Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon

Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon
Copyright 2015
Sterling Children's Books - Picture book
32 pp.

Sloth Slept On is the story of three children who discover a sloth sleeping in a tree. They try to ask it what its name is and what it's doing in their tree but, of course, there is no reply. The children decide they must find the answers on their own and haul the sloth with them. First, they try asking their father about the sloth but he's busy, so they gather books about animals and search through them. Meanwhile, the sloth is sleeping on their floor while someone behind the children is reading a newspaper with the headline, "Zoo breakout! Zookeeper looks high and low for missing animal." Of course, there's a photo of a sloth. Nobody notices, and the adult reading the newspaper is, again, ignoring the children.

The children discuss what kind of animal the sloth is not. They wonder where he came from and dress up as astronauts, imagining that he came from space. They play at being pirates while they think about the possibility that the sloth is a pirate, tired from his adventures. They even wonder if perhaps he was a knight who wore himself out fighting dragons.

Then, one of the children finds a sloth in a book about the rainforest. A two-page spread of factoids about sloths follows. Now that they know sloths live in the rainforest, the children decide they must send him back. They prepare a box with leaves to eat and toys to play with, pack him in the box, and mail him, totally overlooking the signs around town asking people to return the sloth to the zoo if they find him. The sloth awakens to find himself in the rainforest, a postal truck driving away, and he asks, "Which way to the zoo?"

My thoughts:

I absolutely love Frann Preston-Gannon's illustrations and adored the other two books I've read by her but Sloth Slept On was a little discomfiting. First, the children are ignored by both adults present. They can read but they miss clues about the sloth that are in plain view. And, then they send the poor guy to a place far from where he belongs. I love the creativity of the children as they imagine the possibilities about what wore out this strange creature. But the idea of that poor sloth getting mailed far away where nobody will find him . . . well, maybe it's an adult problem. As adults, we know that a zoo animal that has been fed and cared for would probably not survive in the wild, so it just made me squirm. I do love the illustrations, though, and I don't dislike Sloth Slept On. It's just not a particular favorite.

Other books by Frann Preston-Gannon I've reviewed (links to reviews):

Dinosaur Farm
How to Lose a Lemur


©2015 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Dinosaur Farm by Frann Preston-Gannon

I'm a little late getting around to talking about Dinosaur Farm by Frann Preston-Gannon because of all that recent blog angst but I don't want to skip it because I adore Preston-Gannon's lighthearted storytelling and cheerful illustrations. I also very seldom hold drawings at Bookfoolery but Dinosaur Farm is worth sharing. Page down for info about the giveaway. It will be a short one so sign up quickly if you're interested and please pass it on if you've got friends with little ones.

Dinosaur Farm is just what the cover indicates, the story of a farmer's day in which the livestock are dinosaurs, perhaps farmed for their eggs:

The reader follows the farmer's day as he feeds his livestock, gives the dinosaurs a scrubbing, cleans out his pond and shovels up dino manure. He also has a garden to tend and the garden has a unique, prehistoric look.

There are hatchlings to attend to and the evening meal to deal with. Then the farmer gets to go home and take a bath, knowing his animals are safe and happy. The farmer forgets to close the gate, though, and some of the dinosaurs sneak inside to sleep with him. Such a cute ending!

You will be happy to know this book is Isabel-approved, meaning it smelled good. I'm sure she'll enjoy it if I ever read the book to her, as well. Cats love it when you read to them.

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

How to Lose a Lemur by Frann Preston-Gannon

How to Lose a Lemur by Frann Preston-Gannon
Copyright 2014
Sterling Children's Books - Preschool to early reader
Source: Sterling

Clearly, Sterling sends me a lot of children's books and I've fallen behind in the reviewing but I absolutely love their books and How to Lose a Lemur is a personal favorite.  It starts out, "Everybody knows that once a lemur takes a liking to you, there is not much that can be done about it."

I read that first sentence and had no idea where the book was going to take me but then the first lemur starts to follow the little boy narrating and from there the book just gets cuter every time you turn the page.

The little boy tries hiding up a tree, riding away on his bike, and telling the lemurs to leave.  By this point, he has five lemurs following him, two of them clinging to his body and all of them smiling as he sternly insists that they must go away.  It doesn't work so he hops a train and then a boat:

And, so forth, with the little boy traveling in a hot air balloon, across the desert on a camel, climbing the highest mountain he can find and walking through a forest.  And, then he realizes he's lost and alone.  But, of course, he's not alone because the familiar faces of the five lemurs that have followed him everywhere appear.  They take him by the hand and lead him back home.

And, then he realizes maybe it's not so bad being friends with a lemur, after all.  Or, five, in this case, the theme being that it's a good idea to give new people a chance if they want to be your friend.

Highly recommended:  I know I've highly recommended all three of the last books I've reviewed but I really think the quality is exceptional.  How to Lose a Lemur is the kind of book you stick your nose up to to sniff, but even more important it's a good story with wonderful illustrations and a solid theme. And, the lemurs are so freaking cute. I smiled all the way through the reading of this book.  It's definitely one I'll hang onto for future grandchildren and the kind that makes me want to run out and find a child to read to.

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.