Steve is back and this time he's ready for the race-a-thon. Steve ALWAYS wins the race-a-thon. But this year, it's been changed to a relay race...and he ended up wit the sloooooowest teammates ever. Will he be able to train them in time?

I love that the book shows that each person has their own strengths and talents. I feel like this is a pretty good moral for a twist on the old Tortoise and Hare Aesop fable.

NOTE: I received an ARC copy of this book on NetGalley. I received no incentive to read or review this book other than said copy of work. The review below contains my own thoughts and opinions. Special thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free copy.

This was a great book. Steve is self-centered, clueless, and incorrigible. In spite of this, the book is adorable.

There's something very appealing about Steve's design. Between his buck teeth, disproportionate barrel chest, and tiny legs are super charming. The minimal use of color allows the facial expressions to shine. And a character as arrogant and self-centered as Steve shouldn't be so charming. It helps that he's a bit dim and easily manipulated. Sure he claims another character's idea as his own but his pride leads to his downfall. And when he fails, he doesn't assign blame. He wilts adorably. He feels his emotions to an extreme degree.

Hilarious story! Kids 4 and up will enjoy this tale of Steve- the horse never loses a race! Well, almost never....! A new race is announced which sort of levels the playing field- a relay race and teams can't pick team mates. Names are drawn out of a bag. Steve gets turtle, duck and snail. Sounds like a team destined to lose, even with Steve's long legs and neck. Illustrations were a hoot! Even adults will enjoy this twist little tale!

Steve, the good-natured, self-absorbed horse, always wins the Annual Race-a-Thon. This year, however, it is a relay race. In the spirit of fairness, teams are created by drawing names. Steve’s team could not be any more hilarious. His teammates are a turtle, a snail, and a duck. Steve looks at the situation and gets an idea. What if he coaches his teammates? Steve has always run the Race-a-Thon, certainly, he has the wisdom to share. Along with his goofy smile, Steve spouts out nonsensical tips, completely oblivious to what is actually happening. Thanks to the simple, sepia-toned illustrations, the readers are in the know. Steve’s coaching aside, with the combination of the course and the weather, each teammate is perfect for each situation. Turtle, snail, and duck each manage to get ahead of the other team. Steve, filled with excitement for his team, forgets to run his portion of the race.

This is such a fun book to read with children. There are words used in the story to enhance a child’s vocabulary. It is also a great discussion starter about sportsmanship and teamwork, especially as more and more children are engaged in team sports. Parents could model Steve’s coaching role in helping their children understand the character of teamwork, to set aside selfish desires in order to support the team.

You know those folk tales of the tortoise and the haire. You might think that is where this story is going, except for the fact that Steve has an ego the size of a planet.

And the fact that the relay race he is going to be running is with a snail, a duck and turtle.

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But despite what seem like deficits, the turtle wins her part of the race because of her shell. The snail wins their part of the race because of their shell, and the duck can get to through the muck.

And Steve? He is so caught up in it all, he loses the reach for them, because, like the tortoise and the Haire, he waits to long to complete the race.

Cute story.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I loved the first book about Steve. This hilarious new addition does not disappoint, as competitive Steve coaches his friends in the Race-a-thon Relay

It’s time for the annual Race-a-thon in the woods. Steve is really excited because he always wins. But this year they’ve changed the race into a relay, and Steve’s teammates are Turtle, Snail, and Duck. Can Steve help his teammates become winners?

I like the creative circumstances in this that helped make Turtle, Snail, and Duck have positive experiences at their lengths of the race. I also like that Steve is a good sport and learns a bit about teamwork. He may not quite get everything he should (he’s kinda slow on the uptake sometimes, and he’s still a little full of himself), but he does make progress and the book manages to end on a happy note for all the critters involved in the race in a way that isn't cheesy. I really appreciated the subtle humor in the illustrations. Those may be in black, white, and sepia, but they still manage to be very lively and entertaining. Recommended for readers looking for a good teamwork book or a humorous animal or sports book.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone’s favourite horse is back in a new story, Team Steve written by the hilarious Kelly Collier, published by Kids Can Press. There is so much to like about Steve. He’s a good horse, built for racing. Each year he is the winner of the big Spring Race-a-Thon but this year things are different. This year the race is a relay. To keep things fair Steve is on a team with snail, duck, and turtle. Even though Steve’s teammates are not exactly the fastest racers he is not deterred and is determined to coach his team to victory.

Team Steve is an especially silly story with fabulous illustrations making it an excellent read aloud. You could really dive in and come up with voices for the characters and read it with tremendous enthusiasm. Steve proves to be a great coach and with an underlying message of sportsmanship and gumption, readers will hopefully come away with a better appreciation of how to be a great teammate and how to be a positive problem solvers.

Once again, the illustrations make this story completely come to life. With the simple black drawings on a beige background, you wouldn’t think this story would be a lively and full of humour as it is given the colour choice. However, it’s just right. The illustrations are able to stand on their own merit and do not need any other colour to come to life and grab your attention. With the same little asides and hilarious facial expressions as in the first Steve book, you will be happy to read this book again and again. I know as I have already had to read it three times today and it’s not even lunch time. We love how Kelly Collier is not afraid to use some big words to help the story along, also aiding in expanding everyone’s vocabulary. This book does not talk down to readers but instead invites them into the race.

