Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, Said the Sloth

Rating:
Summary: This Will Be a Classic
Review: After all these years of presenting us with fabulous children's books, Eric Carle has outdone himself. "Slowly, Slowly," a beautifully written and illustrated tribute to the world's rain forests, will bring a tear to an adult's eye, and will appeal to children of ALL ages, despite its picture-book presentation.

Beginning with the thoughtful, simply written but heartfelt introduction by Jane Goodall, in which she explains the world of the sloth in terms anyone can understand, to the lovely wording of the book (the sloth does everything slowly, slowly...languid and lovely) to the trademark Carle collage illustrations, this book has something for everyone. And it educates in such a subtle way that even the most recalcitrant child will come away with a strong sense of who lives in the rain forests and why they must be preserved.

Every page features not only the sloth, but another animal as well, illustrated in the most enchanting of collage pictures. At the end of the book, each of these "extra" animals is listed by its special picture, and identified. And each is native to the rain forest.

What more can I say? I predict this will become Carle's legacy, outdoing all the rest of his work combined. I love it so much that I am ordering it for my college-age daughter, whose love of all things wild survived into her young adulthood.

Rating:
Summary: Quick quick, slow slow
Review: Let's say you have a preschool aged child that's a bit slower than his/her peers. Let's say you've read this child "Leo the Late Bloomer" umpteen bazillion times, but it just isn't quite the story you've been looking for. In such a case as this, "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly", Said the Sloth may be the book for you. Now let's say that instead you have a child that enjoys picture books about nature. Let's say this child loves books that present and define the names of a variety of different animals. In such a case as this, "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly", Said the Sloth may be the book for you. Finally, let's say you have a child. "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly", Said the Sloth may be the book for you.

In this tale, a sloth is minding its business (the gender of the animal is never really defined). It crawls along a branch of a tree (slowly, slowly, slowly). It eats a leaf (slowly, slowly, slowly). You get the idea. Various animals run, jump, fly, and scurry past the hanging animal occasionally peppering it with questions. These run along the lines of the practical, "Why are you so quiet?" to the downright rude, "Why are you so boring?". In an act of astounding verbal eloquence and proficiency, the sloth explains itself. It characterizes itself further as, "unflappable, languid, stoic, impassive, sluggish, lethargic, placid, calm, mellow, laid-back and, well, slothful". But as it points out, that's just the way it is. It likes to do things, "slowly, slowly, slowly". Parents unprepared to explain the sloth's interesting vocabulary words would do well to avoid this tale. Unless you've a ear for definition, you may find yourself in over your head with this particular Carle creation.

Clever readers might note that by the time the sloth chooses to answer the animals' questions, no one has hung around long enough to hear the final speech (with the exception of a monkey bounding past). Little touches such as this save the tale from becoming almost too dull for the preschool reader. Satisfying the needs of animal obsessed little ones, a lovely display of all the animals in the tale (complete with their names) is provided on the book's endpapers. For parents, a forward has been written by none other than zoologist extraordinaire Jane Goodall. This section gives some additional facts on sloths and their habitat. Though giving some interesting notes on the preferred defecation needs of sloths, Goodall does not happen to mention their mating techniques. This probably makes it appropriate for reading to those children that want to know more about those two-toed/three-toed members of the South American jungles. As for the illustrations themselves, they're fine. I should mention that I'm not the biggest Eric Carle fan in the world. I can give or take, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" does nothing for me. The illustrations in this tale are all well and good. They're a little rough, I might point out. Carle is getting older these days and his cut outs in this story are more broad and less detailed than his earlier work. Still, they're colorful and pretty. Ho hum.

Should you find yourself in dire need of a picture book involving sloths, this is undoubtedly your best bet. A nice little story about how people work on different levels (and how that's a-okay), it gives us a hero who would probably rather take a nap than go on some grand adventure. You will never see a sloth on the moon or fighting bad guys in B-movies. If you're fine with a lackadaisical hero, definitely consider this book. Just be sure to read it slowly, slowly, slowly.


Rating:
Summary: A Treasure
Review: Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, Said the Sloth, written by Eric Carle, is a delightful children's picture book about the joys of learning to march to one's own drum. A sloth lives alone in the rain forest. The sloth does nothing but hang from the branches of his tree and sleep all day. During the course of the story various animals ask the sloth questions about his habits. "Why are you so slow?" "Why are you so lazy?" The sloth finally responds one day with the following rather simple but effective defense of his life style, "That's just how I am. I like to do things slowly, slowly, slowly." The illustrations are bright and colorful. Eric Carle's collage style is perfectly suited for creating the sloth's rain forest home and the many other animal denizens who populate its landscape. Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, Said the Sloth is an excellent book with a gentle and heart felt message for children.

