Harry in a Hurry

This twist on the Aesop’s fable of The Hare and the Tortoise has Harry the hare not in an actual race this time, but always in a hurry, and Gemma Merino’s illustrations show the world as a blur as he whizzed about on his scooter, knocking over the postman and generally causing mayhem. He talks fast, and eats fast, and was in too much of a hurry to notice the teeny tiny rock that snagged his front wheel and sent him and his scooter flying into a pond.  Tom the tortoise, quietly fishing there, rescued him, and asked where he is going. “I won’t know until I get there. And now I’m going to be late!”. Tom didn’t understand, but said he will fix the scooter, and that it will take time. Tom slowly got lunch together, and Harry, feeling grumpy, started to notice how cosy the house was, how comfy his chair felt, and how nice the soup smelled. He had hurt his arm, so he had to eat slowly, enjoyed the taste, and didn’t get hiccups.  They went for a walk, and Harry noticed his surroundings. He sat and had a really good look at it all while Tom mended the scooter.  Brushing aside Tom’s apology for taking so long, Harry asked how he could thank him, and the answer was a ride on Harry’s back on the scooter! The last page shows them in several small pictures as friends, doing some adventurous things and some slow things, but enjoying each other’s company.

Timothy Knapman has been writing plays, musicals and children’s books for over ten years, with many appearing on CBeebies, and his Dinosaurs in the Supermarket was a best seller.  Gemma Merino is a prize-winning illustrator known for The Cow that Climbed a Tree. Their collaboration works well, and Gemma Merino has added touches outside the story, like the endpaper showing Harry choosing a new pair of running shoes. This will be good to share with under fives and nursery children.