Once upon a time in the sunny Woodland Hollow, lived Timmy Tortoise who loved to show off his shiny, green shell and boast about his grandfather.
‘My grandpa won a race,’ Timmy would say with a gleam, ‘He beat a speedy rabbit, like a dream!’
Every day, the woodland creatures would hear Timmy bragging. ‘Slow and steady wins the race,’ he'd say, while they couldn’t help but nag him.
One bright morning, Timmy met Riley Rabbit, a sprightly bunny with a nose so habit. ‘Why don't you race me, Timmy? Let’s see who’s the champ!’
With a confident nod, Timmy agreed, thinking of his grandpa's deed. The woodland creatures gathered around as the starting line was found.
Ready, set, go! Riley zipped ahead, as Timmy started slow, remembering what grandpa said.
But then Riley stopped to munch on some treats, thinking she had plenty of time to defeat. Timmy kept going, slow but steady, humming a song, happy and ready.
As the race went on, Riley felt sleepy, she closed her eyes and felt quite weepy. Timmy trudged on, humming his song, not knowing this race was long.
When Riley awoke with a start and a scram, she saw Timmy near the line, a little jam! She dashed like the wind, but it was too late; Timmy crossed first, thanks to fate.
The crowd cheered, ‘Three cheers, hooray!’ while Riley hung her head in dismay.
Timmy felt a little bad for his friend, so he made amends in the end. ‘It wasn’t my grandpa’s tale, but my own,’ he confessed, ‘I learned a new lesson that I’ve known!’
‘Slow and steady can win,’ Timmy said with a grin, ‘But boasting's not the way to begin.’ And so, our tale ends with this priceless advice, being humble and kind is always nice.
Reflection Questions