Review by Booklist Review
Kids, you can't possibly imagine the level of cuteness at work in this book. Here's a visual: a baby sloth hugs a teddy bear, and he's smaller than the bear. There are sloths in pjs, sloths gnawing on green beans, and even a pile o' sloths in a bucket. Of course, in addition to the huggable pictures and handsome book design, there's a story here too. Cooke, photographer, zoologist, and founder of the Sloth Appreciation Society, introduces a rehabilitation sanctuary in a sleepy corner of Costa Rica, home to approximately 150 slow-moving residents. Judy Arroyo is mom to each of these creatures, from Buttercup, the first tiny orphan that landed on her doorstep, to Sunshine and Sammy, rescued from poachers. Cooke points out in her lively text that there are two families of sloth: the three-fingered Bradypus and the two-fingered Choloepus ( a cross between a Wookie and a pig ). Fascinating facts about sloths abound. Move over puppies, kittens, and piglets kids are going to have a new favorite animal when they get their hands on this, especially given the unofficial sloth motto: Just chill. --Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Cooke, whose YouTube videos and 2011 Animal Planet documentary, Too Cute! Baby Sloths, set off a minor sloth-loving craze, offers an encyclopedic look at these permanently smiling, adorably snub-nosed "masters of mellow" by way of a photo-tour of their now famous sanctuary in Costa Rica. There are sloths in pajamas (which are actually necessary because they can't control their body temperature), sloths in a "cuddle puddle," sloths hugging stuffed animals, sloths gazing into the camera with small but trusting eyes (even when they're upside down)-all proof that life in the fast lane is vastly overrated (it probably helps that these sloths aren't covered in algae and insects, as they are in the wild). An Oxford-trained zoologist, photographer, and documentarian, Cooke writes with a firm sense of authority and a loving irreverence ("Since their top speed is fifteen feet a minute, running from danger is simply not an option"; "Baby sloths are Jedi masters of the hug") that lifts these pages far above most real-life animal books and should make the inevitable umpteenth readaloud easy to bear. Ages 5-up. (Mar.)? (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Cooke's chatty, colloquial appreciation focuses on baby sloths in a Costa Rican sanctuary. The rescued infants and a few older companions were introduced in a documentary film, Too Cute! Baby Sloths, made by Cooke for TV's Animal Planet. Appealing color photographs of these winsome babies will surely captivate animal lovers. Bits of information on physical characteristics, behavior, and life in the sanctuary thread through an admiring discussion, emphasizing the smiling faces, hugging propensities, and sleepy lifestyle of the sloths. The science information is sketchy and often in terms likely to be most meaningful to adult readers. "The Bradypus, or three fingered sloth, is the Muppet with the medieval haircut and Mona Lisa smile." The fingers appear to be claws, and no further explanation of their structure and use is provided. Though the text mentions ways the baby sloths are actually trained to carry out some bodily functions as they would occur in the wild, there's no mention of these animals ever being released from the sanctuary except in a brief endnote on respecting sloths as wild animals not to be made into pets. This message runs a bit counter to the gushiness of the text and the many scenes of humans cuddling them. Though explanations and information about both the sloths and the sanctuary are rather skimpy, this is an attractive introduction to an unfamiliar species.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
