Review of "Turtles Race with Beaver"

Bibliography: Bruchac, Joseph and Bruchac, James. 2003. Turtles Race with Beaver. Ill. Areugo, Jose and Dewey, Ariane. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0142404667.

Critical Analyses:
The story of Turtle and Beaver’s race begins with a happy turtle, loving his life, sunning himself on one of the many rocks in his pond. After Turtle awakes from hibernation, he finds Beaver has built a damn and his rocks have disappeared. When Beaver then challenges Turtle to a swimming race, he is outsmarted by the clever Turtle, who ends up winning the race. Although the kind Turtle offers to share his pond with Beaver, Beaver is embarrassed and leaves. The story ends with Turtle sunning himself on one of his favorite rocks, and Beaver politely asking a Turtle in a neighboring pond if he could share his pond with him.

The theme of a slower, smaller animal outsmarting a larger, faster animal is a staple in the folklore of various cultures. Joseph and James Bruchac include a page long introduction to the tale, and it is clear that they wished to honor the cultural roots of the story. In the introduction Joseph Bruchac notes, “I’ve been learning from the oral traditions of our Northeastern Woodlands peoples, especially the Iroquois and Abenakis. I’ve heard many stories from more than one source, and this tale is no exception” (Bruchac 1). It may have been more reassuring had Joseph Bruchac noted which tribe from the Iroquois nation he “heard” the story from, and additionally, the name of the particular person he attributed this version to. Many stories attributed to indigenous people have been altered, and many of the “fables” that are altered are considered sacred stories by the people that tell them. The practice of naming the person that gifted the story to you when you perform a retelling is common in Native American culture. The fact that he did not clearly define the source of this version of the story concerns me.

The pen-and-ink, gouache, and pastel illustrations are vibrant and happy. They clearly depict a pond in the northeast, but beyond that, there is nothing that ties the illustrations to the native tribes Bruchac and Bruchac claim this story originates from. However, the illustrations provide such an upbeat, engaging style, they are sure to captivate many children. Children will love the expressions found on the many animals faces that grace this ultimately charming children’s book.

Reviews:

School Library Journal:

"This appealing variant of the time-honored, cross-cultural tale conveys the need for cooperation, perseverance, and humility within group settings. Children will be so involved in the storytelling that they'll absorb these lessons effortlessly. Done in pen and ink, gouache, and pastel, the cheerful artwork is a wonderful match for this well-told tale."

Booklist:

"A chorus of cheering animal spectators invites audience participation, and there are plenty of visual cues to the contestants' emotional states in the illustrators' bright, flowing scenes. A natural candidate for reading aloud, and for follow-up discussions, too."

Awards: I could find no mention of awards for this book.

Connections:

If you are doing a folktale unit, and like the work of Joseph Bruchac then two other folktales retold by Joseph Bruchac are: How Chipmunk Got His Stripes and Raccoon's Last Race.

It is important that children do not view Native Americans as people that told these stories in a distant past and lived "a long time ago." If there is a reservation nearby, or a Native American organization then it would be appropriate to ask a leader of the Native community to come and tell stories or at least talk about their contemporary tribe.