What do you think?
Rate this book
Turtle's Race with Beaver
When Beaver challenges Turtle to a swimming race for ownership of the pond, Turtle outsmarts Beaver, and Beaver learns to share, in a Native American version of the "Tortoise and Hare" folktale.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2003
7 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Bruchac
278 books595 followersJoseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He, his younger sister Margaret, and his two grown sons, James and Jesse, continue to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills, including performing traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.
He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.
As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.
He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.
As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 19, 2019
As a Native American (well actually as a Seneca) variant of the globally present, the internationally known and told fable/tale of the Tortoise and the Hare thematic, of a weaker and much smaller animal through clever cunning wile and imagination winning an important, essential racing contest against a considerably larger, stronger and also usually intolerably arrogant larger animal, I absolutely have adored Joseph and James Bruchac's storytelling in Turtle's Race With Beaver (as set-up and basic construction feel so much like an authentic orally recounted performance, read like a delightfully entertaining drama of the different animals, the different actors all either cheering for Turtle or for Beaver, although by the end of the tale, at the conclusion of the race, ALL of the animals, even the larger creatures which had originally mostly been cheering for and supporting Beaver now appreciate not only Turtle's efforts, but especially how she has managed to win the race against Beaver by cunningly hitching a ride attached to the latter's tail, by using arrogant and so cocksure of his racing success Beaver's own momentum and speed to catapult herself from his tail to the finish line and win the race against him and by this, reclaim the pond as her home).
But even more essentially, my appreciation of Turtle's Race With Beaver stems from the fact that unlike so very many of especially the European Tortoise and the Hare variants, Turtle's Race With Beaver includes not only the common message and caution against arrogance and loftiness, but fortunately, there is also no potential violence and tragedy depicted, as Beaver does not end up dying of exhaustion at the end of the race and is thus actually able to learn a valuable lesson (for while after losing the race against Turtle, Beaver is of course and perhaps even understandably much too embarrassed and ashamed to share Turtle's pond with her even though she does extend that offer to him, when he finally manages to locate another suitable pond, Beaver politely and humbly asks the resident turtle whether he might share her pond, to which said turtle readily and happily agrees), an ending so much more positive and optimistic than for example, the German tales of Der Hase und der Igel (the Hare and the Hedgehog), where at the end of the race, the arrogant hare usually collapses and dies in agony because he simply cannot figure out why the hedgehog keeps beating him (that the hedgehog is using both himself and his wife as a stand-in) and is simply unwilling and unable to consider throwing in the towel and declaring the hedgehog as the winner (very much a heavy-duty and indeed an important lesson against boasting and extreme arrogance, perhaps, but in my humble opinion, a much better and more appropriate, less drastic lesson would have been to have the arrogant hare finally be forced to acknowledge that the diminutive hedgehog has won the race, to repent his erstwhile cocksureness, for a dead hare cannot, of course, really learn any type of lessons).
Now as much as I have truly both enjoyed and appreciated Turtle's Race With Beaver, there are nevertheless two personally problematic issues I have encountered that prevent me from ranking the book with more than three stars. And the first bone of contention for me is actually completely and utterly subjective in nature and should therefore also be taken with more than a bit of the proverbial grain of salt, namely that I have from an entirely personal and aesthetic point of view not really all that much enjoyed Jose Aruego's and Ariane Dewey's accompanying illustrations (that while the presented pictures are brightly colourful, descriptive and boldly rendered, they are also much too cartoon-like and emotionally stagnant for my tastes, with some of the animals' facial expressions, but in particular Beaver's beady eyes and Bear with his ugly protruding pointed front teeth, feeling very much like a sad and uncomfortable, even borderline creepy caricatures).
However, whilst my aesthetic dislike of the accompanying illustrations is indeed personal, subjective and yes, relatively minor, my second issue with Turtle's Race With Beaver is of a more intellectual and academic nature and thus, also considerably more worrisome (at least for me). And no, it has nothing at all to do with the actual story presented, with the narrative of Turtle's Race With Beaver but entirely with one rather problematic claim that Joesph Bruchac presents in his otherwise oh so informative and appreciated author's note. For while it is indeed true that there are contemporary theories and scholarly considerations that Greek storyteller and author Aesop (who is assumed by many to have been the original progenitor of the Tortoise and the Hare story type, although Joseph Bruchac correctly claims that Aesop's version is just one example of many) might in fact have been an Egyptian slave and that his fables would therefore of course be African and not European, not Greek in origin, this is still and nevertheless only a theory at best and one that is also considerably controversial at that (and for Joseph Bruchac to rather categorically in his author's note for Turtle's Race With Beaver to not only claim but to in my opinion quite strongly insist that Aesop was definitely an Egyptian slave, well that is academically more than a bit suspect and problematic, and Bruchac absolutely and really should have mitigated his claims with the truth of the matter that Aesop's possible Egyptian background is not only not universally accepted by any stretch of the imagination, but that also, there is actually not even any certainty whether a historical Aesop ever did in fact exist).
