Once upon a time, there was a race between six animals: a tortoise, a hare, a snail, a cheetah, a gazelle, and a rabbit. The tortoise was slow, the snail was sluggish, the cheetah was speedy, the gazelle was spry, the rabbit was swift, and the hare was rapid. They all lined up at the starting line, eager to see who would win the race.

The hare took off quickly, thinking he had the race in the bag because of his speed. But as he got ahead, he started to slow down and eventually fell asleep under a tree. The tortoise plodded along slowly but steadily, never giving up. The snail crawled along, still sluggish but determined. The cheetah sprinted ahead, but then stopped to catch his breath. The gazelle leapt gracefully through the air, but then started to tire. The rabbit hopped along, still swift but not as quick as he once was.

In the end, it was the tortoise who crossed the finish line first! All the other animals cheered for him, realizing that sometimes slow and steady wins the race. From then on, they all learned to appreciate each other's different speeds and worked together to have fun in their races.

The end.

Reflections

1. Who won the race and why?
2. What did the other animals learn from the tortoise's victory?
3. How did each animal move during the race (e.g. slow, rapid, etc.)?
4. What does the phrase "slow and steady wins the race" mean?
5. Why was the hare confident about winning the race at the beginning?