The Tortoise and the Hare

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Are you enjoying these free short stories online? The Tortoise and the Hare is another great classic short story that we've heard again and again.

That's okay though, it never gets old! For this adventure you may need your tennis shoes for sprinting, then again you may need your walking stick?! Who knows!

The Tortoise and the Hare

A Hare was making fun of the Tortoise one day for being so slow.

"Do you ever get anywhere?" he asked with a mocking laugh.

"Yes," replied the Tortoise, "and I get there sooner than you think. I'll run you a race and prove it."

The Hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the Tortoise, but for the fun of it he agreed.

So the Fox, who had consented to act as judge, marked the distance and started the runners off.

The Hare was soon far out of sight, and to make the Tortoise feel very deeply how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a Hare, he lay down beside the course to take a nap until the Tortoise should catch up.

The Tortoise meanwhile kept going slowly but steadily, and, after a time, passed the place where the Hare was sleeping.

But the Hare slept on very peacefully; and when at last he did wake up, the Tortoise was near the goal.

The Hare now ran his swiftest, but he could not overtake the Tortoise in time.

The Moral Is: The winner is not always the fastest.

What Did You Learn from the Tortoise and the Hare?

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This is a great famous fable that also reminds us not to make fun of people who are different than us.

Different is good, otherwise we'd all be exactly the same. Now that would be very boring!

It also teaches us that as long as we keep making steps toward our goal, we'll get there! We don't always have to run!

Fun Facts

Tortoise

Tortoises can live to be over 100 years old! Make sure you think about that before you get one as a pet! Who will take care of it if you don't live to be 100?

Tortoises have 60 bones that are all connected together - that's what makes their shell.

Did you know there is a Desert Tortoise that can survive for a year without access to water?! That's crazy!

Hare

A hare is not a rabbit, but they are related to each other.

Hares eat their own poop! Yuck! Why, you ask? So that food will pass through their digestive system twice and they get the most out of their meal.

Girl hares will box with boy hares - can't we all just get along?

We hope you're enjoying these free short stories online! We're having a blast with you!

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