But even more essentially, my appreciation of Turtle's Race With Beaver stems from the fact that unlike so very many of especially the European Tortoise and the Hare variants, Turtle's Race With Beaver includes not only the common message and caution against arrogance and loftiness, but fortunately, there is also no potential violence and tragedy depicted, as Beaver does not end up dying of exhaustion at the end of the race and is thus actually able to learn a valuable lesson (for while after losing the race against Turtle, Beaver is of course and perhaps even understandably much too embarrassed and ashamed to share Turtle's pond with her even though she does extend that offer to him, when he finally manages to locate another suitable pond, Beaver politely and humbly asks the resident turtle whether he might share her pond, to which said turtle readily and happily agrees), an ending so much more positive and optimistic than for example, the German tales of Der Hase und der Igel (the Hare and the Hedgehog), where at the end of the race, the arrogant hare usually collapses and dies in agony because he simply cannot figure out why the hedgehog keeps beating him (that the hedgehog is using both himself and his wife as a stand-in) and is simply unwilling and unable to consider throwing in the towel and declaring the hedgehog as the winner (very much a heavy-duty and indeed an important lesson against boasting and extreme arrogance, perhaps, but in my humble opinion, a much better and more appropriate, less drastic lesson would have been to have the arrogant hare finally be forced to acknowledge that the diminutive hedgehog has won the race, to repent his erstwhile cocksureness, for a dead hare cannot, of course, really learn any type of lessons).
Now as much as I have truly both enjoyed and appreciated Turtle's Race With Beaver, there are nevertheless two personally problematic issues I have encountered that prevent me from ranking the book with more than three stars. And the first bone of contention for me is actually completely and utterly subjective in nature and should therefore also be taken with more than a bit of the proverbial grain of salt, namely that I have from an entirely personal and aesthetic point of view not really all that much enjoyed Jose Aruego's and Ariane Dewey's accompanying illustrations (that while the presented pictures are brightly colourful, descriptive and boldly rendered, they are also much too cartoon-like and emotionally stagnant for my tastes, with some of the animals' facial expressions, but in particular Beaver's beady eyes and Bear with his ugly protruding pointed front teeth, feeling very much like a sad and uncomfortable, even borderline creepy caricatures).
However, whilst my aesthetic dislike of the accompanying illustrations is indeed personal, subjective and yes, relatively minor, my second issue with Turtle's Race With Beaver is of a more intellectual and academic nature and thus, also considerably more worrisome (at least for me). And no, it has nothing at all to do with the actual story presented, with the narrative of Turtle's Race With Beaver but entirely with one rather problematic claim that Joesph Bruchac presents in his otherwise oh so informative and appreciated author's note. For while it is indeed true that there are contemporary theories and scholarly considerations that Greek storyteller and author Aesop (who is assumed by many to have been the original progenitor of the Tortoise and the Hare story type, although Joseph Bruchac correctly claims that Aesop's version is just one example of many) might in fact have been an Egyptian slave and that his fables would therefore of course be African and not European, not Greek in origin, this is still and nevertheless only a theory at best and one that is also considerably controversial at that (and for Joseph Bruchac to rather categorically in his author's note for Turtle's Race With Beaver to not only claim but to in my opinion quite strongly insist that Aesop was definitely an Egyptian slave, well that is academically more than a bit suspect and problematic, and Bruchac absolutely and really should have mitigated his claims with the truth of the matter that Aesop's possible Egyptian background is not only not universally accepted by any stretch of the imagination, but that also, there is actually not even any certainty whether a historical Aesop ever did in fact exist).
May 18, 2019
Father-and-son team Joseph and James Bruchac - who also collaborated on
Raccoon's Last Race: A Traditional Abenaki Story
and
How Chipmunk Got His Stripes
- present a widespread Native American folktale in Turtle's Race With Beaver, one which (according to the brief foreword) probably originated with the Iroquois. The story of a race between a smaller, slower animal (Turtle), and a larger, swifter one (Beaver), it also bears a striking resemblance to the classic Aesopic fable of
The Tortoise and the Hare
, with a similar victory for the underdog.
An enjoyable story, joined to the colorful, cartoon-like artwork of José Aruego and Ariane Dewey - who also illustrated the two other Bruchac-and-Bruchac picture-books - makes for an excellent story-time selection for young folklore lovers. I was sorry to see Bruchac claiming definitively, in his foreword, that Aesop was of African descent, as that is by no means the most widely accepted theory (earliest sources place his birth in Thrace, and, of course, what we know as "Aesop's Fables" were actually first written down by Greco-Roman authors such as Babrius and Phaedrus, long after the time of Aesop, making their origin somewhat problematic), but leaving aside that glaring simplification, I recommend Turtle's Race With Beaver. Just be prepared, if you intend to share the foreword with young readers, to explain how much more complicated the historical and literary record is, as regards Aesop, than indicated in Bruchac's brief remarks.
