The Fastest Tortoise in Town

by Howard Calvert, Karen Obuhanych (Illustrator)

Overview

The fable of the tortoise and the hare receives a charming new spin in this wonderfully illustrated, cheering tale about a lovable and relatable trouper.

Barbara Hendricks, a tortoise, has entered a road race, but what was she thinking? With only a week to go before the big day, she worries that she doesn’t stand a chance against the other animals competing. Barbara’s friend and owner, Lorraine, inspires her to train a little bit more each day and coaxes her out of her shell when the race day arrives. How intimidating to line up next to the slow loris, the snail, the sloth, and the walrus! But Barbara realizes that if she just tries her best, she’s already won. Adorably illustrated in rich color and detail and told with splashes of dry humor, this touching story of perseverance celebrates all that can be accomplished with a little preparation and a lot of self-love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536228359
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	04/11/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	661,004
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Howard Calvert is a children’s book author and magazine journalist. He enjoys spending time outdoors trail running and mountain biking. Howard Calvert lives in Hampshire, England, with his wife and two daughters.

Karen Obuhanych was raised in California, where she enjoyed the outdoors, sports, and doing anything creative. Inspired by annual trips to Hawaii, where her father grew up, she moved to Oahu to attend the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and graduated with a BFA in painting. Karen Obuhanych currently resides on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Editorial Reviews

03/06/2023

Anyone who has optimistically signed up for a fun run will see themselves in friendly faced Barbara Hendricks, the “regular leopard tortoise” who narrates this sweetly rendered variation on Aesop’s “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Barbara is a bundle of nerves ahead of the big day, but she has a champion, too—“my owner and best friend, Lorraine,” a bespectacled child portrayed with brown skin—who believes in her unconditionally. Lorraine leads Barbara through a crash-training regimen (they’re overtaken by “an absentminded worm” and a newly walking toddler). And on game day, the child encourages the tortoise to “just run your own race.” Though Barbara spies a snail, a slow loris, and a sloth (“the fastest animals I’ve ever seen!”) at the starting line, her strategy of putting one foot in front of the other, again and again, pays off. Calvert (Lots of Frogs) creates a lovable everytortoise via Barbara’s entertaining account, nodding to the original fable with the appearance of a new, long-eared challenger at book’s end. In moving mixed-media images of expressive figures and bustling townsfolk portrayed with various skin tones, Obuhanych (This Little Kitty) delivers visual laughs and creates a tortoise to root for. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Barbara Hendricks, a regular leopard tortoise, has entered a running race. She knows it’s not a great idea and she’s ready to back out, but her owner Lorraine believes in her and Barbara is willing to give it a go. . . . The race result might not matter for young listeners as they’ll likely be rolling with giggles at the sight of the grimly determined racers slowly—slowly—making their way across several pages of panels. . . The richly textured mixed-media art is vibrant, balancing bright pops of color in the foreground with more subtle hues in the setting. . . The try-your-best message is a familiar one, but it has an irreverent freshness here.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

Anyone who has optimistically signed up for a fun run will see themselves in friendly faced Barbara Hendricks, the 'regular leopard tortoise' who narrates this sweetly rendered variation on Aesop’s 'The Tortoise and the Hare.' . . . Delivers visual laughs and creates a tortoise to root for.
—Publishers Weekly

Believing in yourself helps when the odds seem stacked against you, as exemplified in this clever tale. . . any child who has faced a seemingly impossible task will relate to Barbara, right to the end. . . . Slow and steady? Call this tortoise shell-bent and dedicated. A charmer.
—Kirkus Reviews

In this fun nod to Aesop’s fable, a cute tortoise with an expressive little mouth and extremely long lashes belongs to a gung-ho little girl who has signed him up for a race. . . the vibrant mixed-media illustrations enhance the story with comic details.
—Booklist

This ­delightful story has a hero who works hard, accepts her limitations, and perseveres ­despite the odds. Children will root for ­Barbara and hopefully capture some of her can-do spirit and hard work ethic along the way. ­. . this book packs a lot of great lessons into a charming story, and is certainly one to add to the sports shelves, or the good sports shelves.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2023-02-08
Believing in yourself helps when the odds seem stacked against you, as exemplified in this clever tale.

Barbara Hendricks, a self-described “regular leopard tortoise,” is seriously perturbed. Her owner and best friend, Lorraine, has done the unthinkable and entered her in a fun run against other animals. Why? Because, as it happens, Lorraine believes in her pet. “I’ve never seen a faster tortoise than you, Barbara Hendricks.” Barbara is skeptical, but that doesn’t stop Lorraine from initiating a training sequence straight out of Rocky. At first the small shelled creature is depressed by her chances (being beaten while out for a practice run by an absent-minded worm doesn’t help). But on the big day, she realizes that if she doesn’t even try, she’ll never know if the training was worth anything. Kids will get a big laugh when they see Barbara’s less-than-speedy competitors (the slow loris is a particularly nice touch), and her eventual triumph is complemented by a surprise ending that will delight Aesop-savvy kids. Mixed-media art brings Barbara’s pathos to brilliant life (who knew a tortoise could emote?), and any child who has faced a seemingly impossible task will relate to Barbara right to the end. Consider pairing alongside Carrie Finison’s Hurry, Little Tortoise, Time for School (2022), which features an equally dedicated protagonist. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Slow and steady? Call this tortoise shell-bent and dedicated. A charmer. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews