Long, long ago, in a big forest, there lived a hare and a tortoise. The hare was very fast. He could run like the wind! The tortoise was very slow. He walked step by step.

The hare was very proud of his speed. He loved to show off. Every day, he would make fun of the tortoise. “Look at you!” laughed the hare. “You are the slowest animal in the forest!”

The tortoise was tired of the hare’s teasing. One day, he said quietly, “I may be slow, but I never give up. Let’s have a race and see who wins!”

All the animals in the forest heard about the race. “The tortoise wants to race the hare? Ha ha!” they laughed. Everyone came to watch. The fox was the judge.

“Ready, set, GO!” shouted the fox. The hare zoomed ahead like a rocket! In seconds, he was far, far ahead. The tortoise slowly began to walk. Step… step… step…

The hare looked back and saw the tortoise far, far behind. “That silly tortoise will take all day!” thought the hare. “Let me take a small nap under this shady tree. I have plenty of time.”

The hare lay down under the tree and quickly fell asleep. He dreamed of winning the race and getting a golden medal.

Meanwhile, the tortoise kept walking. He did not stop. He did not rest. Slowly but steadily, he walked past the sleeping hare. “I must keep going,” he said to himself.

After a long sleep, the hare suddenly woke up. He stretched and yawned. Then he looked toward the finish line — and got the shock of his life! The tortoise was almost at the finish!

The hare ran as fast as he could, but it was too late. The tortoise crossed the finish line first! “I WON!” cheered the tortoise. All the animals clapped and cheered.

The hare hung his head in shame. He had learned his lesson. Being fast is not enough — you must also be hard-working and never give up. The slow tortoise had won because he never stopped trying.