"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth
by Eric Carle
(Grades 1-4)
REVIEW by Publishers Weekly: 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.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
REVIEW by School Library Journal: 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 Reed Business Information, Inc.
