A little kid ponders with his mother about life as a race. Is it more important to get to the finish line, or to help others out along the way? He decides at the end that helping people is more important.
This book would be best for children in grades K-2. It could be used as both a personal read and a read aloud.
This book sends a really good message to children. I do not know if they would pick up on the pun of the "human race", so that vocabulary would have to be prefaced before the story is read.The lesson at the end of the story is the most important part of the book. Talking about helping other people would be a good conversation to have with young children and this book is a gateway for that.
Without the illustrations, this book would not be what it is. They really add to the story and make it really funny. They are very detailed. The only hesitation that I have is that the different races in the book are not very accurately represented, but that is also something that could be talked about with students.
Literary Elements Highlighted:The entire story is a pun. The book also rhymes which is something that is taught in the grades that this book would be used in.
Mini-LessonThis could be paired with a conversation about how we treat each other in the classroom, and then write a golden rule for our class.
