I AM SPEEDY

Following I Am Picky (2022) and I Am Friendly (2024), another tale of a most unself-aware creature.

A sloth tries to persuade readers that it isn’t lazy, but rather “turbocharged,” a “lightning-quick beast.” “Watch as I zoom to my favorite branch.” The sloth’s sleepy saucer eyes hilariously belie that assertion. And as our protagonist hangs from its favorite branch, a time-lapse montage depicts life passing the slow-moving sloth by: A pair of parrots incubate eggs, which eventually hatch; a big cat watches over her own cubs. Tracy has a sly way of folding in facts: “Eat my fuzz,” says the sloth as it moves through the trees. “(Just kidding. Sloths are herbivores. We don’t eat fuzz.)” Lounging in a bed of flowers, the sloth shares another talent: Its ability to rotate its head 270 degrees, which helps it monitor dangerous situations. But zipping around the forest is tiring, and the sloth is definitely good at napping, “anytime, anyplace.” More fun facts follow (sloths poop only once per week), but here they interrupt the flow of the story, which picks up again when the sloth takes a dip in the water (and actually proves relatively quick) and jokes about racing a turtle but opts for a nap instead. Kraan’s animals are cartoonish with big, engaging eyes. Using a combination of woodcut prints, gouache paint, and digital collage, her illustrations play with perspective, encouraging readers to turn the book around and upside down.

A silly story infused with plenty of animal facts—and more than a few chuckles.