Lost Sloth

PreK-Gr 1—Sloth moves very slowly so when the phone rings, he misses the call. The voice mail tells him that he has won a shopping spree at a nearby store and needs to be there by three. The critter is intrigued even though he doesn't have a clue as to what a "spree" is. Even though sloths aren't great at hurrying, he tries his mightiest to get there in time. He just misses the bus and falls asleep after he climbs a tree to travel through the park. He eventually gets to the store in spite of his limitations and accidentally lands in a pile of pillows that he gets to take home. What could be better for a sleepy sloth? Seibold's distinctive art adds to the silliness of the situations the protagonist finds himself in. Young children will chuckle over the ludicrous events that help the little creature get to the store on time. Pair this title with Eric Carle's "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth (Philomel, 2002) to fill in the blanks on the somnolent nature of these animals.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA