Turtle's Race with Beaver as told by: Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac
Bruchac, J., Bruchac, J., Aruego, J., & Dewey, A. (2005). Turtle’s race with Beaver : a traditional Seneca story. Puffin Books. (J. Aruego, A. Dewey, Illustrator) ISBN 014240667
In this traditional Seneca story, we follow Turtle, a turtle who has lived in her pond her entire live, and loves her pond. The pond is her home and lovely as ever, that is until Beaver comes along. Unwilling to share, Beaver challenges Turtle to a race, and only the fastest animal may win. Turtle doesn't want to lose only home, so she agrees, but how can Turtle outswim Beaver? Read on to find out if Turtle gets to keep her home!
Before reading the story, the authors start off with an author's note that details how and where the inspiration from this book came from. Reading that Joseph Bruchac has been learning about oral traditions such as Turtle's Race with Beaver was awe-inspiring thing to read because he managed to find something he was interested in and find a way to spread his love and joy for this topic for countless others. I know that, I for one, would have not known of this version of the Tortoise and the Hare had it not been for the Bruchac brothers.
As for the title itself, despite being another version of the Tortoise and the Hare, the Seneca version managed to put a spin on this timeless classic. I found myself laughing at this version more than I had with the Tortoise and the Hare, and that is due to the Bruchac's brother ability to add humor to various parts of the story, where as with the Tortoise and the Hare, there was not as much humor. The added humor is a great addition as it will help keep younger readers engaged in the story! One this I did notice that has been different than some of the more recent children's books I have read is that the Bruchac brothers change the font size of words to emphasize them in context with the setting. For instance, the brothers capitalize and increases the font size for "TURTLE! BEAVER! TURTLE! BEAVER" and when describing that Turtle had to swim "higher, and higher, and higher, and higher." This was a choice that I did like, because it can help whoever is narrating the title (whether it be to one child or multiple children) know to enunciate those words which is more engaging for the audience. Another thing I did like was that even though I knew how this story was going to end, I did not know exactly how Turtle would win, so when Turtle bit Beaver's tale, I had to give her credit! While I am not exactly sure how I expected her to win, it certainly wasn't that, but it was a very smart move on her behalf, and as an added bonus, it made me laugh! In the end, I am glad that Beaver learned their lesson that sharing is caring, and that they were able to find another turtle to share their home with.
The art style that Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey chose for this book was an interesting one. The drawing very simple drawings, though they were color with an array of colors to show details. One thing that was done well in with the art was the animals showing emotions. Despite the simple drawings, you can clearly see when each character is pleased, displeased, scheming, happy and even sad, and these emotions are all portrayed through the eyes! Slight changes to the eye shapes for each animal added so much emotion to the characters and that added to the tones of the story.
What do readers think? John Peters from Booklist agrees that, "there are plenty of visual cues to the contestants' emotional states in the illustrators' bright, flowing scenes" while Kirkus Reviews states that, "The artists' trademark energy-filled pen-and-ink and gouache illustrations enhance the tale with color and humor. [And} each animal bursts with personality in this sure winner."
Reader's who enjoyed this book will enjoy the any version of The Tortoise and the Hare, or The Deer and the Snail by Maureen Tai and Marcela Calderon. After reading this title you can discuss and ask them how could the race have been avoided? If they were in Turtle place, would they have shared their home? And finally, have your reader brainstorm two animals they'd have race in their own version of The Tortoise and the Hare!
Awards for this title:
- While no awards were found. Joseph Bruchac is a bestselling author
Bruchac, J., Bruchac, J., Aruego, J., & Dewey, A. (2005). Turtle’s race with Beaver : a traditional Seneca story. Puffin Books.
Bruchac, J. (2003, September 1). Turtle’s race with Beaver. Kirkus Reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/joseph-bruchac/turtles-race-with-beaver/
Bruchac, J. (n.d.). Turtle’s race with Beaver by Joseph Bruchac. Penguin Random House. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/288461/turtles-race-with-beaver-by-joseph-bruchac-illustrated-by-ariane-dewey-and-jose-aruego/
Peters, J. (n.d.). Turtle’s race with Beaver, by Joseph Bruchac: Booklist online. Turtle’s Race with Beaver. https://www.booklistonline.com/Turtle-s-Race-with-Beaver-James-Bruchac/pid=1142940
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