An enjoyable story, joined to the colorful, cartoon-like artwork of José Aruego and Ariane Dewey - who also illustrated the two other Bruchac-and-Bruchac picture-books - makes for an excellent story-time selection for young folklore lovers. I was sorry to see Bruchac claiming definitively, in his foreword, that Aesop was of African descent, as that is by no means the most widely accepted theory (earliest sources place his birth in Thrace, and, of course, what we know as "Aesop's Fables" were actually first written down by Greco-Roman authors such as Babrius and Phaedrus, long after the time of Aesop, making their origin somewhat problematic), but leaving aside that glaring simplification, I recommend Turtle's Race With Beaver. Just be prepared, if you intend to share the foreword with young readers, to explain how much more complicated the historical and literary record is, as regards Aesop, than indicated in Bruchac's brief remarks.
December 4, 2021
4.5 stars rounded up because it works in so many ways and could be appreciated by many audiences.
Excellent creators' notes explain the Native connection. It can be compared to Tortoise and Hare, but more directly to the tales in which a small bird flies higher than an eagle by riding on the eagle's head or back: https://littlebrownwren.com/2015/11/2.... And I love the illustrations... those artists have illustrated many classic books over the years. I like the ending - that is indeed what beaver would most likely do next.
And it's just plain fun.
Excellent creators' notes explain the Native connection. It can be compared to Tortoise and Hare, but more directly to the tales in which a small bird flies higher than an eagle by riding on the eagle's head or back: https://littlebrownwren.com/2015/11/2.... And I love the illustrations... those artists have illustrated many classic books over the years. I like the ending - that is indeed what beaver would most likely do next.
And it's just plain fun.
November 29, 2018
I really liked the author's note where Bruchac explained that he's been learning from the Northeastern Woodland tribes for over 40 years, in particular the Iroquois and Abenakis. He shared that this tale probably originated with the Iroquois but he's heard it told by Seneca, Onondaga and Mohawk, and heard versions from Abenakis, Lenapes and Penobscots. He said the most common theme of Native American stories is that of a weak and wise animal winning in a race. I especially liked that he said every storyteller brings something from themselves to the stories that are a part of their repertoire. Everyone tales a story in their own way.
I like that it was explained that Turtles need water that's just deep enough but that lets some rocks stand out above the water for them to sun on. And that every winter turtles bury themselves in the mud.
When beavers make a dam it stops up the water and causes the body of water to grow deep. This caused the water to cover up all of the rocks that turtle used.
Beaver insisted it was his pond, despite Turtle saying she had lived there her whole life. Beaver wouldn't even agree to share the pond when Turtle offered. So he challenged her to a race, saying whoever won can have the pond and the loser has to find a new one.
Beaver told all the animals about the race and they all showed up to watch, choosing sides. The smaller animals sided with Turtle and the big ones chose Beaver. In a twist, right as the race started, Turtle bit Beaver's tale. I expected that it would immediately throw off Beaver's game and cause him to not be able to swim. But, surprisingly, Beaver was able to swim as fast as he could with Turtle latched on to his tale. I didn't understand that and naturally assumed that with a turtle biting down on your tale you wouldn't be able to swim.
The other animals, seeing what Turtle was doing, started cheering for her instead. Halfway across Turtle bit down harder and Beaver swam even faster! I was like what in the world is going on? I guess pain causes you to do better...
More of the animals cheered for Turtle but it looked like Beaver would win. Then near the end Turtle bit down harder and he finally felt it. He flapped his tail and when his tale had gone up at its highest point, Turtle let go and ended up flying onto the ground and winning the race.
The picture showed Turtle crossing the finish line and all the animals cheering for her, and Beaver was in the water, a sad expression on his face. I felt so bad! My heart went out to him even though he had been so bad. I don't like to see anyone looking sad like that!
Turtle saw how sad Beaver was and she told him she would share the pond, which was a really likable and admirable thing to do. But Beaver was so embarrassed that he left. It showed Beaver swimming away from the land, this really sad expression on his face. I felt so bad for him!
Beaver went in search of a new pond, and found one where a turtle lived. He asked if he could share the pond this time, showing he had changed and learned his lesson. They lived happily together in the same pond, and it showed them basking on a little island of grass in this pond. I didn't understand or expect such an ending. If he was going to live with a turtle, why not live with the one who had offered to share? And the illustration didn't make sense because the Beaver was lying on his back on the grass and not in a beaver home. I didn't like that he was living with another turtle.
