C
o f e c a R b a nd Rabb a it r
Written by Cheng Lin Illustrated by Chevelle Grey
Printed by Bytes ‘n Colours 2/42 Mort Street, Braddon ACT 2612 Australia First Edition 2012 Reprinted 2014, 2016 Paperback Edition 2022 Š Cheng Lin 2012 Typeset and Illustrations by Chevelle Grey National Library of Australia Card Number and ISBN 1 875580 23 9 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Race of Crab and Rabbit
Written by Cheng Lin Illustrated by Chevelle Grey
Once upon a time, a crab heard the story of how a rabbit and a tortoise had a race.
The crab thought, I am more flexible than a tortoise, and I have eight legs.
This is twice as many as a rabbit so I think I can run faster than both the rabbit and the tortoise.
The crab had a meeting with the rabbit.
“I have eight legs and you have just four legs so I think I can run faster than you.�
But, rabbit disagreed, and said, “You can’t go faster than me.”
The two of them quarrelled about who was faster. More and more animals gathered around the crab and the rabbit.
The birds and the dog wanted to set up the race. They wanted to be the judges, too.
Soon the crab and the rabbit were ready for the race. They had to run until they reached the biggest tree in the forest.
The crab and the rabbit started to run after the dog shouted, “Ready, set, go!�
The rabbit was in front of the crab.
A few seconds later the dog shouted, “The crab is running in the wrong direction.�
The other animals could see the mistake and they shouted at the crab.
But, the crab thought the animals were cheering for him, so he kept running.
Finally, the rabbit reached the big tree at the end of the race. The crab was lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
A bird flew to the crab and said, “Rabbit has reached the big tree. You have lost the race.” The crab said, “It’s impossible because I didn’t see the rabbit pass me.”
The bird said, “You are foolish because you always run sideways. You will never reach your destination.� The crab remembered that he had more legs than the rabbit but he learnt a lesson. Now he is more modest.
Who can run faster?