That's not fair, hare!

by Julie Sykes

Kids will love this comically illustrated story! Everyone knows the fable called The Tortoise and the Hare, but this version of that old tale has surprises and laughs that aren't in the original. Greedy Hare challenges Muggs the turtle to a race-and the prize is Muggs's favorite cabbages. Muggs gives the race her best effort, but turtles can't go very fast under the best circumstances, and the crafty hare has a couple of sly tricks up his sleeve. It looks as though Greedy Hare is going to win, until Muggs shows that she's a clever turtle with a few tricks of her own. Funny, full-color illustrations on every page.

Genres: Picture Books, Rabbits, Childrens, Animals

Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Welcome to my website. Come on in and have a look around. You can find out about my books and also about me.

Name:
Julie Sykes

Birthday:
My birthday month is August

Place of birth:
Kingston upon Thames

Places I’ve lived:
My family moved to Australia just after I was born but returned to England in time for me to start school. I was educated in Surrey and lived there until I got married. I now live in the south of England with my husband and our three children. We used to live on a fish farm, which we shared with 300,000 rainbow trout. We share our current home with a few goldfish and a white wolf cunningly disguised as a dog.

Jobs:
I’ve worked in a kennels, shops, pubs and on a mushroom farm. My first full-time job was as a laboratory technician and after that a teacher. I’m now a full time writer.

First book published:
There were two - This and That and I Don’t Want To Go To Bed!

Favourite Things:
Family, friends, Spring (the season not the bouncy sort although bouncing is good, too), cappuccino, Danish pastries, Cornwall, the sea, books, animals, chocolate.

Worst Things:
Litter, vandals, cleaning the house, having NOTHING to read.

Hobbies:
Reading, walking, cooking, hanging out in cafés.

Reviews

[Nicolette · Rating 5 out of 5]

That’s Not Fair, Hare!

Summary – In this book Muggs, a friendly turtle, finds himself in a race with a greedy Hare who refuses to share the cabbage, even though there is plenty for both of them. At the time of the race, the Hare runs off leaving Muggs in his dust. Muggs’ friends’, the squirrel and the rabbit, try to teach Muggs how to run fast, but in doing so fall into a ditch. Although helping his friends would only slow Muggs down, he helps his friends anyway knowing that they are more important than winning a race. After losing the race, Muggs cleverly challenges Hare to a rematch and says the first one home wins all the cabbage and a field of carrots! Muggs wins the prize by curling up in his shell, which is his home, and outsmarts the greedy Hare who wouldn’t share.

Theme – The major theme of this book is that it is better to be generous than greedy. This theme is conveyed when Muggs helps his friends even though it is inconvenient for him and might cost him the race. His generosity and selflessness is contrasted in the story by Hare’s greediness. The theme comes full circle when in the end, Hare pays for his greediness by being outsmarted by the clever turtle.

Personal Experience – Reading this book reminded me of when my mom or dad would tell me the tale of The Tortoise and the Hare. As a child I could relate to this story; sometimes I would see myself as the Hare who wouldn’t share and this story would be a funny reminder that greed has negative consequences!

Recommendation - I would recommend this book to young children who are transitioning from the “me” phase of life to the “we” phase of life. Sometimes it is hard for children to understand that they need to share with their friends or siblings so this book will teach them about the negative consequences of greed. This book also teaches children about doing something nice for a friend even if it is inconvenient at the moment. As an adult reading this book, even I was reminded of this lesson; a true act of selflessness is when you help a friend or go the extra mile for someone when there is no gain for you.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book that takes the age old tale of the tortoise and the hare and goes one step further in creating the situation that led to the race. I like how it is emphasized how Muggs, the turtle is more than willing to share and is gracious until Hare plays dirty. As a result, Muggs plays smart and wins the prize

[Sara B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always liked reading stories like the tortoise and the hare but this story has an added twist. Instead of just being about a race and which animal has what it takes to win a race it is also about sharing. Enjoyable read.

[Jen]

A good lesson about sharing and about helping friends. (Choice)

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like this story. The illustrations were good. My 3 kids enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this book to others.