"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth by Eric Carle, a book review

Eric Carle is a beloved children's author whose stories and colorful illustrations can be found on the shelves of just about every public library and in the private collections of children around the world.  His many titles include The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Walter the Baker, and The Very Clumsy Click Beetle.  In "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth, children are once again introduced to colorful animals that encourage one to be one's self.

The book opens with a foreword by Jane Goodall, world-famous primatologist, and reveals some of the interesting characteristics of sloths.  For instance, sloths can turn their heads almost 270 degrees, sleep fifteen to nineteen hours a day, and moths and beetles even live in their fur!  Unfortunately, the habitat of sloths is disappearing at an ever-increasing rate.

As the sloth in the story crawls slowly, eats slowly, and sleeps slowly, all sorts of other animals pass by the tree where the sloth lives.  As he wakes slowly and hangs upside down in his tree both day and night, more creatures move past him.  He even hangs upside down in the rain!  Finally, some of the other animals begin to question him; asking him things like, "why are you so slow?" and "why are you so boring?"  He only answers when the jaguar asks him why he is lazy.  He uses several synonyms for slow as he explains that, yes he does have these characteristics.  He finishes by saying, "That's just how I am."

Eric Carle's illustrations, which fill each page, are done in a painted tissue-paper collage.  The colors are bright and saturated, exactly how one imagines the rain forest must look.  His animals display their own personalities, all the while maintaining a realistic depiction.  The story flows and uses repetitive phrases to help emergent readers feel confident in their developing abilities.  "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth is sure to be loved by children for generations, just as other Eric Carle titles have been.

This Eric Carle book, as well as others, can be found at public libraries around the country including those in northern California listed here.  His books can also be found at amazon.com and independent booksellers.

"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth
Publisher: Puffin (May 10, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0142408476
List Price: $7.99

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