I like that it was explained that Turtles need water that's just deep enough but that lets some rocks stand out above the water for them to sun on. And that every winter turtles bury themselves in the mud.
When beavers make a dam it stops up the water and causes the body of water to grow deep. This caused the water to cover up all of the rocks that turtle used.
Beaver insisted it was his pond, despite Turtle saying she had lived there her whole life. Beaver wouldn't even agree to share the pond when Turtle offered. So he challenged her to a race, saying whoever won can have the pond and the loser has to find a new one.
Beaver told all the animals about the race and they all showed up to watch, choosing sides. The smaller animals sided with Turtle and the big ones chose Beaver. In a twist, right as the race started, Turtle bit Beaver's tale. I expected that it would immediately throw off Beaver's game and cause him to not be able to swim. But, surprisingly, Beaver was able to swim as fast as he could with Turtle latched on to his tale. I didn't understand that and naturally assumed that with a turtle biting down on your tale you wouldn't be able to swim.
The other animals, seeing what Turtle was doing, started cheering for her instead. Halfway across Turtle bit down harder and Beaver swam even faster! I was like what in the world is going on? I guess pain causes you to do better...
More of the animals cheered for Turtle but it looked like Beaver would win. Then near the end Turtle bit down harder and he finally felt it. He flapped his tail and when his tale had gone up at its highest point, Turtle let go and ended up flying onto the ground and winning the race.
The picture showed Turtle crossing the finish line and all the animals cheering for her, and Beaver was in the water, a sad expression on his face. I felt so bad! My heart went out to him even though he had been so bad. I don't like to see anyone looking sad like that!
Turtle saw how sad Beaver was and she told him she would share the pond, which was a really likable and admirable thing to do. But Beaver was so embarrassed that he left. It showed Beaver swimming away from the land, this really sad expression on his face. I felt so bad for him!
Beaver went in search of a new pond, and found one where a turtle lived. He asked if he could share the pond this time, showing he had changed and learned his lesson. They lived happily together in the same pond, and it showed them basking on a little island of grass in this pond. I didn't understand or expect such an ending. If he was going to live with a turtle, why not live with the one who had offered to share? And the illustration didn't make sense because the Beaver was lying on his back on the grass and not in a beaver home. I didn't like that he was living with another turtle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2014
Turtle's Race with Beaver by Joseph Bruchac is a spin off of the tortoise and the hare story. Turtle lives on the river and goes into hibernation. While in hibernation beaver moves in and builds his home and decides the river is all his. When turtle comes out of hibernation he sees beaver and goes to talk to him about them sharing the river as their home. Beaver disagrees with this ideas and challenges turtle to a race, the winner gets to keep the river for their home and the loser has to leave forever. When the race starts turtle has a bright idea to bite onto beavers tail because he knew he couldn't swim as fast as beaver. Throughout the race turtle stays latched onto beavers tail. Right before the end of the race turtle bit down harder, beaver then flipped his tail up and through turtle in front of him to the finish line. Turtle won and offered to share the river with beaver still, but beaver was embarrassed of the lose and left. At the end of the book beaver learned his lesson and found a new home that another turtle lived at and asked to share the river with him and they did.
The pictures in the book were not very good at all. They were very poorly drawn in my opinion but they were big so children could clearly see them, so that was a plus.
This book is would be good for teaching a lesson about sharing and being a nice, positive person. This might be a better book for a one-on-one read then a read aloud book because of the quality of the illustrations.
The pictures in the book were not very good at all. They were very poorly drawn in my opinion but they were big so children could clearly see them, so that was a plus.
This book is would be good for teaching a lesson about sharing and being a nice, positive person. This might be a better book for a one-on-one read then a read aloud book because of the quality of the illustrations.
July 12, 2008
Turtle has a great home--a pond that is not too deep with lots of rocks for sunning. Winter approaches and Turtle dives down to the mus to hibernate for winter. Unbeknownst to Turtle, Beaver comes along and decides that with some work, the pond will be a perfect new home for him. So he builds a dam and a lodge and then hibernates himself. When Turtle reappears, he is shocked at how his lovely home has been transformed and asks Beaver if they can share and compromise. Beaver refuses, but suggests a race--the winner getting to stay, the loser must move. Turtle assumes that it is hopeless, but he really doesn't have a choice, so he agrees. But the at the race, Turtle gets an idea...
This story was originally an oral Native American tale, passed down through the centuries. The authors, a father-son duo, give a bit of an introduction at the beginning that is very interesting (though probably not for young children). I learned that Aesop means "Ethiopian," a signifier that the Greek slave was originally from Africa. This story, quite similar to the Tortoise and the Hare, is heartwarming with the underdog triumphing in the end.
