The Great Race

K-Gr 3—The traditional fable about the race between the sluggish but determined tortoise and a speedy though arrogant hare has been recast with fresh watercolor-and-ink illustrations and lively, pun-filled text (Walker, 2011) by Kevin O'Malley. Nate Tortoise and Lever Lapin take the race—and its moral—to humorous heights. Slow but steady Nate wins over his conceited competitor, leading to a take-off on the more traditional moral: "better late than never" becomes "better Nate than Lever." The iconographic filming technique focuses on the illustrations while creating a sense of movement. The illustrations generally show well in video format, but are occasionally fuzzy. The energetic narration is clear and varied. A conversation with the author/illustrator is also included. After an introductory photograph of O'Malley, scenes from The Great Race are overlaid during an insightful look at some of his inspirations for writing and illustrating books for young readers, the books he read as a child, and his sometimes offbeat use of humor.—Maria Salvadore, formerly Washington DC Public Library