The Aesop’s fable gets a do-over, set this time in Israel. Hare and Tor­toise, who are actu­al­ly friends, race from Tel Aviv, through Jerusalem and then a desert oasis, and all the way to the Dead Sea. The sto­ry works as a nice trav­el­ogue for Israel, high­light­ing the sights, sounds, and tastes of the coun­try. The nar­ra­tion is sweet and gen­tly humor­ous, the illus­tra­tions appeal­ing and slight­ly off­beat. There’s no sur­prise twist on the moral; it sim­ply serves as a light frame­work for the sto­ry. Rec­om­mend­ed for ages 4 – 7.