This story was originally an oral Native American tale, passed down through the centuries. The authors, a father-son duo, give a bit of an introduction at the beginning that is very interesting (though probably not for young children). I learned that Aesop means "Ethiopian," a signifier that the Greek slave was originally from Africa. This story, quite similar to the Tortoise and the Hare, is heartwarming with the underdog triumphing in the end.
February 7, 2009
Summary: A wonderful version of the "small animal vs. big animal" folktale, Turtle outsmarts Beaver in a race to win back her pond.
Response: This is a perfect folktale and it is a delight to read. It was particularly delightful to read it to my kids, who sat on either side of me and laughed out loud as Turtle bit through Beaver's tail to take a ride across the pond. The illustrations are colorful and a little cartoon-like, which add to the humor, and I think we were all happy to see Turtle triumph. In the end, it works out well for Beaver, too, so there is a lot to learn from this little story that teaches and entertains perfectly.
Response: This is a perfect folktale and it is a delight to read. It was particularly delightful to read it to my kids, who sat on either side of me and laughed out loud as Turtle bit through Beaver's tail to take a ride across the pond. The illustrations are colorful and a little cartoon-like, which add to the humor, and I think we were all happy to see Turtle triumph. In the end, it works out well for Beaver, too, so there is a lot to learn from this little story that teaches and entertains perfectly.
Read
April 23, 2016If you like the story of "the Tortoise and the Hare", you might also like "Turtle's Race with Beaver". This native American folk story teaches children the value of sharing and cooperation rather than competition. This book was written by Joseph and James Bruchac, who have written more than 100 books about the indigenous people's cultures in North America.
May 8, 2008
CIP: "When Beaver challenges Turtle to a swimming race for ownership of the pond, Turtle outsmarts Beaver, and Beaver learns to share."
Maggie: Beaver moves into the pond inhabited by Turtle and his friends and does some redecorating, without consideration of the other animals. When Turtle suggests that he reconsider and do some comprising, Beaver challenges him to a race for ownership of the pond. Turtle ultimately outwits Beaver, who retreats and learns to share a different pond with others. A great lesson in greed and it's consequences, this book would be ideal for storytimes for children ages 4 through 8. The illustrations are stunning and a treat all their own.
SLJ: "PreS-Gr 3-This delightful folktale closely resembles Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare." A sweet-looking turtle lives contentedly in a beautiful pond until one spring she emerges from hibernation and discovers that another creature has overrun her domain. Beaver's dam and lodge have changed the pond's ambience very much indeed, but Turtle benevolently offers to share her home with the newcomer. However, impudent Beaver scoffs at the invitation and challenges her to a race. Word spreads throughout the forest and all the animals gather to witness the improbable spectacle. At the outset of the competition, Turtle sinks her teeth into Beaver's broad tail, and the pain eventually causes him to flip it in such a way that she is hurled across the finish line in first place. Humiliated, he leaves for another pond, and when his new home's terrapin resident agrees to share, he gratefully acquiesces. This appealing variant of the time-honored, cross-cultural tale conveys the need for cooperation, perseverance, and humility within group settings. Children will be so involved in the storytelling that they'll absorb these lessons effortlessly. Done in pen and ink, gouache, and pastel, the cheerful artwork is a wonderful match for this well-told tale."
Booklist: "Gr. 1-3. A clever twist and a final bit of psychological realism give this variant on a Seneca Indian “Tortoise and Hare” tale unusually broad audience appeal. Little Turtle wakes from her winter sleep to find that her beloved pond has been taken over by an aggressive beaver, who proposes a race to see who stays and who goes. The result seems inevitable. However, at “GO!” Turtle latches on to Beaver's tail and hitches a ride. As the end of the race approaches, Turtle chomps down on the tail, and Beaver's reflexive twitch flips Turtle over the finish line first. When Turtle magnanimously offers to share the pond, Beaver swims away--but instead of commandeering another turtle's pond, he humbly asks its resident whether he can stay. A chorus of cheering animal spectators invites audience participation, and there are plenty of visual cues to the contestants' emotional states in the illustrators' bright, flowing scenes. A natural candidate for reading aloud, and for follow-up discussions, too. A source note is appended."
Maggie: Beaver moves into the pond inhabited by Turtle and his friends and does some redecorating, without consideration of the other animals. When Turtle suggests that he reconsider and do some comprising, Beaver challenges him to a race for ownership of the pond. Turtle ultimately outwits Beaver, who retreats and learns to share a different pond with others. A great lesson in greed and it's consequences, this book would be ideal for storytimes for children ages 4 through 8. The illustrations are stunning and a treat all their own.
SLJ: "PreS-Gr 3-This delightful folktale closely resembles Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare." A sweet-looking turtle lives contentedly in a beautiful pond until one spring she emerges from hibernation and discovers that another creature has overrun her domain. Beaver's dam and lodge have changed the pond's ambience very much indeed, but Turtle benevolently offers to share her home with the newcomer. However, impudent Beaver scoffs at the invitation and challenges her to a race. Word spreads throughout the forest and all the animals gather to witness the improbable spectacle. At the outset of the competition, Turtle sinks her teeth into Beaver's broad tail, and the pain eventually causes him to flip it in such a way that she is hurled across the finish line in first place. Humiliated, he leaves for another pond, and when his new home's terrapin resident agrees to share, he gratefully acquiesces. This appealing variant of the time-honored, cross-cultural tale conveys the need for cooperation, perseverance, and humility within group settings. Children will be so involved in the storytelling that they'll absorb these lessons effortlessly. Done in pen and ink, gouache, and pastel, the cheerful artwork is a wonderful match for this well-told tale."
Booklist: "Gr. 1-3. A clever twist and a final bit of psychological realism give this variant on a Seneca Indian “Tortoise and Hare” tale unusually broad audience appeal. Little Turtle wakes from her winter sleep to find that her beloved pond has been taken over by an aggressive beaver, who proposes a race to see who stays and who goes. The result seems inevitable. However, at “GO!” Turtle latches on to Beaver's tail and hitches a ride. As the end of the race approaches, Turtle chomps down on the tail, and Beaver's reflexive twitch flips Turtle over the finish line first. When Turtle magnanimously offers to share the pond, Beaver swims away--but instead of commandeering another turtle's pond, he humbly asks its resident whether he can stay. A chorus of cheering animal spectators invites audience participation, and there are plenty of visual cues to the contestants' emotional states in the illustrators' bright, flowing scenes. A natural candidate for reading aloud, and for follow-up discussions, too. A source note is appended."
November 24, 2020
This was cute, and definitely worth a read (there are several sections that would encourage audience participation, so this would be a fun classroom read), but it was ultimately forgettable.
I like how it showed the environment that Turtle needs, and the environment that Beaver needs, and it was kind of fun how Beaver was a bit egotistical and thought he had it in the bag but ended up losing. I mean, I guess we all like to see a blowhard put in his place? But honestly, Turtle kind of cheated. Turtle is written as the friendly animal, but if you think about it, Turtle was sneaky and underhanded and not someone I would want to be friends with. I suppose that would make for good classroom discussion afterward.
Turtle wanted to share the pond but Beaver refused, and it was unclear to me HOW exactly Turtle planned to share, since this story starts with Turtle complaining that Beaver had totally messed up her pond by raising the water level to four times the original height - what was Beaver to do? Beaver needs a beaver lodge, Turtle needs places to sun herself ... how could they share one pond and have both? That's not discussed.
As in many picture books, all the animals are friends, when of course they wouldn't really be "friends" in real life, since they are a mix of predators and prey. But it's a picture book, so okayfine. I liked that all of the animals are those that are native to this area of the world (NY, etc), but it annoyed me that the spring flowers were daffodils. I LOVE daffodils, but they are not native to North America, and I wish the artist had chosen something else.
I like how it showed the environment that Turtle needs, and the environment that Beaver needs, and it was kind of fun how Beaver was a bit egotistical and thought he had it in the bag but ended up losing. I mean, I guess we all like to see a blowhard put in his place? But honestly, Turtle kind of cheated. Turtle is written as the friendly animal, but if you think about it, Turtle was sneaky and underhanded and not someone I would want to be friends with. I suppose that would make for good classroom discussion afterward.
Turtle wanted to share the pond but Beaver refused, and it was unclear to me HOW exactly Turtle planned to share, since this story starts with Turtle complaining that Beaver had totally messed up her pond by raising the water level to four times the original height - what was Beaver to do? Beaver needs a beaver lodge, Turtle needs places to sun herself ... how could they share one pond and have both? That's not discussed.
As in many picture books, all the animals are friends, when of course they wouldn't really be "friends" in real life, since they are a mix of predators and prey. But it's a picture book, so okayfine. I liked that all of the animals are those that are native to this area of the world (NY, etc), but it annoyed me that the spring flowers were daffodils. I LOVE daffodils, but they are not native to North America, and I wish the artist had chosen something else.
April 23, 2012
Folktales
Turtle finds himself overrun by a selfish beaver and must figure out how to keep his home.
This is a classic bully/bullied tale and I liked it because the Beaver learns in the end how to be a better friend. It deals with pride, attitude, and doing the right thing. The lessons transpose into the current environment and it is an excellent way to intersperse culture with object lessons.
Turtle finds himself overrun by a selfish beaver and must figure out how to keep his home.
This is a classic bully/bullied tale and I liked it because the Beaver learns in the end how to be a better friend. It deals with pride, attitude, and doing the right thing. The lessons transpose into the current environment and it is an excellent way to intersperse culture with object lessons.