Another cute children's book featuring Steve the Horse and his woodland friends. The ending was slightly unsatisfactory but I love the illustrations, the way it is written, and overall, it is a pleasure to read.

I am really not sure what age Steve the Horse is directed at. My 5 year old grandson was not the least bit interested in this story, even though I tried. I can see using this story with older children. It has some humor, confidence (over confidence), self-esteem, some vocabulary building and teamwork, but I was not sure if this is a book I would recommend to teachers or parents. I know many love this series, perhaps adults get the humor more than children.

I was rooting for Team Steve, but this book didn't deliver. The first in this series was where Steve and his friends excelled. If this is going to be an ongoing series, I'm hoping for a better finish.

Steve the horse is full of self-confidence and he doesn't mind reminding everyone (constantly) how great he is. Steve is a winner!

It's time for the annual Race-a-thon and he is super excited and ready to win again because he wins every year. He is a powerhouse (or should I say powerhorse) that is built for success. Every part of his anatomy sets him up to be a winner. He eagerly trots over to sign up for the race and finds out that the rules have changed.

This year the race will be a relay race and the teams have already been established. He discovers that he is stuck with a Turtle, a Duck and a Snail, the slowest animals in the forest. Oh my! Poor Steve's confidence is shattered. How can he possibly be a winner with this sad team? Can he rally his troops and coach them to be winners too just like him? What will happen to Steve's self-assurance and morale if he loses for the first time ever?

This book is so fun to read and share. You will love Steve the horse even though he is full of pride and his ego is huge. Each page has interacting wordplay with the illustrations and introduces some challenging vocabulary also. It's a perfect read aloud and will spark great discussions on good sportsmanship and teamwork. This is the second Steve the horse book and I hope the author continues writing more books about him for his readers, both young and old, to enjoy. I love this guy! I highly recommend this book.

I love Steve the Horse and hope the author keeps writing them. This time Steve is going to be in a race. But they change the rules, so now it’s a relay race and his teammates are a duck, a turtle, and a snail. Is there any possible way for Steve’s team to win? Only way to find out is to read this book. And trust me, it’s worth it.

This is the second Steve book I've read, and I still love Steve!

Steve may be the fastest runner in the forest, but this year's race is a relay and he has to learn to work with a team. He decides to be the best coach ever -- but unfortunately, he doesn't seem to understand that his teammates aren't long-legged racehorses like him.

Children will be entertained by Steve's self-centeredness. He's very selfish, but he's not mean -- just pretty oblivious.

ACR Copy...It's normal day with world's most narcissistic/self centered horse. However can this horse focus for one moment to lead his team to victory? You just have to read and find out!

Hubris has often been a subject of stories for the young, but never quite like this. Steve the Horse has never failed to win the race of the animals, with his powerful bum muscles and long legs and neck. But this year it's a relay, and he's been lumbered with a team of rank outsiders. What could possibly happen? I'm not sure I was really a fan of the bitty structure of things here – the way the illustrations can sometimes have a caption, dialogue and even a caption captioning the caption, all on the same black and white page. But on the whole it works, the text is fluid, and the illustrations certainly are fun. Ultimately, then, this is well worth a look.

This is a cute story about a horse named Steve who has to help coach his team in a relay race. He does such a great job coaching that his team is winning the race, but then he gets too distracted. Children will love this story! The illustrations are simple, but done very well. The little side notes are a lot of fun, too!

Review to be posted In August on all places mentioned in my profile.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I was quite excited about this book, I love races, and I love horses, so what more can I want? Sadly, Steve is a mean, egotistical. It just annoyed me to no end how he kept going on and on how he was so fabulous.

Thankfully he does show that he can also think other things, and he did train his team well. Yes, I have to give a compliment to Steve. He does a lot of things wrong, but training and motivating he can do. OK, a bit over the top at times (was that toothbrush comment necessary?), but at least he tries.

I had a laugh that the forest animals got tired of Steve and instead of letting him win by default, they changed the race and gave him the slowest animals. I can totally understand that the animals changed the race, they also want a chance to win, and with Steve around...

I also liked to see that while the animals Steve got weren't fast, they were handy in the places the relay took them. If only Steve... Oh no, I am not going to tell you anything. I almost did, but I stopped myself in time.

The art was quite fabulous, and I loved that, even if one wouldn't have text, you would still understand what was going on. Plus I liked the way the animals were drawn. Still pretty on point with how they should look, but also just a bit more special/different.

All in all, even with Steve's annoying attitude I enjoyed this book. Though maybe not as much as I had hoped given it combines two favourites of mine.

Team Steve is a cute fresh take on the old fable The Tortoise and the Hare. I loved the whimsical illustrations and the fun little asides to teach potentially tricky words. A great book to read together, but I think I would avoid this one at bedtime -- I suspect it will trigger some bouts of giggles that will not be conducive to getting to sleep ;-)

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book.