A short, short, old, old Tale Retold by Brigitte Franssen; illustrated by Jef Franssen
One day a hare met a tortoise and started to make fun of the short feet and slow pace of the tortoise. But the tortoise asked, laughing: "Would you be interested in a race?" The hare could not believe that a tortoise could beat him, so he agreed.
They chose a course and fixed a goal. Then, on the day of the race the two started together. The tortoise walked with its usual slow pace. The hare hared off. Sure of his speed, the hare decided to lie down by the wayside for a little while and watch the tortoise plod on. But the hare fell fast asleep. At last he woke up and moving as fast as he could, he saw the tortoise had already reached the goal and was waiting for him with a big grin on his face. The hare could not believe he lost. He, who is as swift as the wind, just lost a race to a tortoise! Out of all the animals in the animal kingdom he had to lose to a tortoise!
And that's how the hare learnt that pride goes before a fall.
