Sloth at the Zoom is a picturebook written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Orbie. One day, a sloth accidentally gets delivered to the Zoom! She was supposed to be dropped off at the Zzzzzoo, a much more laid-back, slow-paced place. She had been looking forward to long, languorous naps while the sun gently warmed her belly. But at the Zoom, the zebras gallop so fast they leave their stripes in puddles. The monkeys climb so fast they forget to stop at the treetops. And the parrots fly so fast their tails draw rainbows across the sky. When the sloth tries to make friends, nobody has any time--until the sloth meets a creature who's a little more her speed, and everyone stops to notice.
Sloth at the Zoom is a fun picturebook about slowing down. No one at the Zoom is willing to slow down to make friends with the sloth. Her slow pace seems silly to the busy animals zooming around. I like that the sloth never gives up, but keeps trying to convince others to slow down and take tea with her, or simply to take a moment and chat. It is only when the sloth ad a snail connect, and take some time to enjoy each other's company that anyone else seems to notice. However, once they stop and join in the quiet moment they all seem to relax and enjoy it. I like that the story shows very different creatures slowing down to enjoy some time together, and that they can all use some down time. The illustrations are great, capturing the speed of the fast animals as well as the humor used to exaggerate that speed.
Sloth at the Zoom was fun and cute, and I am a sucker for a sloth. It was good, and I enjoyed it, but it did not wow me. I think something about the ending fell flat for me, but I cannot put my finger on what I wanted to be different.
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