A book with the same concept as the "tortoise and the hare".
ages 3-5
pierce college library

This book was a story about two siblings, Stella and Roy, who have a race on their bicycles. Stella is older and has a more mature bike and therefore, she is much faster than Roy. Because she moves faster than Roy, she makes stops during the race to climb a tree, look at a fish, and talk to a police officer. In the end, because of Stella's continual stops, Roy passes right by her and finishes the race first. The end of the story has the two children sharing popcorn, finishing the race kindly and in good spirits. The book used colorful, vivid illustrations that presented each step of the story. The illustrations demonstrated the characters and their emotions very well. I also found that the book utilized repetition and patterns successfully, having Stella stop each time she found something interesting and the text stating, "And Roy rolled right on by" every time he passed her while she was stopped. I feel that this type of repetition and pattern resonates well with young children and organizes the story in a digestible way. Lastly, I enjoyed that only the bodies of most of the adult characters were presented. The faces of these characters were not shown. I found this to be a smart, intentional move because it allows the readers to focus on Stella and Roy, characters with whom they can connect because of their age. I found the book a bit simplistic and felt that the story would have benefitted from a bit more development, but I believe that it would be enjoyable for young children. ( )

Story of Stella and Roy who are racing to get to the popcorn stand. Stella's bike was faster and she was confident she is going to defeat him at the race but Roy manage to win because Stella keep on stopping to appreciate nature's beauty.

Age: 3-6
Source: Pierce COllege Library ( )

I'm annoyed by the description here--saying Roy wins the race because Stella stops to "enjoy the beauty" of the park makes it sound as if that is the point of the book; Stella is the nature lover, while Roy ploddingly ignores nature to win a race. Nope!

This is a charming retelling of The Tortoise and the Hare, and Stella is an overconfident little girl who challenges her younger brother to a race around the pond. The details, especially the sly insinuation of a great many turtles and rabbits into the background, are loads of fun. And I love that Roy is a gracious winner. This is great to pair with any more traditional version of the Aesop fable. ( )

Stella and Roy go on a bike ride. They are racing to a popcorn stand. Stella is much faster than Roy, but she keeps getting distracted. Each time she passes Roy she calls out. Roy is not distracted and gets to the popcorn stand first. He is a good sport about it. Slow and steady wins the race.
Ages: 2-4
Source: Pierce College Library