The Jade emperor realizes there is no calendar or way to track time so he invites the animals to a race to give name to the years. Cat and Rat are friends and Cat asks Rat to make sure he wakes in time. Try as he might, Rat can't wake Cat so Rat sets out on his own. When cat finally finishes the race, after the twelve spots have been taken, Cat chases Rat and thus begins an eternity of enmity.

I have fond memories of my family going to our local Chinese restaurant that had Chinese zodiac placemats and learning what animal we all were and their traits. So when I saw this on NetGalley I grabbed it. I’m an adult but I love fun kids books. The pictures were bright and colorful, The story was great and now I know why cats don’t like rats. Very fun read for all ages.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received. I also checked it on from my library on Hoopla.

The story of Chinese's 12 zodiac plus why cats hate mice. A fun story that was told once from ear to ear, and now made a book with colorful illustration. It is an interesting tale, and a knowledge why Chinese stick to their zodiac and not really on European ones.

Unaware of his age, the Jade Emperor holds a race, vowing to name each year after the first twelve animals to cross the river. The animals showcase their unique strengths and strategies, leading to the creation of the Chinese Zodiac.

The Great Race explores competition, cunning, and the consequences of our actions - how decisions driven by ambition impact relationships and destiny.

Discussion Questions:
How did each animal's strategy during the race reflect their characteristics as we know them in the Chinese Zodiac?
How did the Rat's decision to trick the Cat affect their relationship? What does this tell us about the consequences of our actions?
How does the story illustrate the concept of competition? Does it promote healthy or unhealthy competition?
What lessons can we learn from the different animals' approaches to the race?
How does understanding the story behind the Chinese Zodiac help us understand this cultural tradition?

A colorfully illustrated recounting of the tale of how the names of the years in the Chinese lunar calendar system came to be. Pictures are engaging for read-aloud and the language simple enough for kids ages 8 and above to enjoy this title on their own. A culturally relevant addition to any classroom or school library..

Wow! This book is BRIGHT! Very bright and colourful illustrations. According to myth, the Chinese zodiac animals were chosen by a great race🐉

Great addition to a unit on myths, legends, fables, and folktales.
This was a fun origin tale of how the Chinese calendar came to be. This book was a race between animals to become the name of a year in the calendar. Thought the race we get funny little reasons why each animal gets the place it comes in and great talking points about how they each got the place they got. Great discussion points about how cheating, teamwork, helping others, etc? can prove useful or not in different situations. Great addition to add to a classroom library.

A cute and interesting telling of the story of the Chinese Zodiac. It is filled with bright illustrations that capture attention. It is a book that is easy for very young readers to understand, which also makes it a simple way for adults to learn something new about another culture.

once in a while, I love reading astrology for entertainment purposes, and it is very inevitable that I come across a classic story that involves the Chinese zodiac. Christopher Corr’s retelling of a well known story was full of life.

I know many of us do not really believe in astrology, but we cannot erase the fact that many of our ancestors, or even religions, still rely on the stars.

🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎 5/5

I used the horse coz that’s my Chinese zodiac.

I had so much fun reading this book, the story is so adorable and the illustrations were so well done and charming, there’s so many little details in every page that I couldn’t stop but be mesmerized by it all. I will definitely be recommending it! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

This story was a little lacking. Although it started out well, it went know where and left my kids with more questions than answers.

It has the ability to be good and very informative if some more information was added…like what’s the zodiac? What does it mean? Etc…otherwise it just ended abruptly and didn’t make sense.

Read this with my little one and we both really enjoyed it! The story is based on an old Chinese fable about the origins of the years of the Chinese zodiac, which was what drew me to the book at first. A good chance to share the story with him, told in an easy-to-understand narrative highlighting each character’s unique traits, all complemented with beautiful illustrations! He loved learning about why rats might flee from cats to this day! Thank you for the complimentary copy of the book, it’s definitely one we’d love to have for our shelf!

A bright and colorful new telling of the legend of the selection of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. With vibrant illustrations and simple text, Corr re-creates this tale for a new generation. It's is a gorgeous rendering of the story.

I love having quality holiday books to share with my students. This is a great book for sharing the background on Chinese zodiac. The illustrations are bright and engaging. It is a great book to add to a collection.

A retelling of how 12 animals were chosen to be a part of the Chinese zodiac.
The emperor made the animals race and the first 12 that crossed the river would have the privilege of having a year named after them.
The winners were the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig Unfortunately, the cat just missed out due to the fact that it just wouldn't wake up.

A great recount of the fable with great illustrations.

Do you know how the Chinese zodiac animals - and their order - were chosen? Legends vary, but the common theme is that originally there was no way to mark the passage of time. Then the Jade Emperor invited all the animals to a race: the first 12 across the river would be chosen to mark the cycle of years. The artwork is vibrant and entrancing, with a lot of little details to be discovered - such as the next animal(s) to cross the river, hiding in the background (see arrow on pic 3, discover others for yourself in pic 4.

I was delighted to read the ARC of @christopher_corr's wonderful retelling, which is being released in paperback this October. (Hardcover published in 2018.) A fantastic addition to any collection to introduce young readers to some Chinese culture and mythology, or to support and enhance the legends they may already know. My daughter, who was born in China, would have loved this as a kid.

The Great Race is a lovely picture book depicting the animal race that determined the Chinese Zodiac. Corr takes this traditional ancient folk tale and brings it to life with vibrant illustrations; each page is a riot of colors with many details to look at. This book would be a great addition to our folklore collection at the library, particularly to be read at the turning of the Chinese New Year!

#TheGreatRace #NetGalley

Christopher Corr's "The Great Race" is a fun and informative look at the Chinese Zodiac. The text tells children the history of this Chinese tradition and the colourful illustrations. It's a fun book and it would be a nice treat for children interested in other cultures and traditions. I would definitely recommend the book for material that a young reader or listener could find fun and interest in. The story is rather basic, but it's cute, and I like the little punchline at the end of the story.

The Great Race tells the tale of a renowned Chinese fable about a race in which animals compete to become the name of one of the years numbered 1-12; creating the Chinese zodiac. In order to do this they must brave the river crossing and make it to the other side to be in with a chance.

This 32-page story is beautifully arranged with vibrant, eye-catching illustrations on each double-page spread. What more can I say? It's a wholesome story with just the right amount of words/text on each page as I know sometimes blocks of text or long sentences can put children off reading and it is presented engagingly.

The great Race is the traditional folktale about the origin of the Chinese Zodiac. In that zodiac, there are 12 years to the cycle. Just as one's birth sign in a traditional zodiac is supposed to influence a someone's personality, the same could be said for the year of one's birth year and the Chinese zodiac. this folktale describes the great race that took place to determine the order of the animals in the zodiac. Each animal portrayed displays certain traits that someone born in that year supposedly shares. The story also explains why cats and rats do not get along.

In this book Christopher Corr retells the story in words and brightly painted pictures that will capture a child's interest. I would recommend this book for storytime to preschoolers and early grades and for independent reading for older children. This book could also be used in the classroom during a social Studies unit on Chinese culture or a Language Arts unit on folktales and origin stories.

I received a copy of this boo from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.