Third Grade
Worksheets
The Hare and the Tortoise
The hare, which was bigger than a rabbit and proud of it, liked to tease the slower creatures. "I am faster than you and you and you," he would say as he pointed to each one.
One day the hare made fun of a tortoise. "Look at those stubby little legs!" he cried. "The only race you could win would be against that slowpoke snail," he said. The snail, who was listening from her place on a fallen log, blushed with shame.
"Is that so?" the tortoise replied politely. "You may be quick on your feet, Mr. Hare, but I believe that I could beat you in a race."
The hare stared at the tortoise for a moment. Then he fell on his back, laughing and kicking his strong hind legs. "Oh, you crack me up!" he cried. "For a second there, I thought you were serious!"
The tortoise insisted that he was serious. The hare laughed even harder. Finally, a fox hurried over to see what was so funny. The hare was laughing too hard to tell her.
"I challenged Mr. Hare to a race," the tortoise said. "When he stops laughing, perhaps we could set up a track and a finish line. Will you help us, Miss Fox?"
The fox agreed to help. She took small flags and marked a path for the race. She put a ribbon across the finish line. The winner would break the ribbon.
Once that was all done, the hare splashed some cold water on his face and prepared for the race. He stood beside the tortoise and tried not to giggle.
The fox had gone to wait at the finish line to see who crossed first. She left a badger at the starting line to start the race for the tortoise and the hare.
