It's time for the annual Race-a-thon, and Steve the horse is excited! He
knows he'll win. He wins every year! And no wonder, Steve's body is
built for running. He's got a big chest for deep breaths, powerful
hindquarters to propel him forward and the longest legs in the forest.
But when he goes to sign up, Steve finds out the rules have changed, and
his confidence starts to waver. Because this year, the Race-a-thon is
going to be a relay race, which means all runners must compete in teams.
And Steve's on a team with the slowest runners in the forest: Turtle,
Duck and Snail! Is it possible that Steve could lose the Race-a-thon for
the first time ever?
This delightful picture book story from Kelly Collier about the lovable
--- if sometimes self-absorbed --- horse named Steve is laugh-out-loud
funny. Every page features humorous and cleverly designed interplay
between the illustrations and commentary, as well a few definitions
(such as powerful hindquarters: "That means strong bum muscles") that
provide vocabulary enrichment. The humor and the edge-of-the-seat
description of the race make this a fantastic read-aloud pick. It also
works as a great discussion starter on the topic of sportsmanship and on
the character education skill of teamwork.