October 30, 2015
I enjoyed this book because I feel as though the author put a few good moral lessons within the pages. Also, if you read the front of the book you will see that this is a story that is based on native culture that has been spread by word of mouth. In this book the smaller but wiser animal, the turtle, beats the beaver in the race by biting his tail, by default winning the race and the rights to his land.
March 5, 2018
I like the text a lot - this is a fun Seneca fable about sharing and cooperation. I’m not really a fan of the illustrations though - they seem rather flat and expressionless, but I did like them a little better than “How Chipmunk Got His Stripes”.
Materials used: pen-and-ink, gouache and pastel
Typeface used: Optima
Materials used: pen-and-ink, gouache and pastel
Typeface used: Optima
April 1, 2015
Fun tale about an animal race. I appreciated the author's note about the origin of the tale. He shares a little about the nature of storytelling and how each storyteller adds a part of themselves to the story.
October 20, 2017
A very different view about turtle facing a tough competitor. Turtle thinks that he can beat beaver and challenges him to a race. It starts out in the beaver's favor until turtle cheats a little and ends up winning the race.
November 17, 2011
Cute book. I love folk tales and parables. This is a Seneca story.
September 26, 2012
An Iroquois story about a turtle and a beaver. The turtle will share his home with beaver but beaver insists on having the pond to himself and challenges turtle to a race.
October 10, 2012
An interesting story kin to Aesop's Tortoise and Hare. I most appreciate that Beaver learns from his mistakes.
October 22, 2017
This is a spin off of the Turtle versus the Hare book. This shows that the turtle being super confident and challenging the beaver. This book is really good for smaller kids.
November 30, 2018
I had this on my to-read shelf for over a year, and decided to read this around Thanksgiving. When I noticed it was by Joseph Bruchac I was excited to read it. I’ve read a few by him, and have enjoyed them.
I like the orange color in the inside of the book. It matches well with the blue jacket on the book.
I saw on the cover it was illustrated by someone also named Bruchac, and I thought it was nice Joseph wrote the book with a family member.
In the author's note he mentioned a trip to West Africa with his son Jim where they heard a similar tale to the Tortoise and Hare. I wondered why he was called Jim there but his name is James on the book.
I also learned that Aesop means "Ethiopian" and was told by an ancient Greek slave, so the story is originally from Africa.
I liked that this was about a painted turtle. Turtles were one of my favorite animals as a kid, and I loved painted turtles, even had a few when I was growing up.
The illustrations were drawn to appeal to kids, so they didn’t really work for me. They’re sort of sketchy and simple. And the turtle’s eyes weren’t anatomically correct. They weren’t on either side of its head like it should be, so he looked strange.
I didn't know turtles hibernated, and buried themselves at the bottom of a pond in the mud during winter.
Knowing it would follow the same pattern as the Tortoise and the Hare, I knew the turtle would end up winning the race, I just didn’t know how. I was interested in seeing how that would play out.
I never expected what actually happened, and found it humorous. As the race is about to start, the turtle bites onto the beaver’s tale, so that the beaver is swimming her across the pond.
Before beaver can win, the turtle bites down hard on it’s tail, and when the beaver flaps it’s tail out of the water, the turtle lets go and sails to the bank, where she crawls to the finish line.
Even though the turtle is happy with the outcome, she sees how sad the beaver is, and says she will still be happy to share her pond. The beaver was so embarrassed, he leaves without a word to anyone. You actually feel sympathy for Beaver then, as he swims away looking dejected. He looked so sad, and I felt bad for him!
I expected turtle to go after him, or perhaps for beaver to come back, and they’d come to realize they can live together. I wasn’t expecting the outcome that happened.
Over time, beaver’s dam falls apart and the pond returned to it’s previous level, and the rocks that turtle sunbathed on surfaced again. Beaver ended up finding a new home in a pond nearby. Another turtle lived in that one, and this time Beaver asks if he can share the pond with him first. The other turtle tells him of course.
‘And so the two of them lived there happily through all the seasons to come.’
I found this ending to be sudden and unexpected. Beaver did learn his lesson, because he asked the other turtle permission first, but I just wanted the change to be with the first turtle. They never spoke again in the book, and didn’t resolve their issues and coexist in the same pond like I wanted.
This wasn’t as good as I thought it would be.
I like the orange color in the inside of the book. It matches well with the blue jacket on the book.
I saw on the cover it was illustrated by someone also named Bruchac, and I thought it was nice Joseph wrote the book with a family member.
In the author's note he mentioned a trip to West Africa with his son Jim where they heard a similar tale to the Tortoise and Hare. I wondered why he was called Jim there but his name is James on the book.
I also learned that Aesop means "Ethiopian" and was told by an ancient Greek slave, so the story is originally from Africa.
I liked that this was about a painted turtle. Turtles were one of my favorite animals as a kid, and I loved painted turtles, even had a few when I was growing up.
The illustrations were drawn to appeal to kids, so they didn’t really work for me. They’re sort of sketchy and simple. And the turtle’s eyes weren’t anatomically correct. They weren’t on either side of its head like it should be, so he looked strange.
I didn't know turtles hibernated, and buried themselves at the bottom of a pond in the mud during winter.
Knowing it would follow the same pattern as the Tortoise and the Hare, I knew the turtle would end up winning the race, I just didn’t know how. I was interested in seeing how that would play out.
I never expected what actually happened, and found it humorous. As the race is about to start, the turtle bites onto the beaver’s tale, so that the beaver is swimming her across the pond.
Before beaver can win, the turtle bites down hard on it’s tail, and when the beaver flaps it’s tail out of the water, the turtle lets go and sails to the bank, where she crawls to the finish line.
Even though the turtle is happy with the outcome, she sees how sad the beaver is, and says she will still be happy to share her pond. The beaver was so embarrassed, he leaves without a word to anyone. You actually feel sympathy for Beaver then, as he swims away looking dejected. He looked so sad, and I felt bad for him!
I expected turtle to go after him, or perhaps for beaver to come back, and they’d come to realize they can live together. I wasn’t expecting the outcome that happened.
Over time, beaver’s dam falls apart and the pond returned to it’s previous level, and the rocks that turtle sunbathed on surfaced again. Beaver ended up finding a new home in a pond nearby. Another turtle lived in that one, and this time Beaver asks if he can share the pond with him first. The other turtle tells him of course.
‘And so the two of them lived there happily through all the seasons to come.’
I found this ending to be sudden and unexpected. Beaver did learn his lesson, because he asked the other turtle permission first, but I just wanted the change to be with the first turtle. They never spoke again in the book, and didn’t resolve their issues and coexist in the same pond like I wanted.
This wasn’t as good as I thought it would be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2022
This rendition of a much shared story is told with just the right combination of moral messaging and humor. The illustrations are not overly busy, but expressive and colorful enough to be eye catching. Sure to keep children (and adults) of all ages entertained, Bruchac expertly weaves in opportunities for audience participation as the animals cheer on the beaver and turtle. This participation pairs well with the author's forward which explains the many origins of the story from multiple Native tribes as well as its place within oral storytelling traditions. The moral of the story is multilayered, and not given outright, leaving plenty of room for conversations to follow, with many possible interpretations of smaller details. As Bruchac explains, every storyteller leaves their own unique mark upon a retelling, and his is a gentleness that acknowledges children's ability to judge the worth of a story for themselves.
September 8, 2019
I thought this book was very good. It was filled with action, but also taught a lesson throughout it. The turtle went into hibernation and woke up to find that a beaver thought that it was his pond now. The turtle offered to share the pond, but the beaver said for them to race to see who would get to keep living there. In the end, the turtle ended up winning and even though he won he offered the beaver to stay but he said no and went down to share another pond. This will entertain the children and teach them a lesson about sharing and being kind.
August 30, 2019
So much fun. This would be great to read alongside of any version of The Tortoise and the Hare, to demonstrate how many cultures have variants on similar themes in folktales. I really like the twist of this one. I wasn't a huge fan of the cartoony illustrations, but kids might like them.
October 7, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. The artstyle is really fun to look at and I think the message about sharing and not being arrogant is something that’s good for kids to hear. I would definitely want this book in my classroom.
November 21, 2019
Retelling of a Seneca story by Joseph Bruchac and his son, James Bruchac. Illustrations by renowned children's book illustrators, Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey.
April 10, 2021
This book was always popular with my first graders, and they would cheer along with the book.
April 21, 2021
This adaptation of the Tortoise and the Hare from the native Seneca tribe is a fabulous story of character, comparing the traits of selfishness and bruised pride alongside courage and kindness.
June 13, 2023
Read at summer lunch book giveaway. Clever retelling of Seneca legend with an animal winning a competition with smarts.
May 9, 2014
Turtle's Race with Beaver by Joseph Bruchac is your typical story of the weaker but wiser animal winning in a race. This story has been passed down as an oral story within many of the Native American storytellers. This is a great story to share with any age level and can be used to teach multiple concepts. Can be as basic as teaching about sharing, sequencing, summarizing or about animals and habitats. Could be utilized in upper grades while teaching a writing unit on folktales.
Read
June 9, 2011Whose pond is it? Turtle or Beaver? They both believe it rightfully belong to only them. They had a race to determine the owner of the pond. Turtle won so Beaver had to leave. Beaver found a new home adn shared it with a different turtle.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews