“Tops and Bottoms” by Janet Stevens.
Harcourt Brace and Company, New York, 1995, 40 pages, 2003, K-2.
Folktales are usually humorous stories about people, situations, or life events. One of the most famous American folktales is the race between the Tortoise and the Hare.
Janet Stevens writes a hilarious retake of Hare’s life after his loss to the Tortoise. Having lost all of his money by betting he would defeat the Tortoise; he is now broke. In order to recoup his losses, he must come up with a plan to make money. His cunning idea wins the day in this delightful picture book, “Tops and Bottoms.”
Mr. Hare is destitute because he made a bet that he would defeat Tortoise in a race. Mrs. Hare doesn’t know how to keep their family together with no money. She has many baby bunnies and tells Mr. Hare that he must immediately do something. He thinks and thinks. Finally, he remembers that Bear bought all of his land after the lost race. If he could get the land back, he could become rich again.
When he approaches Bear with a proposition, he must first wake up the lazy animal. Bear has inherited much land and money. This allows him to sleep all day and do very little. His sloth has no impact on his vast wealth.
Mr. Hare asks Bear to go into business with him. Since Bear has lots of land, Mr. Hare proposes to grow crops for Bear and give him half the profit. This seems reasonable to Bear, so he agrees. Mr. Hare then asks Bear whether he wants the top or the bottom of the crops. Bear’s sluggish mind finally decides that the top half of the crops are what he wants. With this, Bear falls back to sleep for the entire summer.
Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Hare start planting carrots and radishes. At harvest time, they cut the tops off of both vegetables and give Bear leaves. Bear quickly realizes that he has been tricked. Mr. and Mrs. Hare have all the best parts of the vegetables. Now he demands the bottoms of each vegetable for the upcoming season. Mr. Hare agrees and begins planting. Bear wanders back home and sinks into slumberland. What happens?
Does Mr. Hare trick Bear a second time? Why is planning so important? Does Bear ever stop being lazy and begin working his own farm? Who eventually gets both land and a vegetable stand? To find the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out this funny story, “Tops and Bottoms” by Janet Stevens.
“Tops and Bottoms” is a great read-aloud in a classroom setting. Children will enjoy watching Mr. Hare trick the lazy Bear. Students will also like to make predictions about what will happen on the next page. If you are looking for an enjoyable book, this is it. The pictures and story will keep you in stiches. Enjoy!
