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The Tortoise and the Hare

The Tortoise and the Hare is a classic story from Aesop's Fables for Kids, for children aged 3–7. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 2 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 3 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.

A boastful hare naps in the middle of a race, and the slow tortoise keeps going and wins. Aesop’s fable in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version read in Mandarin.

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Read The Tortoise and the Hare

Once upon a time, a hare and a tortoise lived in the same forest. The hare had long, strong legs, and he could run like the wind. The tortoise had a big, heavy shell on his back. He walked very, very slowly.

One day, the hare saw the tortoise on the road and laughed. "You are so slow!" he said. "The sun will go down before you get anywhere!" The tortoise did not get angry. "Let's have a race," he said. "Who can get to the big tree first?"

"A race with me? Ha, ha!" said the hare. All the animals came to watch. The fox was the judge. "Ready, set, go!" he called.

The hare ran off very fast. Soon he looked back. The tortoise was far, far behind. "He is so slow," the hare thought. "I can sleep for a little while and still win." So he lay down under a tree and fell asleep.

The tortoise kept going. Step, step, step. The sun was hot, and his feet hurt, but he did not stop. Step, step, step. Quietly, he walked past the sleeping hare.

At last the hare woke up. The sun was going down. He jumped up and ran as fast as he could. But when he got to the big tree, the tortoise was already there. All the animals were clapping and cheering.

The hare's face went red. The tortoise smiled at him. "You are much faster than me," he said. "I am slow, but I never stopped."

The Chinese version: 龟兔赛跑

从前，森林里住着一只兔子和一只乌龟。兔子的腿又长又有劲，跑起来像一阵风。乌龟背着又厚又重的壳，走起路来慢吞吞的。

一天，兔子看见乌龟在路边慢慢地爬，就哈哈大笑：“乌龟呀乌龟，你爬得这么慢，等你走到河边，太阳都下山啦！”乌龟一点儿也不生气，慢慢地抬起头说：“别笑。我们来比一比，看谁先跑到山脚下那棵大树底下。”

“跟我比赛跑？”兔子笑得在地上打滚，“好啊，好啊！”森林里的动物听说了，都跑来看热闹。狐狸当裁判，它举起一片大树叶，喊：“预备——跑！”

兔子“嗖”的一声冲了出去，一眨眼就跑出老远。它回头一看，乌龟才刚刚爬过起跑线。兔子心想：“它爬得这么慢，我先睡一会儿，醒了再跑，照样能赢。”它找了一棵大树，往树荫下一躺，没过多久就呼呼地睡着了。

乌龟呢，一步，一步，又一步，一直往前爬。太阳晒在背上，热乎乎的；路上的小石子，硌得脚底板疼。累了，它就喘口气，可是一会儿也不停下来。它从睡着的兔子身边爬过去，轻轻的，没有吵醒它。

太阳慢慢往西边落。兔子伸了个懒腰，醒过来了。“哎呀，我睡了多久？”它跳起来，使出全身的力气往前跑。可是，等它跑到山脚下的大树底下，乌龟已经在那里了。动物们围着乌龟，又拍手又欢呼。

兔子红着脸，低下了头。乌龟笑眯眯地对它说：“你跑得比我快多了。可是我走得再慢，也一步都没有停呀。”

The Tortoise and the Hare: the moral of the story

Keep going, one step at a time, and even a slow walker gets there. Being fast is not enough if you show off and stop halfway.

Chinese words in The Tortoise and the Hare

Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.

  • 乌龟wū guī

    tortoise

  • 兔子tù zi

    hare, rabbit

  • 森林sēn lín

    forest

  • 慢吞吞màn tūn tūn

    very slowly

  • 赛跑sài pǎo

    race (running)

  • 裁判cái pàn

    judge, referee

  • 睡着shuì zháo

    fall asleep

  • 欢呼huān hū

    cheer

Bedtime storytelling tips

  • Give the hare a quick, smug voice and the tortoise a slow, low one, so your child can tell who is talking without being told.
  • When the tortoise goes “Step, step, step,” let your child walk two fingers slowly across the blanket and count the steps with you.
  • If your family is learning Chinese, play the Mandarin version, 龟兔赛跑 (guī tù sài pǎo), on another night. A child who already knows the story can follow along even when they only catch a few words.

Things to talk about afterwards

  • The hare was much faster than the tortoise. Why did he lose?
  • What did the tortoise do when the sun was hot and his feet hurt?
  • Can you think of something hard that you kept doing until you finished it?

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The Tortoise and the Hare: common questions

What is the moral of The Tortoise and the Hare?
Keep going, step by step, and even a slow walker can finish first. The hare was much faster, but he was so sure of himself that he stopped to sleep, and that is how he lost. The tortoise never stopped.
Who wrote The Tortoise and the Hare?
It is one of Aesop’s fables, number 226 in the Perry Index. Aesop is said to have been a storyteller in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC, and his fables were written down by later collectors. This page has our own retelling.
Why did the hare lose the race?
He thought the tortoise was so slow that he could take a nap and still win, so he lay down under a tree and fell asleep. When he woke up, the sun was going down, and by the time he ran to the big tree, the tortoise was already there.
What does “slow and steady wins the race” mean?
It is the lesson most people take from this fable: someone who keeps going at a steady pace can beat someone faster who gets careless or stops. In our version the tortoise puts it simply: “I am slow, but I never stopped.”
Is there a Chinese version of The Tortoise and the Hare?
Yes. In Chinese it is called 龟兔赛跑 (guī tù sài pǎo), “the tortoise and hare race.” This page has our Chinese retelling with Mandarin narration next to the English one.

Source and how we retold it

Aesop’s fables, number 226 in the Perry Index. Aesop is said to have been a storyteller in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC. His fables were first passed on by word of mouth and collected by later writers, and they have long been in the public domain. Our retelling keeps the original plot: the hare laughs at the tortoise, falls asleep halfway, and the tortoise keeps walking and wins. The big tree at the finish, the animals who come to watch and the tortoise’s last words to the hare are details we added for young listeners.

The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by 英伦绅士 and the Chinese by 温柔妈妈. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.

If you liked The Tortoise and the Hare, there are more stories in Aesop's Fables for Kids. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.

More Aesop's Fables for Kids