The Tortoise and the Hare | Bedtime Story for Kids | Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I'm the fastest in the whole wide world. Slow and steady, step by step. One is very fast, one is very slow, but is the fastest always the winner? Let's find out. The tortoise and the hare. Once upon a time in a wide green meadow, there lived all sorts of animals. There was mouse who was small and squeaky. There was duck, who loved to splash. There was squirrel who could never ever sit still. And high in the old oak tree lived old. Owl, the wisest of them all. And there was Dash the hare. Dash had long, bouncy ears, long, springy legs, and he was very. Very fast, he raced the butterflies and won. He raced the wind, and won. He even raced his own shadow. Well, that one was a draw. I'm the fastest in the whole wide meadow. Dash said it every morning. He even said it in his sleep. Oh, Dash, you. At the edge of the meadow, in a little garden, lived Tilly the tortoise, and she had the kindest smile you ever saw. Every morning, Tilly watered her flowers. Slow and steady, step by step. And as she worked, she hummed a happy little tune. One sunny morning, Dash came zooming down the path, zoom, zoom, zoom. He skidded to a stop in a big cloud of dust. Good morning, Tilly. Are you still watering that first flower? Good morning, Dash. I'm on my third one. Your third one. You are so slow. I bet a snail could beat you. The meadow went very quiet. Tilly put down her watering can. She thought for a moment, then she smiled. Maybe I am slow, Dash, but I'd like to have a race with you. Everyone gasped. A race, Tilly, against Dash. Dash laughed so hard he rolled over in the grass. Ha ha! A race with you? Ha ha! Oh, this will be easy. Yes, let's race. So off they went to Old Owl. Hoo hoo, a race. Very well. I shall be the judge. Up the hill, through the carrots. Cross the stream, past the shady tree, and the first to reach the old oak tree wins. By the next morning, the whole meadow had come to watch. Tilly stood very still and took a deep breath. On your marks, get set, go. Dash was gone in a puff. Dust and Tilly, Tilly took her very first step. Dash raced up the grassy hill and reached the top in no time at all. He looked back. Far below was a tiny. Dot. Bye bye, Tilly. See you next week. Down at the bottom, Tilly began to climb. The hill was steep, and her legs were short, but she didn't stop. On the other side of the hill was the carrot patch. Sniff. Mmm, carrots. Well, I'm so far ahead. Maybe just one. Crunch! That one was delicious. Maybe just one more. Crunch, crunch! Then he found the biggest carrot of all. After a while, Tilly came plodding into the carrot patch. The carrots smelled lovely. But Tilly was in a race, and she walked right on past. Dash reached the stream, and with one big jump. Then he did a little show-off dance for Duck. Did you see that jump, Duck? Did you see it? Very nice dash, but shouldn't you be racing? Racing? I've got lots of time. Tilly couldn't jump. Even a tiny bit. So she crossed the stepping stones one at a time. Wobble, wobble. She was across. Dash's tummy was full of carrots, and his legs were getting heavy. The shade under the big tree looked so cool and cozy. Dash gave a great big yawn. I'm so far ahead. I'll just close my eyes for. Little minute, dash the hare was fast asleep. Step by step, Tilly came up the path. There was Dash snoring in the shade. Tilly didn't stop to nap. She didn't even stop to rest. She tiptoed past him, very, very quietly. Go, Tilly. Go, shh. Keep going. Slow and steady, step by step. One little minute turned into a long, long time. When Dash finally woke up, the sun was low and orange. Ha! No tortoise anywhere. I told you she'd never catch up. Then he looked towards the old oak tree, and there, almost at the finish, was a small round shell. What? Oh no, no, no! Dash leapt up and ran faster than he had ever run before. Tilly. Dash was getting closer, and closer, and closer. But Tilly didn't look back. She took one more step, and she stepped right over the finish line. Hoo hoo! The winner is Tilly the Tortoise. The whole meadow cheered. Then Dash came skidding in, puffing and puffing. Dash sat down. For once, he didn't say anything at all. Then Tilly walked over to him. That was a very fast run, Dash. You really are the fastest in the meadow. But you won, Tilly. You win. It's easy. I just didn't stop. Dash thought about that, then he began to smile. Billy, can we walk home together? I'd like that. But I'll warn you, I'm slow. That's okay. I'm in no hurry. And so the tortoise and the hare walked home together as the sun went down. From that day on, Dash still loved to run, but he never boasted again because being fast is good, but not giving up is even better. Slow and steady wins the race. The end. Thank you for listening. Come back soon for another story. Can you really make soup from just one stone? Find out in stone. Grown-ups, if your little one loved this story, try our gentle phonics app for first words. It's on the App Store.