The Tortoise and the Hare by Betty Miles

This little Ready-to-Read book tells the classic story of the tortoise and the hare. (If you aren't familiar with the tale, here's the Wikipedia entry.)

The book is a primer and Betty Miles does a nice job of simplifying the story so that the message is still clear, even to very young readers. The sentences are short and there is plenty of repetition so new readers get plenty of easy practice that will build their skills and confidence.

Here's a sample of what you'll find:

Hey! Look at me!
Look at me run.

I can run faster than you, Squirrel.
Faster than you, Fox.

Faster than you, Bear.
Faster than you, Mouse.
I can run faster than anyone.

As for as artwork, Paul Meisel's illustrations are kid-friendly and appealing.

Considerations:::
All-in-all this book is good choice for a primer as it provides a message as well as reading practice.

The publisher describes this book as one for children who are "Starting to Read". The Accelerated Reading folks are more precise and have determined that this version of The Tortoise and the Hare is at the 1.0 level. Essentially it is a book meant for entering first graders.

The book is a Good Read-aloud version of the classic story. Consider getting it at the library or for the home shelves if there is hand-me-down potential.