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Ready, Set, SLOW! | Tortoise and the Hare Retold | Stories for Kids · Dorktales Storytime | Stories for Kids Who Love Big Adventures

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, Dork Squad.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Jonathan Cormer, and you're listening to Dork Tales Storytime, the podcast for kids and their pop culture loving grown-ups.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_03: It's a beautiful day for a story and adventure and glory.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_03: New friends and old ones too.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_03: It's an excellent day to get swept away in a tale, so let us regale you.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Jonathan Yes, Reg Are you a fast person?
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I can talk really fast, but when it comes to running, uh I would call myself a happy slowpoke.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: Hmm.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's interesting because the other day my friend remarked, Reg, you're so quick.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought to myself, is my good pal lying to my face?
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: Oh compared to other animals, I happen to run quite slowly.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Reg When someone says you're quick, sometimes they mean that you think fast and you're funny.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, what a lovely remark! I was complimented and didn't even know it.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: Indeed you were.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm relieved, but I dare say, even though I've never finished a foot race, my athletic prowess still gets compliments around the hedgehog hangouts.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you have excellent er hedgehog running skills, Reg.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: And your mention of a race reminds me of today's story.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: Ooh, I live for smooth transition.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I enjoy steering the conversation away from complimenting you.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: We all win! Uh uh Bravo.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: Today's story is about a race between a swift hare and a very slow tortoise.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: Hmm What?
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's nothing.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just worried it's another one of those misunderstandings.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like uh like quick Okay, what part has you worried?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise Just tortoise?
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: Well, in Hedgehog Circles, we use the term tortoise to describe a very rich turtle.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: Really?
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so this turtle was rich.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: With pearls and a jewel-covered shell?
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: Or bedazzled roller skates?
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: Uh nope.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: Though that last one might have helped.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: Uh tortoise was just a tortoise, rich in family, friends, and experiences.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: I suppose that passes must uh.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, one day, Tortoise was in the city square and saw a crowd of animals gathering around a hare, who was boasting and bragging.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the spiniest in the land.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: Never been beaten, never gonna be.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: That's my motto.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: Just you watch.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: Uh-oh.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: What?
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's that tricky word thing again.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: I don't believe I'm thinking about the same thing of which you speak.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: A hare?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like fluff?
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: Well I suppose so.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: The stuff on your head.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh no, not hare H A I R.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: In this story, it's hare H A R E like a rabbit.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: Hare?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Well why stop there?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: Oh don't start.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: How about a bear or a mare in a lair over there with some flare on a chair?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, now you're just rhyming.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: How do you like my timing?
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: Anyways, Tortoise didn't care about the bragging hare.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: Ooh, good rhyme time, chap.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: Dow Reg to the story.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: Hare was going on and on to everyone about speed and skill, and Tortoise was unimpressed.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: It is pretty rude if you ask me.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: That's what Tortoise thought too.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: Did the tortoise clutch a strand of pearls and let out a heavy sigh?
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: Ah no pearls, remember, Reg?
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise was rich, but in family, friends, and experiences.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yes, oh yes, right.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: And also rich in integrity and good judgment.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: So Tortoise challenged the braggadocious hare to a race.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: In front of everyone?
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, Hare accepted the challenge, in the most gracious fashion a hare can muster.
• 4:49
  unknown: Ha ha ha!
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: You?
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: With those little stubby legs and your heavy shell, I could dance around you all day and still win the race.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: But Tortoise had a retort ready.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Boast away, but you'll be defeated.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise's courage shook the town square.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Fox immediately volunteered to be the referee.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: Chipmunk spit out all the acorns in his cheeks.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: It can't be possible! Even two hummingbirds zipped through the square, exclaiming, We gotta see this, we gotta see this.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Hmm, it sounds like this race was shaping up to be a big deal.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: When Tortoise and Hare arrived at the start of the path through the woods, the entire forest floor had come to witness the spectacle.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone knew it'd be impossible for Tortoise to win, but they were there to cheer anyway.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: That's the spirit.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: There were quite a few spectators who wanted to see Hare humiliate Tortoise too.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Not very sporting.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Not at all.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: And as the two creatures approached the starting line, they made intense, prolonged eye contact.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know the kind.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Who yes, just the sort of fierce connection two animals in competition make, their eyes wide, looked in and emblazoned Exactly, and Fox tied together two young branches into a starter and announced Runners take your mark.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise and Hare crouched next to each other at the starting line, and Fox said Gutsets.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise leaned forward just enough as to not topple over as Hare raised their haunches.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Both were ready to take off.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: Then Fox released the branches with a loud crack and shouted Go Hare took off, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: When it had settled, Hare was very far down the track, invisible to the spectators.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: But Tortoise was still only a few feet from the starting line.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: Ugh Tortoise wasn't moving very fast.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: Slow as a turtle.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: Does tortoise ever move faster than Hare?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: There's no magic twist or trick hidden in the shell or anything.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: No trickery for tortoise.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: The turtle was rich in his family, friends, experiences, integrity, and judgment, we know.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you listened?
