In The Two Cars the celebrated husband-and-wife team of Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, famous for their illustrated versions of the Norse and Greek myths, offer a delightful fable for younger children. Here the d'Aulaires are in a relaxed and playful mood as they write a modern version of the ancient story of the tortoise and the hare. Of the two cars, one is low slung, fast, and ready to go; the other, a comfortable old jalopy, no doubt a little the worse for wear but reliable as can be. On a magic moonlit night, the doors of their garage swing open and out they go for a spin, each determined to show the other that it is the "best car on the road." Over hill and under dale and roundabout they go, encountering–and narrowly missing–trains, trucks, wildlife, and even, in the form of a policeman on a motorcycle, the long arm of the law, as they race off down the road. And before the two cars' nocturnal caper is over, they will both have discovered that what it means to be the "best" is not so simple as you might suppose.

From Library of Congress