Preston McClear,

Rating:
Summary: Set Your Own Pace.....
Review: Slowly, slowly, slowly...that's the way of the sloth. Whether crawling along a branch, or eating a leaf, the sloth never hurries, but spends most of his life hanging upside down from a tree branch in the rain forest, and sleeping, rain or shine. "Why are you so slow?" the howler monkey asked one day." And why so quiet and boring, other animals want to know. The sloth didn't answer. He just hung, silently, and slept. But when the jaguar asks why he's so lazy, the sloth finally sees the need to set the record straight. He may be many things, among them lackadaisical, unflappable, sluggish, calm, and laid-back. "I am relaxed and tranquil, and I like to live in peace. But I am not lazy." Then the sloth yawned and said, "That's just how I am. I like to do things slowly, slowly, slowly." Beginning with an intriguing forward by Jane Goodall, detailing the life and habits of the sloth, Eric Carle's wonderfully creative picture book pays homage to an unlikely and endearing hero. His spare and slothlike, repetitive text is quiet, soothing and engaging. But, as always, it's Mr Carle's bold, bright, and imaginative cut-paper collage illustrations that make this book stand out and sparkle. Each two page spread dazzles with vibrant color and clever detail as the many animals who live in the rain forest march by, and youngsters can find all their pictures and names displayed on the endpapers for further reference. Perfect for preschoolers, "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," Said The Sloth is a captivating masterpiece that entertains and enlightens with its gentle message. As the sloth would tell you...Slow down, set your own pace, and enjoy life!

Rating:
Summary: Set Your Own Pace.....
Review: Slowly, slowly, slowly...that's the way of the sloth. Whether crawling along a branch, or eating a leaf, the sloth never hurries, but spends most of his life hanging upside down from a tree branch in the rain forest, and sleeping, rain or shine. "Why are you so slow?" the howler monkey asked one day." And why so quiet and boring, other animals want to know. The sloth didn't answer. He just hung, silently, and slept. But when the jaguar asks why he's so lazy, the sloth finally sees the need to set the record straight. He may be many things, among them lackadaisical, unflappable, sluggish, calm, and laid-back. "I am relaxed and tranquil, and I like to live in peace. But I am not lazy." Then the sloth yawned and said, "That's just how I am. I like to do things slowly, slowly, slowly." Beginning with an intriguing forward by Jane Goodall, detailing the life and habits of the sloth, Eric Carle's wonderfully creative picture book pays homage to an unlikely and endearing hero. His spare and slothlike, repetitive text is quiet, soothing and engaging. But, as always, it's Mr Carle's bold, bright, and imaginative cut-paper collage illustrations that make this book stand out and sparkle. Each two page spread dazzles with vibrant color and clever detail as the many animals who live in the rain forest march by, and youngsters can find all their pictures and names displayed on the endpapers for further reference. Perfect for preschoolers, "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," Said The Sloth is a captivating masterpiece that entertains and enlightens with its gentle message. As the sloth would tell you...Slow down, set your own pace, and enjoy life!

Rating:
Summary: Maybe more appreciated by adults than by children
Review: The book is absolutly beautiful! However, it leaves some kids lost towards the end with long sentences and a few tricky words that they don't understand (such as "lackadaisical").

I gave it as a gift to an adult friend who is a fan of Carle's work.

The bulk of the story shares the easy, accesible writing style we have come to expect of Carle, but the end will leave little ones clueless.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book for young and old
Review: This is one of my favorite books to read to my daughter at night, and it is one of her faves as well. The art and prose are beautiful, and whether or not the child understands all of the words is beside the point. It is great for getting the little one to slow down her engine and appreciate those who may not move at the same speed. Drawing on the biblical standpoint of sloth as one of the deadly sins, the other creatures ridicule the sloth for being so lazy. Here Carle gets us to appreciate the great virtue of being, well, "slothful." In this fast-moving and chaotic world (which greatly affects our kids whether we care to admit it or not)the sloth can teach us a lot through his contemplative and deliberate philosophy of life. I strongly recommend this book.