hare darted out of sight at once. All the animals saw that he was, as he had said, an incredible runner. But before long, he stopped. To show his contempt for the tortoise and to prove just how much faster he was, the hare found a shade tree alongside the race course and sat under it to take a nap. Meanwhile, the tortoise plodded on. She was certainly slow, but she continued forward at a steady and determined pace. When the hare woke up from his nap, he was astonished to see the tortoise had nearly made it to the finish line. He hopped up and raced forward as fast as he could, but he could not make up enough time to save the race. As the turtle crossed the finish line in first place, she remarked, “You may be the faster animal, but slow and steady wins the race.” This was The Tortoise and the Hare by Aesop. This has been a LibraryCall adaptation and recording.