A LITTLE BOOK OF SLOTH

Name: A LITTLE BOOK OF SLOTH
Author: Lucy Cooke
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4557-4

by Lucy Cooke ; photographed by Lucy Cooke ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2013

While Cooke’s intentions are commendable, the main message she unintentionally conveys is that too much cuteness can be...

bookshelf

Children might enjoy the myriad pictures of cute critters in this photo essay set at the Aviarios del Caribe sloth sanctuary, but it’s not likely they’ll sit still long enough to listen to the text.

Zoologist and videographer Cooke has already successfully expressed her support for sloths in several media. An online video she created was well-received and has spawned a film documentary, which will be expanded into an eight-part series next year. Unfortunately, what works well online—or even on the (big or small) screen—isn’t as successful on the page. The photos are crisp and clear, but they feature too many repetitive images. After the first few pages, it’s hard to tell one cute sloth clutching a tree, cuddling or snoozing, from another, despite the fact that Cooke informs readers that sloths belong to two different families (the Bradypus family and the Choloepus), distinguished by the number of claws they have and differences in color and size. The episodic text, overly precious descriptions and self-consciously humorous, adultcentric tone do nothing to strengthen the child appeal. Occasional Briticisms (“pop down to the shops”) and pop-culture references (“Baby sloths are Jedi masters of the hug”—irritatingly, Wookiee is misspelled) run the risk of further distancing young (American) listeners.

While Cooke’s intentions are commendable, the main message she unintentionally conveys is that too much cuteness can be cloying—and counterproductive. (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: March 5, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4424-4557-4

Page Count: 64

Publisher: McElderry

Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

bookshelf

DEAR BEAST

by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Kevan Atteberry ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2020

An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag.

bookshelf

Epistolary dispatches from the eternal canine/feline feud.

Simon the cat is angry. He had done a good job taking care of his boy, Andy, but now that Andy’s parents are divorced, a dog named Baxter has moved into Andy’s dad’s house. Simon believes that there isn’t enough room in Andy’s life for two furry friends, so he uses the power of the pen to get Baxter to move out. Inventively for the early-chapter-book format, the story is told in letters written back and forth; Simon’s are impeccably spelled on personalized stationery while Baxter’s spelling slowly improves through the letters he scrawls on scraps of paper. A few other animals make appearances—a puffy-lipped goldfish who for some reason punctuates her letter with “Blub…blub…” seems to be the only female character (cued through stereotypical use of eyelashes and red lipstick), and a mustachioed snail ferries the mail to and fro. White-appearing Andy is seen playing with both animals as a visual background to the text, as is his friend Noah (a dark-skinned child who perhaps should not be nicknamed “N Man”). Cat lovers will appreciate Simon’s prickliness while dog aficionados will likely enjoy Baxter’s obtuse enthusiasm, and all readers will learn about the time and patience it takes to overcome conflict and jealousy with someone you dislike.

An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag. (Fiction. 6-8)

Pub Date: May 12, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-8234-4492-2

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PET PARADE
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Kevan Atteberry

- BOOK REVIEW
KING & KAYLA AND THE CASE OF THE GOLD RING
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Nancy Meyers

- BOOK REVIEW
THE TREASURE TROOP
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Tim Budgen

bookshelf

THERE'S A PEST IN THE GARDEN!

From the Giggle Gang series

by Jan Thomas ; illustrated by Jan Thomas ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2017

Silly reads for new readers to dig into.

bookshelf

A turnip-loving duck and its friends defend their garden.

Alas, the duck, sheep, dog, and donkey immediately discover the eponymous pest in the garden when it (a groundhog?) eats a row of beans. The duck is frantic that turnips are next, but instead the pest eats the sheep’s favorite crop: corn. Peas occupy the next row, and the pest gobbles them up, too. Instead of despairing, however, the donkey cries, “Yippee! He ate ALL THE PEAS!” and catching the others’ puzzled looks, continues, “I don’t like peas.” After this humorous twist, the only uneaten row is sown with turnips, and the duck leaps to devour them before the pest can do so. In a satisfying, funny conclusion, the duck beams when the dog, sheep, and donkey resolve to plant a new garden and protect it with a fence, only to find out that it will exclude not just the groundhog, but the duck, too. A companion release, What Is Chasing Duck?, has the same brand of humor and boldly outlined figures rendered in a bright palette, but its storyline doesn’t come together as well since it’s unclear why the duck is scared and why the squirrel that was chasing it doesn’t recognize the others when they turn and chase him at book’s end.

Silly reads for new readers to dig into. (Early reader. 6-8)