When Tortoise challenges his friends to a race home, the reader may expect this easy reader to be a simple retelling of the Tortoise and the Hare fable. Instead, Tortoise is much more clever, outsmarting his friends and surprising both them and the reader in the process. The story of his wit is told through high frequency words and short sentences, allowing very early readers a chance to develop their skills. The story is greatly enhanced by the illustrations, which show that Squirrel, Hare, and Mouse are not only outsmarted by their friend but are injured in their attempts. At the end of the book, a series of activities to reinforce early reader's comprehension of the text are included as well as a list of things adults can do while reading the book with a child to support his or her literacy skills. ( )