• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

On the Shelf

Header Right

  • Library Home
  • My Account
  • How Do I?
  • Contact Us
  • Search MD Libraries

Header Right Social

FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog

Header Right Search

  • Read, Listen, Watch
    • Search the Catalog
    • eBooks and Audiobooks
    • Streaming Movies and Music
    • eMagazines
    • Search MD Libraries
    • Check Out a Hotspot
    • Check Out a Ukulele
    • Suggest a Title for Purchase
    • Recommended Reading
    • On the Shelf
    • Local Newspaper Archive
  • Library Services
    • Get a Library Card
    • Using Your Library Card
    • Computers and Printing
    • Meeting Rooms
    • Donate to the Library
    • Exam Proctoring
    • Notary Service
    • Tax Forms and Information
    • Tell Us Your Library Story
  • Research and Learn
    • All Online Resources
    • Genealogy and Local History
    • Language Learning
    • Lynda.com
    • Job Seeker’s Toolkit
    • Resources for Grant Seekers
    • Computer and Technology Instruction
    • Homework Help
    • Local Newspaper Archive
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Kids Events
    • Teen Events
    • Adult Events
    • Book Discussions
    • Computer and Technology Instruction
  • Kids
    • Kids Events
    • Homework Help
    • Recommended Reading
    • Tumble Book Library
    • Ready to Read
    • Resources for Parents and Educators
  • Teens
    • Teens at the Library
    • Teen Events
    • Homework Help
    • Recommended Reading
    • Resources for Parents and Educators
  • About Us
    • Locations and Hours
    • New Leonardtown Library
    • Library Policies
    • Library Administration
    • Board of Library Trustees
    • Strategic Plan
    • Donate to the Library
    • Jobs at the Library
    • Volunteer at the Library
    • Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library
    • St. Mary’s County Library Foundation
    • Community Partners

Tops and Bottoms

May 17, 2010 by Sara Leave a Comment

Submitted by Ms. Amanda!

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens is a modern folktale, with a hilarious twist on the value of hard work, and a warning against laziness. This tale is about two very different characters: Bear, who is rich and owns a lot of land but is lazy, and Hare, who is clever but starving. Hare comes up with a plan to feed is hungry family–he hops down to Bear’s house and wakes him up. Hare tells Bear that they can be business partners. If Bear will let Hare use his land to plant and harvest crops, they can split the profit right down the middle. Hare lets Bear pick if he wants the top half of the profits, or the bottom half, and Bear picks the top half. So while Bear sleeps, Hare and his family plant, water, and weed until finally they harvest carrots and radishes. True to his word Hare gives Bear all the tops, and he takes all the bottoms. Bear is angry, and demands that the next season he gets the bottoms! So while Bear sleeps, Hare and his family plant, water, and weed until finally they harvest lettuce, broccoli, and celery. True to his word Hare gives Bear all the bottoms, and he takes all the tops. Bear is even angrier, and demands that next season he get both the tops and the bottoms! So while Bear sleeps, Hare and his family plant, water, and weed until finally they harvest corn. True to his word Hare gives Bear all the tops and the bottoms, and he takes the middle. Bear is so angry that he says that he will plant and harvest his own crops from now on, meanwhile Hare is able to buy some land, and become neighbors with Bear, although they never become business partners again! See this book listed in our catalog

Filed Under: Recommended for Kids Tagged With: Animals, Award Winner, Bears, Classic, Food, Picture Book

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

On the Shelf Home

 

Welcome to On the Shelf! Find reviews and recommendations for books, movies, music, library resources, and more. All posts from the Kid’s Book Blog have been brought over to On the Shelf, so your old favorites are still here!

Subscribe so you don’t miss a post!

Recent Posts

  • Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism
  • It Is (Not) Perfect
  • Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes and The Last Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
  • The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
  • Migrations

Categories

Tags

African American Animals Audiobook Award Winner Bears Bedtime Being Different Birds Book Bugs Cats Classic Clothes Colors Counting Dogs Emotions Family Fiction Food Foreign Culture Friendship Go Green History Holidays Humour Interactive Jobs Libraries or Books Mice Monsters Music New Baby Nonfiction On the Farm Picture Book Poetry Rhyming Romance School Seasons Things That Go Tough Stuff True Stories Weather

Archives

St. Mary's County Library

Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 – 5 p.m., Lexington Park only

Locations

Charlotte Hall Library
37600 New Market Rd., Charlotte Hall, MD
301-884-2211

Leonardtown Library
23250 Hollywood Rd., Leonardtown, MD
301-475-2846

Lexington Park Library
21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD
301-863-8188

Quick Links

  • My Account
  • Search the Catalog
  • eBooks and Audiobooks
  • Streaming Movies and Music
  • Search MD Libraries
  • Online Resources
  • Events
  • Meeting Rooms
Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Accessibility
FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog