Tortoise Teaches Rabbit to Read

Tortoise Teaches Rabbit to Read

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Tortoise Teaches Rabbit to Read® (TTRR)

The Race is Over. The Journey is Just Beginning.

After their famous race, Rabbit finds Tortoise sitting under a tree.

“What are you doing?” Rabbit asks.

“Reading,” Tortoise explains.

“Do you read the pictures?”

“I see the pictures,” says Tortoise, “but I read the squiggles below them. They make sounds.”

Rabbit presses his ear to the page. “Tortoise, those squiggles are silent as stones!”

So begins a delightful journey into literacy. Using Rabbit’s own name as the key, Tortoise introduces phonemic awareness and phonics through speaking and listening, observing, curiosity, and inquiry. TTRR is the first and only supplemental program to integrate STEM and SEL into early literacy—replacing rote memorization with discovery-based play.

For a richer, more in-depth learning experience at home or in the classroom, the Tortoise Teaches Rabbit to Read Instructional Package gives educators and families everything they need to turn the story experience into a transformative conversation.


The Instructional Practice

1.  Literature-Based Discovery: Narrative episodes guide children to observe phonemes and phonics within their most important words: their names.

2.  Social-Emotional Connection: By comparing names with classmates or family, children build a sense of belonging while exploring how letters "behave."

3.  STEM Integration: Using counting and set theory, children develop visual acuity. They move from simple "most/least" letter counts to identifying common letters and their positions, turning reading into a logic-based game.

4.  Active Inquiry: No rigid "teaching," just guided exploration that inspires children to learn from one another through imaginative play.

What you get

Professional narration brings Tortoise and Rabbit to life with warm, encouraging voices that reflect curiosity, patience, and the joy of discovering how reading works.

What you learn?

Children learn how letters, sounds, and patterns connect, and discover that reading begins with noticing, exploring, and understanding the structure of words through playful observation.

Shipping

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Return policy

Full refund within 30 days if you're not completely satisfied with your purchase.

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What Parents and Teachers Are Saying

Tortoise Teaches Rabbit to Read lifts early literacy from memorization into a sky high journey of discovery. You will love how this approach makes unlocking the reading code delightful for you and your students.

Product Details

  • Title: Tortoise Teaches Rabbit to Read
  • Author: Jon Madian
  • Guided Reading Age: 4-7
  • Themes: Early Literacy, Phonics, Social-Emotional Learning, STEM
  • Format: eBook
product.title
  • Social-Emotional Learning

    Social-Emotional Learning

    Builds emotional intelligence and self-awareness through gentle storytelling
  • Seeding Discussions

    Seeding Discussions

    Stories prompt children to discover and reflect on their inner and outer worlds
  • Multi-Format Access

    Multi-Format Access

    Supports all reading levels with narrated audio and highlighted read-along text
  • Expert Developed

    Expert Developed

    Created by dedicated reading specialists with proven classroom success

Frequently Asked Questions

What age group is TTRR designed for?

The program is designed for children ages 4–7, covering pre-K through early elementary, supporting children at the earliest stages of literacy development.

What makes TTRR different from other early reading books?

TTRR is the first early-reading book to apply STEM and SEL to early literacy. Rather than rote memorization, it uses discovery-based play, children's own names, and guided inquiry to introduce linguistic pattern analysis, phonemic awareness, and phonics.

How does using a child's name help them learn to read?

A child's name is their most personally meaningful word. It “lives” in more areas of their brains than any other word. By using it as an entry point, TTRR builds immediate engagement and emotional connection while introducing letter recognition, phonics, and phonemic awareness in relevant, exciting contexts.

How does this eBook differ from the complete instructional package?

Children can listen, read, and enjoy this eBook. The complete instructional package builds on that foundation and deepens learning through guided inquiry, creative engagement, and practical instructional support.

Does my child need any prior reading ability to get started?

No. TTRR is designed for children at the very beginning of their literacy journey, starting from the foundational understanding that letters make sounds — no prior reading experience needed.

About the Author

Jon Madian

About the Author

Jon Madian

Jon, an educational psychologist, and his wife, Karen, an instructional designer, received numerous grants to support learner-centered education throughout their careers. He founded the Artist-in-Residence Reading Project in Los Angeles’s inner-city schools and later co-founded Humanities Software with Karen. Their early literacy curriculum became part of Apple’s early learning initiatives and IBM’s writing programs. Over the course of their careers, Jon and Karen developed more than 100 reading, writing, and process-based programs for print and software, consistently focusing on empowering and inspiring students in educational settings. Their 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild continue to fuel their commitment to enriching education. Today, through Heart Bright Learning, they are helping parents and teachers reimagine education for the 21st century by developing resources that inspire and empower children to understand themselves, others, and their world through observation, reflection, and process-based learning.