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Der Wettlauf zwischen Hase und Igel
Richly detailed and realistic illustrations bring this rarely published, humorous Brothers Grimm masterpiece to life
When a hare insults a humble hedgehog one morning in the field, they challenge each other to a race. The hare is sure he will win the race and get the gold coin. But the hedgehog has a secret plan up his sleeve that will demonstrate how brain power can beat brawn any day of the week. With masterful illustrations by Jonas Lauströer, this little-published gem from the Brothers Grimm leaps off the page, and will delight fairy tale fans of all ages.
When a hare insults a humble hedgehog one morning in the field, they challenge each other to a race. The hare is sure he will win the race and get the gold coin. But the hedgehog has a secret plan up his sleeve that will demonstrate how brain power can beat brawn any day of the week. With masterful illustrations by Jonas Lauströer, this little-published gem from the Brothers Grimm leaps off the page, and will delight fairy tale fans of all ages.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1843
About the author
Jacob Grimm
6,021 books2,334 followersGerman philologist and folklorist Jakob Ludwig Karl Grimm in 1822 formulated Grimm's Law, the basis for much of modern comparative linguistics. With his brother Wilhelm Karl Grimm (1786-1859), he collected Germanic folk tales and published them as
Grimm's Fairy Tales
(1812-1815).
Indo-European stop consonants, represented in Germanic, underwent the regular changes that Grimm's Law describes; this law essentially states that Indo-European p shifted to Germanic f, t shifted to th, and k shifted to h. Indo-European b shifted to Germanic p, d shifted to t, and g shifted to k. Indo-European bh shifted to Germanic b, dh shifted to d, and gh shifted to g.
This jurist and mythologist also authored the monumental German Dictionary and his Deutsche Mythologie .
Adapted from Wikipedia.
Indo-European stop consonants, represented in Germanic, underwent the regular changes that Grimm's Law describes; this law essentially states that Indo-European p shifted to Germanic f, t shifted to th, and k shifted to h. Indo-European b shifted to Germanic p, d shifted to t, and g shifted to k. Indo-European bh shifted to Germanic b, dh shifted to d, and gh shifted to g.
This jurist and mythologist also authored the monumental German Dictionary and his Deutsche Mythologie .
Adapted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 19, 2023
Moja draga prijateljica (i čitalica) mi je rekla da moram pročitati ovu slikovnicu. Citiram ju: „Mene je knjiga posebno oduševila! Pročita se u 10 min, a tako te tresne i otvori oči da ne možeš k sebi doći! Savršena knjižica a nije nikakva samopomoćna i tome slična...“ Ok, što se mora, mora se...
A vjerujem da će i vas zanimati, pogotovo ako imate i dječicu s kojom ćete proći priču, gledajući ju svojim i njihovim očima. Njezina prvašica ju je odabrala s police u Dječjoj kući i obje su se oduševile. Možda moja frendica i više. Ni ja nisam daleko.
„𝑼𝒕𝒓𝒌𝒂 𝒊𝒛𝒎𝒆đ𝒖 𝒁𝒆𝒄𝒂 𝒊 𝑱𝒆𝒛̌𝒂“ priča koju je napisao 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐡 kažu da je njegova najsnažnija koja aktivno poziva na raspravu o pobijedi pod svaku cijenu.
Ok, zec je morao biti brži, ali znači li to i da je pobjednik? Kada idemo još malo, još malo, samo još malo na uštrp svega i sebe, koliko je to dobro? Naučiti i primijeniti pouku ove „Utrke“ ili se samo prisjetiti, svima će jako dobro doći...
Neću vam ništa više govoriti, jer vam i ja predlažem da ju sami pronađete i doznate tko se tu natjecao i tko je tu koga pobijedio i kako.
A vjerujem da će i vas zanimati, pogotovo ako imate i dječicu s kojom ćete proći priču, gledajući ju svojim i njihovim očima. Njezina prvašica ju je odabrala s police u Dječjoj kući i obje su se oduševile. Možda moja frendica i više. Ni ja nisam daleko.
„𝑼𝒕𝒓𝒌𝒂 𝒊𝒛𝒎𝒆đ𝒖 𝒁𝒆𝒄𝒂 𝒊 𝑱𝒆𝒛̌𝒂“ priča koju je napisao 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐡 kažu da je njegova najsnažnija koja aktivno poziva na raspravu o pobijedi pod svaku cijenu.
Ok, zec je morao biti brži, ali znači li to i da je pobjednik? Kada idemo još malo, još malo, samo još malo na uštrp svega i sebe, koliko je to dobro? Naučiti i primijeniti pouku ove „Utrke“ ili se samo prisjetiti, svima će jako dobro doći...
Neću vam ništa više govoriti, jer vam i ja predlažem da ju sami pronađete i doznate tko se tu natjecao i tko je tu koga pobijedio i kako.
June 3, 2019
I'm a A1-level student, and I find this book a bit hard to read. It uses too much präteritum (rief, kam, war, lief) and many grammatical structures which I'm not familiar with. Moreover, the vocabulary is much broader than I used to find in others children's books. However, the story is funny, and the illustrations are wonderful!
August 19, 2025
Uhh okay so I've been learning German again and I wanted to read this children's book that's in German that my mom had and that she used to learn German in the 80s and it unintentionally turned into me being very offended and very glad to have been born in the 21st century lol
This book should be used as a case study for those who want to learn how to be better people and get over their internalised prejudices. The exercise should be : can you spot all the things that are wrong here ? If not, educate yourself more lol
First of all, both the Hare and the Hedgehog are really shitty people
The Hare makes fun of the Hedgehog for having crooked legs : he's what we would now call an ableist and should be cancelled
The Hedgehog, offended and insecure about his crooked legs, asks the Hare to compete in a race with him, the winner getting a gold coin and a bottle of eau de vie (yikes)
You want to empathise with the Hedgehog, but it turns out that he's also a piece of shit
When he tells his Hedgehog-wife that he bet on a race with the Hare, his wife, reasonably so, tells him that he shouldn't have and that he's acting unwisely. To which, this dumbass, says "Silence, woman!" I'm sorry since when are hedgehogs sexist ??? Anyway the Hedgehog-wife, who evidently is victim to an unjust patriarcal system, complies because "she has no choice".
Then it turns out that the Hedgehog's entire plan consists in cheating by having his wife pop up at the finish line, before the Hare gets there. How is that an example to children ? Instead of ignoring bullies who are probably dealing with their own issues, you feed into the issue by participating in gambling, shutting down the only voice of reason in your life, and then breaking the rules in order to win ? Anyway, since the Hare has, like, zero braincells, he doesn't get the ruse and keeps asking to redo the race until he quite literally drops dead from exhaustion, I believe, and so the Hedgehog loots his dead body I guess and gets his prize
So since this is an old fable, there's a moral at the end. The first one sort of makes sense, it basically says that you shouldn't bully others or else you'll die lol
But the second one left me completely flabbergasted
The second one
I kid you not
Says that "it is wise, if you are to take a wife (conveniently assuming the audience is only boys), to take one who is of your condition and in every way similar to you. so, if you are a hedgehog, make sure that your wife is also a hedgehog, and same for all species"
umm ?? i mean, there is a realm in which i could be generous and assume this is supposed to just be a joke, but let's be honest, it probably isn't ?? and i know this is technically a brother's grimm fable, times were different, but i've heard plenty of versions of the same story that don't have a weird, completely unexpected eugenics moral at the end ? what the hell ? this is grand coming from a book published in germany in the 20th century
but also -- how can people say that gender and ethnic inequalities aren't based on education and are "natural" when this is the type of story people were reading to their children ? children absolutely internalise this type of discourse, children learn through mimicry and a child will absolutely grow up to think that it's okay to dismiss women, or cheat, or show lack of empathy in conflict resolution, or hold racist views if this is what they're told repeatedly from a young age, i know this from experience because i realised in my adulthood that as a child and a teen i accepted and partook in a lot of repressive gender dynamics because i never knew anything else
So anyway, I'll keep this book but if I ever have children, I'll make sure never to read this to them until they're of an age where I can explain what's wrong with it
xoxo grosse Küsse, tschüss
This book should be used as a case study for those who want to learn how to be better people and get over their internalised prejudices. The exercise should be : can you spot all the things that are wrong here ? If not, educate yourself more lol
First of all, both the Hare and the Hedgehog are really shitty people
The Hare makes fun of the Hedgehog for having crooked legs : he's what we would now call an ableist and should be cancelled
The Hedgehog, offended and insecure about his crooked legs, asks the Hare to compete in a race with him, the winner getting a gold coin and a bottle of eau de vie (yikes)
You want to empathise with the Hedgehog, but it turns out that he's also a piece of shit
When he tells his Hedgehog-wife that he bet on a race with the Hare, his wife, reasonably so, tells him that he shouldn't have and that he's acting unwisely. To which, this dumbass, says "Silence, woman!" I'm sorry since when are hedgehogs sexist ??? Anyway the Hedgehog-wife, who evidently is victim to an unjust patriarcal system, complies because "she has no choice".
