"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," Said the Sloth

by Eric Carle

Eric Carle (Illustrator)

Slowly, slowly, slowly . . . that's how the sloth lives. He hangs upside-down from the branch of a tree, night and day, in the sun and in the rain, while the other animals of the rain forest rush past him. "Why are you so slow? Why are you so quiet? Why are you so lazy?" the others ask the sloth. And, after a long, long, long time, the sloth finally tells them!

Set in the lush world of the tropical rain forest, this original picture book is an exquisite showcase of Eric Carle's colorful collage art-with a meaningful message: Slow down! Take time to enjoy your world.

• ISBN10: 0399239545
• ISBN13: 9780399239540
• Publish Date: 26 August 2002 (first published 24 August 2002)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Philomel Books,U.S.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 32
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780399239540

Reviews

[mrs_mander_reads]

To be fair - Eric Carle is one of my all-time favorites. I try very hard to use as many of his books as possible in my classroom.
This book was my selection for letter S week - both because of the sloth, and because of the word "slowly". During the reading of the story, the students and I discussed what they knew about the various animals present (what they look like, what they sound like, what the eat, etc.). The story presents an opportunity to work with paired texts or to work with vocabulary (have a conversation about the difference between slow and lazy).
The book was almost out of reach for the kinder friends I have, but would be easily accessible for first or second graders, especially if being used with a nonfiction text.