Turtle’s Race With Bear

One day, Bear was walking around. He was bragging. “I am the biggest animal,” he boasted. “I am the strongest animal. I am the fastest animal.”

Then a small voice spoke up from the ground.

“You are not the fastest animal!” the small voice said.

Bear looked down. A little turtle was there. She was sticking her head out of her shell. She was looking up at Bear.

“You are not the fastest animal,” Turtle said again.

Bear laughed. “Ha! You are the slowest animal.”

Turtle stuck her head out farther. “I challenge you to a race,” she said.

Bear laughed again. “Ha ha ha!”

“Are you afraid to race me?” Turtle asked.

Bear stopped laughing. “I am not afraid of anything,” Bear said. “I will race you. Tell me when and where.”

“We can race tomorrow. We can race at the big round pond. You can run around the outside. I can swim along the edge of the pond.

“The first one to get back where we started will be the winner.”

Then the two of them went to look at the pond. It was almost winter. The pond was covered with ice.

“How can we race if the pond is icy?” Bear asked.

“I can make a hole in the ice,” Turtle said. “Then I can swim underwater. I don’t mind the cold.”

Bear shook his head. “No. You are trying to trick me. I cannot see through the ice. You will just pretend to swim around. You will just hide under the ice. Then you’ll come back out again.”

Turtle said, “I will make holes around the edge of the pond. I will stick my head up from each hole. You can see how far I have gone.”

Bear agreed. They would meet the next morning. Then they would have their race.

Bear went home to his den. He slept all night. The next morning, he went to the pond.

Turtle was waiting. There were holes in the ice all around the pond.

Turtle was not alone. All the other animals were there. They were tired of hearing Bear brag all the time. They hoped Turtle would win.

The signal was given.

The race began. Turtle crawled to the first hole. She plopped into the water. She disappeared under the ice.

Bear began to walk around the pond. He was sure Turtle would be slow. Suddenly, Turtle’s head popped up from the next hole in the ice.

“Here I am, Bear,” Turtle called. “Catch up with me.”

Bear was surprised. He began to run.

Then, from the next hole in the ice, Turtle’s head popped up again. “Here I am, Bear. Catch up with me.”

Bear ran faster. He ran as fast as he could. He ran so fast that his feet hurt.

But Turtle’s head popped up farther and farther ahead.

“Here I am, Bear. Catch up with me!” she said.

“Here I am, Bear. Catch up with me!” she said again.

“Here I am, Bear. Catch up with me,” she said again. Her head was popping up out of the ice farther and farther ahead.

Before Bear was halfway around the pond, Turtle crawled out.

She had made it all the way around the pond first!

All the other animals congratulated Turtle. They told Turtle she had done a great job. Bear was too tired to finish the race.

He dragged himself back to his den. He was so tired that he slept all through the winter. Ever since then, Bear sleeps all winter.

Turtle waited by the pond. Then she tapped on the ice three times. From every hole in the ice, up popped the head of another turtle. They all looked just like her!

“Thank you, my friends and relatives,” Turtle said. “Today we won a great victory. It is not just a victory for turtles. It is a victory for everyone who has been called slow.”

“Hooray!” said all the turtles. “Hooray!”