A Story About Finding Your Own Kind of Speed
“The Fastest Tortoise in Town” follows Barbara Hendricks, a tortoise who makes the bold decision to enter a road race despite knowing she’s not the fastest creature around. What makes this story special is how it acknowledges Barbara’s very real concerns about competing while celebrating her determination to participate anyway. With only a week to prepare, Barbara faces the universal challenge of overcoming self-doubt and finding the courage to step outside her comfort zone.
The story’s genius lies in its race lineup—Barbara finds herself competing not against typical speedy animals, but alongside a wonderfully quirky cast of fellow “slow movers” including a slow loris, a snail, a sloth, and a walrus. This creative choice transforms what could have been a predictable underdog story into something more nuanced and encouraging.
Themes That Resonate with Every Reader
The novel explores several meaningful themes that will connect with readers facing their own challenges:
- Courage to Try: Barbara’s decision to enter the race despite her fears shows how bravery isn’t the absence of fear, but acting despite it
- The Power of Support: Lorraine’s encouragement and training partnership demonstrates how friends and family can help us achieve more than we thought possible
- Redefining Success: The story beautifully illustrates that winning isn’t just about coming in first—sometimes just participating and doing your best is the real victory
- Daily Progress: Barbara’s week of training shows how small, consistent efforts can build both skills and confidence
- Overcoming Self-Doubt: The journey from worry to race-day courage provides a roadmap for handling anxiety and building self-confidence
- Embracing Your Own Pace: The story celebrates that everyone has their own natural rhythm and that’s perfectly okay
A Fresh Take on Classic Wisdom
While the story echoes the timeless “tortoise and the hare” fable, Calvert brings fresh perspective by focusing on the internal journey rather than just the external competition. Barbara’s week of preparation becomes as important as the race itself, showing readers that growth happens in the daily effort, not just in the final moment of competition.
The training sequences with Lorraine provide practical examples of how encouragement works in real relationships—not through empty praise, but through believing in someone enough to help them prepare and improve.
Perfect Characters for Young Readers
Barbara Hendricks is a wonderfully relatable protagonist who experiences real anxiety about her abilities while maintaining the determination to push forward. Her internal dialogue will resonate with any child who has ever worried about not being good enough or fast enough or talented enough for something they want to try.
Lorraine represents the ideal supportive friend—someone who doesn’t dismiss Barbara’s concerns but helps her work through them constructively. Their relationship models healthy friendship dynamics and shows how we can help others without trying to fix them or minimize their feelings.
The Joy of Unexpected Competition
The race lineup is one of the story’s most delightful elements. By featuring animals known for moving slowly, Calvert creates a competition where speed isn’t the only measure of success. This setup allows for humor while also making the important point that there are many different kinds of races in life, and we need to find the ones that suit our particular strengths and circumstances.
The slow loris, snail, sloth, and walrus each bring their own character to the race, creating opportunities for readers to think about how different types of creatures (and people) approach challenges differently.
A Story That Builds Confidence
“The Fastest Tortoise in Town” offers young readers a roadmap for approaching their own intimidating challenges. Barbara’s journey from initial self-doubt through training and preparation to race-day courage provides practical steps that children can apply to their own lives—whether they’re facing a school presentation, trying out for a team, or attempting any new challenge.
The story’s message about “trying your best” isn’t presented as consolation prize thinking, but as a genuine measure of success that readers can embrace with pride.
Celebrating Different Kinds of Strength
What makes this book particularly valuable is how it celebrates persistence, preparation, and heart as genuine strengths. Barbara may not be naturally fast, but she demonstrates courage, dedication, and the willingness to work hard—qualities that serve anyone well in any endeavor.
The story subtly teaches that different situations call for different types of abilities, and that finding the right challenge for your particular strengths is just as important as developing those strengths.
A Message for Our Times
In a world that often emphasizes instant results and natural talent, “The Fastest Tortoise in Town” offers a refreshing reminder about the value of effort, preparation, and persistence. Barbara’s week of training shows that improvement is possible and that the process of getting better can be just as rewarding as any final outcome.
Perfect for Building Resilience
The story provides an excellent framework for discussing resilience with young readers. Barbara’s initial fears are acknowledged as valid, but she doesn’t let them stop her from participating. Her training shows how we can prepare for challenges rather than simply hoping for the best, and her race-day revelation about already winning by trying her best offers a sustainable approach to handling competition and challenge.
A Celebration of Friendship and Support
Lorraine’s role in the story highlights how important supportive relationships are in helping us achieve our goals. Her encouragement is practical rather than empty, and she provides the kind of steady support that helps Barbara grow in confidence. Their relationship models how friends can help each other without taking over or minimizing the challenge.
An Invitation to Try
“The Fastest Tortoise in Town” ultimately invites readers to consider what challenges they might want to attempt in their own lives. Barbara’s story suggests that the magic happens not in being naturally gifted, but in having the courage to try, the wisdom to prepare, and the heart to keep going even when you’re nervous.
The book reminds us that there are many different ways to be “fastest”—fastest to sign up, fastest to encourage a friend, fastest to keep trying when things get difficult. Barbara Hendricks may be a tortoise, but her story moves at exactly the right pace to inspire readers of all ages to find their own courage and discover their own definitions of success.