Then it turns out that the Hedgehog's entire plan consists in cheating by having his wife pop up at the finish line, before the Hare gets there. How is that an example to children ? Instead of ignoring bullies who are probably dealing with their own issues, you feed into the issue by participating in gambling, shutting down the only voice of reason in your life, and then breaking the rules in order to win ? Anyway, since the Hare has, like, zero braincells, he doesn't get the ruse and keeps asking to redo the race until he quite literally drops dead from exhaustion, I believe, and so the Hedgehog loots his dead body I guess and gets his prize
So since this is an old fable, there's a moral at the end. The first one sort of makes sense, it basically says that you shouldn't bully others or else you'll die lol
But the second one left me completely flabbergasted
The second one
I kid you not
Says that "it is wise, if you are to take a wife (conveniently assuming the audience is only boys), to take one who is of your condition and in every way similar to you. so, if you are a hedgehog, make sure that your wife is also a hedgehog, and same for all species"
umm ?? i mean, there is a realm in which i could be generous and assume this is supposed to just be a joke, but let's be honest, it probably isn't ?? and i know this is technically a brother's grimm fable, times were different, but i've heard plenty of versions of the same story that don't have a weird, completely unexpected eugenics moral at the end ? what the hell ? this is grand coming from a book published in germany in the 20th century
but also -- how can people say that gender and ethnic inequalities aren't based on education and are "natural" when this is the type of story people were reading to their children ? children absolutely internalise this type of discourse, children learn through mimicry and a child will absolutely grow up to think that it's okay to dismiss women, or cheat, or show lack of empathy in conflict resolution, or hold racist views if this is what they're told repeatedly from a young age, i know this from experience because i realised in my adulthood that as a child and a teen i accepted and partook in a lot of repressive gender dynamics because i never knew anything else
So anyway, I'll keep this book but if I ever have children, I'll make sure never to read this to them until they're of an age where I can explain what's wrong with it
xoxo grosse Küsse, tschüss
February 23, 2019
In this version of the Tortoise and the Hare, Hare makes a rude comment toward the size of Hedgehog's legs. This causes Hedgehog to challenge Hare to a race. When he says yes, Hedgehog enlists the help from his wife to help trick the hare into thinking he can run faster than him. Hare continues to challenge Hedgehog to a race, thinking he can eventually win, but he never does and eventually kills himself trying to win.
This book would be nice to use to compare different countries similar stories to the well known United States version. This book differs in the way that it is a Hedgehog that challenges and uses trickery to make Hare think he beat him. It also emphasizes how important it can be to allow your family to help you in situations.
This book would be nice to use to compare different countries similar stories to the well known United States version. This book differs in the way that it is a Hedgehog that challenges and uses trickery to make Hare think he beat him. It also emphasizes how important it can be to allow your family to help you in situations.
April 18, 2018
I have arranged my thoughts on this fairytale into a haiku:
"None shall feel guilty
When pranks on bullies go too. . .
Far. . .apparently."
"None shall feel guilty
When pranks on bullies go too. . .
Far. . .apparently."
March 4, 2016
Review to come.
July 5, 2024
FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
The original tale is much better but also darker then the version kids see.
It is different but not that different from what you might remember from first hearing this tale as a kid.
The plot here are very good but also dark which is the mix which I personally like a lot.
The writing style here was very old and you could feel the vibe of old the Europe which but it also felt like there was something missing.
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
The original tale is much better but also darker then the version kids see.
It is different but not that different from what you might remember from first hearing this tale as a kid.
The plot here are very good but also dark which is the mix which I personally like a lot.
The writing style here was very old and you could feel the vibe of old the Europe which but it also felt like there was something missing.
February 7, 2025
This is a different and darker take on The Tortoise and The Hare, and parents may wish to know that the moral is rather questionable here. A hedgehog, angry at being belittled by a haughty hare, challenges the hare to a race. The hare laughs at the thought of racing a hedgehog-- but the smaller creature has an idea on how to win.
November 18, 2017
This book might have a limited audience. I had a little trouble with the hare falling dead on the spot after running himself to death. And the hedgehogs are fairly crude characters.
October 2, 2020
i love hedgehogs and i love brothers grimm
June 13, 2021
I guess another version of the hare and the tortoise. So weird though, lol.
July 6, 2022
A fun tale with a moral. Very similar to "The Great Race" by Nathan Kumar Scott.
Read
August 10, 2025Yet another proof that men cannot do anything without the help of women…
April 29, 2026
Book 3 of my 2026 Goodreads Challenge
October 13, 2015
A hedgehog becomes angry at a hare after enduring his insults during a chance encounter in the field. Brimming with offended pride, he challenges him to a race. Naturally, his wife is concerned because there's no way that a hedgehog can outrun a hare. But being swift isn't the only way to win a race, and the hedgehog finds a way to run that arrogant hare into the ground. Youngsters may enjoy this tale even more than the one featuring the tortoise and the hare, possibly because it involves trickery and using one's brain. Originally published in Switzerland, the book features color-drenched illustrations and detailed depictions of the animal characters dressed in their best finery. If this picture book doesn't kindle an interest in folktales, I don't know what will. This one is ideal for sharing aloud, but readers will want to linger on each page.
October 29, 2015
Smart beats speedy in this humorous retelling of Grimm tale with striking, richly detailed illustrations.
February 17, 2019
Yet again a well known fairy tale shattered for me. It isn’t a tortoise as we have come to know, but, a hedgehog - Wow.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews