BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac.2003.Turtle’s Race with Beaver. Ill. By Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey. New York: Dial. ISBN: 0-8037-2852-2; ISBN-13: 978-0803728523
Plot Summary:
This story is a Native American folk tale that deals with conflict and sharing. The story begins on a beautiful woodland pond with a happy striper turtle sunning herself on a rock surrounded by water lilies and dragon flies. By the smile on her face, life is good and can’t get any better. With the seasons come change and summer moves to winter. Turtle swims to the bottom of her pond to hibernate for the winter. At the same time, Beaver is looking for a new home and comes across the beautiful woodland pond. He sees that it will be a perfect place for his new home. He works hard and builds a nice dam and a lodge of sticks and mud. Sitting in his new home, life is good. Turtle awakens, swims to top of the pond and meets Beaver. Beaver says that the pond is his and Turtle suggests they share the pond. Beaver challenges Turtle to a race for the pond with winner takes all. Strength versus intellect - where you would think size will prevail. Turtle outsmarts Beaver by using Beaver’s strength and speed by attaching herself to his tail. He swims quickly and right before the finish line, Turtle bites his tail. In pain Beaver flicks his tail and Turtle into the air, allowing Turtle to be propelled ahead of Beaver. Turtle crosses the finish line and wins.
Critical Analysis:
This is a nice rendition of Aesop’s “The Tortoise and the Hare” using Native American story traditions. Joseph and James Bruchac have spent years studying Native American storytelling and have retold a classic. Lesson learned is that everything is better when shared with others. The art for this book was prepared using pen-and-ink, gouache, and pastel. The pictures are simple with wonderful colors and expression. Children will love the animals and will want to cheer for their favorite during the race. Joseph Bruchac wants children to be engaged and I feel he has accomplished this with the animals, the challenge, and chanting of the spectators. Who does not like a competition and the winning of the underdog?
Review Excerpts:
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 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.Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From 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. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Connections:
Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. How Chipmunk Got His Stripes. ISBN-13: 978-0142500217; ISBN-10: 0142500216
Bruchac, Joseph and Anna Vojtech. The First Strawberries. ISBN-13: 978-0140564099; ISBN-10: 0140564098
Websites with Activities, Games and Lesson Plans:
http://childcareseminars.com/Turtles_Theme_Unit_Folder.pdf
Awards/Honors:
Joseph Bruchac
Parent Reading Magic Award
American Book Award for Breaking Silence
Horn Book honor for The Boy Who Lived with the Bears
Scientific American Children’s Book Award for The Story of the Milky Way
Cherokee Nation Prose Award
Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children’s Literature
2005 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award
2001 Parents Guide to Childrens' Media Award for Skeleton Man
2000 Parents Choice Gold Award for Crazy Horse's Vision
1999 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas
1999 Jane Addams Childrens Book Award for Heart of a Chief
1998 Writer of the Year Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas
1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas
1997 Paterson Award for Dog People
1996 Boston Globe Book Award for The Boy Who Lived with the Bears
1995 Knickerbocker Award
James Bruchac
In 1999 Jim was nominated as STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Authors and Storytellers.
Jose Aruego
His book, Herman the Helper, was an Honor Book for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in 1974. The picture book was written by Robert Kraus and illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. We Hide, You Seek, and Dance Away (written by George Shannon) were nominated for Nebraska's Golden Sower Award. Three books, illustrated by Ariane Dewey and Jose Aruego, are included in Barnes & Noble's Reader's Catalog of the Best 40,000+ Best Books in Print. These include Gregory, the Terrible Eater, Mitchell Is Moving, and Mushroom in the Rain. Aruego's books frequently are included in Best Books Lists, such as 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know from the New York Public Library. The list includes Mushroom in the Rain and Leo the Late Bloomer. In 1976 Mr. Aruego was honored by the government of the Philippines with the Outstanding Filipino Abroad in the Arts Award.
Ariane Dewey
No awards found.
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