The Race of the Century

by Barry Downard, Barry Downard (Illustrator)

Overview

With Barry Downard's zany photographs, this is a rip-roaring take on the timeless tale of the tortoise and the hare. Tom Tortoise challenges Flash Harry Hare, and it becomes a media event extraordinaire—the race of the century! But while Flash Harry gets distracted signing autographs for his adoring fans, stopping for photo ops, and snacking, Tom Tortoise keeps going, slowly and steadily, to win the race. The amusing text is complemented by photos that will have readers laughing out loud—and for kids who really pay attention, there are even more funny details embedded in the pictures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416925095
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	01/08/2008
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Barry Downard lives on a farm in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with some of the animals featured in these illustrations. He is the author and illustrator of The Race of the Century and The Little Red Hen.

Barry Downard lives on a farm in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with some of the animals featured in these illustrations. He is the author and illustrator of The Race of the Century and The Little Red Hen.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 5- In this companion to The Little Red Hen (S & S, 2004), Downard applies his quirky sense of humor to the famous showdown between the Tortoise and the Hare. Here he plays with the conventions of the news media (the hype of a newspaper headline, the clichés of televised sports reporting) as much as with the characters themselves. Thus, a sparkly toothed broadcaster, represented by a donkey, welcomes "viewers from around the world," while bubbles depict a reindeer, giraffes, penguins, etc., tuning in from their native habitats. The digitally manipulated photographs are hilarious, especially images of the overly confident Flash Harry Hare, shown flexing his biceps in a muscle shirt and shades or striking a John Travolta pose in a white, three-piece suit. Meanwhile the earnest, aw-shucks Tom Tortoise keeps plodding along, and the rest is history. Purists may find this somewhat surreal vision unsettling, but kids will delight in the chatty, pun-filled telling and the silly scenes filled with animals dressed and behaving like their human counterparts-whether or not they've read a more traditional version of the fable.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

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