The Hare and the Tortoise by Jenny Giles
Aesop was born in Thrace but was taken as a slave to the island of Samos in the Adriatic in the 6th century BC. Small Greek tortoises would have lived there - they are half the size of hares. Fables make pertinent comments on human behavioiur and the moral of this one is timeless - 'Steady effort brings rewards.' Set in southern Europe at anytime.