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: I guess at that moment, yes I did.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: Oh well, thank you, Reg.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so Tortoise was moving at a uh let's say uh very gentle pace, eating the dust of a much speedier hare.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: And was ridiculed by some of the spectators.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: Some were saying things like, Give up, you're not built to beat the hare.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: But a few kinder, understanding ones loudly cheered, Keep going, Tortoise, and don't give up.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Ooh, I like those friends.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they're the best.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: And what's more, Tortoise's steps were confident.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: Knowing victory was in sight over the blowhard hare.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise just repeated over and over you got this.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: You can and you will, just one step at a time.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: What a nice mantra.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think we all could talk to ourselves a little more positively.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's true.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: I wish I had Tortoise's mantra going through my head.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes I feel convinced that I'm actually too smart and too stunning to have any friends who will tell me the truth, even if it'll hurt.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: Reg, I tell you when you're wrong all the time.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, but I guess I consider you more of a tight personal co-worker.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: Not really a friend.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: Ouch.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, fine, you're right.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: You're like my best friend.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I tell it like it is.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: You do call me out when I run my mouth and need to hear some hard facts.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like the fact that there's still a foot race going on.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yes, the foot race Where were we?
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: Well we got sidetracked after Hare had run far ahead, leaving Tortoise close to the starting line.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh let's jump forward to uh when the two were a little further along the race course.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: Hare had just zipped over a few hills, then paused to turn back and check on the competitor.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: To gloat, no doubt.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: You got it.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: Hare noticed Tortoise was only beginning to climb the first of quite a few hills.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: Chuckling, Hare muttered Heh at that pace, I'll beat Tortoise twice.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: Hare was quite confident.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: So confident, in fact, that upon noticing a lovely patch of fluffy grass by the side of their race path, Hare decided to take a nap.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: During the race That's right.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Next to the track, Hare laid in the soft grass and dozed off, confident nothing important would happen because Tortoise was so slow.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: And that's when Tortoise pulled out the roller skates hidden in their shell.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: Reg, no roller skates.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise was doing it the old fashioned way.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise really wasn't secretly quick.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: Just mentally quick, like you.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: Oh you know what I mean.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise just trudged slowly over those hills.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly, doing the hard work while Hare was slumbering away.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, you're catching on now.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: While Hare slept, Tortoise was moving forward, slow and steady.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Pretty soon, Tortoise passed the hare.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: I say, Hare didn't wake up?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: Why would Hare wake up being so very confident?
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: And losing all sight of any threat in the competition.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: Hare was good at running and hopping, but clearly had no idea about sticking with a task and following it through to completion.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the snores coming from the side of the racetrack confirmed that.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: Jonathan, promise me you'll never let my ego get that big.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want to make promises I can't keep, Reg.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, truly?
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'm kidding, Reg.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: You're a great friend, and I'll warn you if you start well veering off the path.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, mate.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: Now back to the story.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: So after passing the slumbering hare, our friend Tortoise got a second wind sliding down the other side of those steep hills.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: The hummingbirds dived by overhead, cheering and exclaiming, Keep going, keep going! Hare's still sleeping, hare's still sleeping.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: They cheered in unison as they kept Tortoise updated on Hare's extreme snoo session.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise continued moving forward.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: The finish line was now in sight over one final hill.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: Chipmunk ran alongside the racetrack, a mouth full of acorns, shouting, I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Tortoise.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: You're doing it right.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise grinned, knowing the plan was working.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: As Tortoise reached the crest of the final hill before the finish line, everyone in the forest heard a yell from behind.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yow! What?
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: The tortoises where?
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Hare clearly had woken up on the wrong side of the grassy patch.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: Ooh! This'll be rich.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: Actually rich?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: Uh not like a tortoise, no.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: Rich meaning Oh, that's a laugh.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, I see.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Hare did not find the situation very funny.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: The creature sprang up, scrambled down the path, and desperately tried to catch up to Tortoise, who only paid attention to the following path.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: Tortoise will never give up and never surrender.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: Way to go! You would have fit in with the rest of the animals, Reg.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: By Grabthar's hammer, by the sons of Warvin, they were jumping up and down, shouting excitedly for the entire five minutes it took Tortoise to walk the final foot to the finish line.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: And with Hare's protests echoing faintly behind, everyone cheered and paw-bumped over Tortoise's victory.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: As they all should, I hope the doubters felt very ashamed.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: But the story isn't about Hare or Tortoise's doubters.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's about the Tortoise's confidence and belief that slow and steady wins the race.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I've heard that phrase before.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: I never knew this was where it came from.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: And when Hare finally caught up to Tortoise, huffing and puffing across the finish line, I bet Hare was sweating from shame.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Certainly.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: But the other animals didn't worry too much about the loss.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: They were too busy celebrating with a proud tortoise.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: How I like that.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: This story has a few morals.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: Persistence wins the race, focus on your own journey, take it one step at a time, your path is your own.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, so many rich life lessons.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: No trickery, Reg?
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: Just rich in truth.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like a tortoise.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: Who's rich in family, friends, experiences, integrity, and judgment.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: Truly rich.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, this is a pretty fast story, right, Reg?
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: Not too quick, just the right pace.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: The End.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I'm glad we crossed the finish line together, Jonathan.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: Not a race.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: Just following the story through to its final conclusion.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: Me too, Reg.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: Me too.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: This has been a John in Character Production.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: Today's story was written by Amy Thompson, edited by Molly Murphy, and performed by Jonathan Cormer.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Hamilton Studios.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: Reach out to us on Instagram or email us at DorkTalestorytime at gmail.com.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: Find links in the show notes or go to DorkTaleStorytime.com.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: Now, go be the hero of your own story.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: And we'll see you next once upon a time.