Challenged by the other jungle animals for its seemingly lazy ways, a sloth living in a tree explains the many advantages of his slow and peaceful existence. - (Baker & Taylor)
As all the animals of the forest race past him throughout the day and night, they become curious as to why sloth just hangs in his one spot all the time, yet after asking him, the other animals begin to see the wisdom in sloth's simple outlook on the world. - (Baker & Taylor)
Slowly, slowly, slowly . . . that's how the sloth lives. He hangs upside-down from the branch of a tree, night and day, in the sun and in the rain, while the other animals of the rain forest rush past him. "Why are you so slow? Why are you so quiet? Why are you so lazy?" the others ask the sloth. And, after a long, long, long time, the sloth finally tells them!
Set in the lush world of the tropical rain forest, this original picture book is an exquisite showcase of Eric Carle's colorful collage art-with a meaningful message: Slow down! Take time to enjoy your world. - (Penguin Putnam)
Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has been translated into 70 languages and sold over 55 million copies. Carle illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 170 million copies of his books have sold around the world. In 2003, Carle received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now called the Children’s Literature Legacy Award) for lifetime achievement in children's literature. In 2002, Eric and his wife, Barbara, cofounded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (www.carlemuseum.org) in Amherst, Massachusetts, a 40,000-square-foot space dedicated to the celebration of picture books and picture book illustrations from around the world, underscoring the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of picture books and their art form. Eric Carle passed away in May 2021 at the age of 91. His work remains an important influence on artists and illustrators at work today. www.eric-carle.com - (Penguin Putnam)
Publishers Weekly Reviews
With a preface by Jane Goodall, an emphasis on Amazon rain forest animals and Carle's bright, trademark collages, this book is sure to find a wide audience. All the animals in the rain forest watch as the sloth "slowly, slowly, slowly" crawls along a tree branch or "slowly, slowly, slowly" eats a leaf. "Why are you so slow?" they ask, "...so quiet, ...so boring?" The sloth does not answer until the jaguar asks why he is lazy. In the volume's densest chunk of text, the sloth replies with an unexpected barrage of adjectives, admitting that, while he is "sluggish, lethargic, placid, calm, mellow, laid-back and, well, slothful," he is "not lazy... that's just how I am. I like to do things slowly,/ slowly,/ slowly." The narrative's use of simple repeated phrases requires readers to ape the protagonist the text compels them to slow down. Colorful endpapers name all of the animals introduced in Carle's signature collage illustrations, with a setting particularly well-suited to his jewel-like palette. Children will readily identify with the hero's need to move at his own pace. The sweet, moss-covered sloth will especially appeal to rushed families who will find in Carle's attractive book a brief respite from their hurried lives. Ages 2-6. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal Reviews
K-Gr 3-As a sloth crawls along a branch, eats a leaf, sleeps, and awakens, echoing the languid tempo of its rain-forest life, Carle grabs readers' attention with a continuous procession of animals, revealing the diversity of their habitat. Anaconda, peccary, tapir, caiman, jaguar, toucan, and armadillo, among others, quietly observe the creature and gently disappear in a march of bold colors. Carle's art is at its best with a brightly colored selection of painted tissue-paper collage that captures 25 rain-forest denizens. Each page of text reinforces the sloth's slow pace, until it ends its silence and temporarily changes the measured text tempo in a lengthy paragraph (with 20 adjectives) explanation of his love for serenity. In an introduction, both Carle and zoologist Jane Goodall praise efforts to save the rain-forest habitat and slow the pace of today's hurried lifestyle. The artwork alone places this book as a treasured addition for all libraries.-Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.