Picture Book Friday: The Race of the Century

Since I come across so many great picture books, I thought I should start blogging about them a bit more consistently. And since Friday is storytime day, I figured it was the perfect day to do it! So, I'm going to try having a "feature" - woo! Let me know how you like it.


The Race of the Century retold and illustrated by Barry Downard

I'm not usually all that big on fairy tale books, but I couldn't resist this one. It's the Tortoise and the Hare for the 21st century! Downard's photo collage illustrations are awesome and sometimes bizarre. A few of my favourite bits - Flash Harry Hare trains for the race by disco dancing, complete with Travolta-esque white suit and during the race he wears a tank top that says "Bunnies Dig Me" on the back. Tom Tortoise warms up by pumping pumpkin barbells and his progress is caught on "Slo-Mo Action Replay Tortoise Cam." The moral is the same, "Fast and flashy doesn't always beat slow and steady." Older kids who know the story will really appreciate all of the visual jokes, but it would also be good for reading to younger ones.