Sloth Slept On

by Frann Preston-Gannon

A group of children find a sloth snoring away in a tree in their garden. Not knowing what it is, they set out to find out. While the two older children dream up increasingly outrageous possibilities, from an astronaut to a pirate, to a space creature, the youngest little girl investigates books and a globe and discovers what it really is and where it lives. But how can the children help the sloth to get home if it won't wake up? Age range: 3-6 years

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Kids

28 pages, Board book

First published October 16, 2014

About the author

Frann Preston-Gannon is the author-illustrator of several books for children. She was the first U.K. recipient of a Sendak Fellowship, and her first picture book, The Journey Home, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. She is one-fifth of the design group Zombie Collective, which specializes in workshops and pop-up galleries. She lives in London.

Reviews

[Gary Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the sloth-y parts, and the kids do a good job with research. Their problem-solving approach though is both misguided and unbelievable. I can think of at least six better endings.

We need more sloth books.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've got some major issues with the book, starting with the title. It sounds just like Karma Wilson's Bear Snores On...and I kept expecting it to have that comforting repetition throughout the book. Instead there was a huge info dump on sloths and an unsatisfying ending. The illustrations, however, were gorgeous.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally unrealistic, but a fun adventure as three children discover a creature asleep in a tree, and, unable to awaken it, take it on an adventure to see if they can find out where it belongs. As they guess places, like far, far away, the illustrations cleverly show them as they imagine that ‘far, far away’. Finally they discover it’s a sloth and belongs in the rainforest, but the surprise is at the very end after all the trouble they’ve gone to. The illustrations are gorgeous, cut-paper collage.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sloth is asleep when three children find him in a tree and, despite clues all around them, they can't quite figure out what kind of animal he is and where he comes from. (I love that they consult books about the natural world to help them in their information quest). They imagine him in all kinds of creative guises - astronaut, pirate, knight - until one of them finally comes up with the answer. Then Sloth gets to head out on another adventure, which he only realizes when he finally wakes up! Colorful, imaginative illustrations from author/illustrator Frann Preston-Gannon, who also wrote and illustrated the adorable picture book Pepper and Poe.

[Dna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't already love sloths, this book will help you along. Adorable! Great illustrations, cute story, and information about sloths!

[Lady reading under the Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is amusing. 😆 I love sloths.

[Rachel Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just discovered this darling picture book at a friend’s house yesterday (thank you, Hunter!) and it is a total delight. The story and the illustrations are sweet and funny; the whole reading experience just tickled me.

I typically use my daughters’s Goodreads to track picture books that we read together, but sometimes one is so good that I have to catalogue it here on my account. Sloth Slept On is one such book, a story I know I’ll read to my girls again and again.

[ISBerne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations but...two big problems. First, it would have been fun to have the reader guess what the animal is along with the children in the story but 'spoiler alert' the title reveals the answer. Second, and more importantly, the ending. Why does the sloth want to go back to the zoo? The children researched and found that the rainforest has everything a sloth needs so why does he not value his new home. Stockholm syndrome? A bit more thought around the title and point of the story and it would have had the potential to be a classic.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hit with my little dude and super fun illustrations.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, everybody! Our book today was Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon, a silly yet informative story about three children and their new animal friend.

Three friends find an animal in their backyard, one that is unlike any other creature they’ve found there before. He’s asleep, so they take him and try to find out what kind of creature he is. After brainstorming some fantastic origin stories, they find the answer in a book about rainforests: he’s a three-toed sloth! Since he is still asleep, they package him up and send him to the rainforest so he can be home when he wakes up… not realizing that he was escaped from their local zoo! Needless to say, the sloth wakes up to quite a surprise!

This book was a really nice mix of true animal facts and a very silly and absurd story about imagination! The illustrations of the sleepy sloth, especially his imaginary adventures, are really sweet and cute, and the length is good for a baby bookworm. This is definitely one that kids could still enjoy as they get older, too: there are some great sight gags in the illustrations that make the story very funny for older readers. We liked this one! Baby Bookworm approved!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I am so over sloth books. Let it go people! Why not write about another animal that needs some popularity? A lesser known animal?

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the resourceful of the children in their efforts to find what the sloth was and where it belonged and the humour of the news in different formats warning that the sloth had escaped the zoo without the kods noticing them at all. Puzzling that the children could read an encyclopedia but didn't pay any notice of the newspapers and posters with pictures of the sloth in them. I suppose it goes with the theme of all the adults being around but oblivious to what the kids were doing. I liked how the sloth ends up in the jungle but knocked down a star because of its comment showing it wanted to go back to the zoo. It was meant as a joke and it worked on that level but it made me slightly sad at its implications. I know, I know, it's a children's book and I'm going on a bit, but I had hoped for an ecological message to seep in and it didn't. The picture of the rainforest was rather pretty though.

[Our Weekend Is Booked · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is that a group of children find an animal that they are unfamiliar with. This animal is furry and sleeps A LOT. So the kids do some research and find out that the animal is a sloth and lives in the rain forest. I thought the pages learning about the sloth were well done. Informative facts in short snippets that held a child's attention. I got annoyed with the book because the ending was just out there. The kids decide to ship the sloth back to the rain forest (not realizing he escaped from the zoo). This led to so many questions. Where is the adult that helped them take this huge box to the post office? How much does it cost to ship a sloth to the rain forest? Clearly a sloth can't survive in a box for days and days so why was this even an option. I just think it could have had a better ending.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book aloud to two other camp counselors while we were waiting for our kids to arrive and WE LOVED IT. The story is so cute and funny (the ending in particular), and there are small tidbits in the illustrations that little kids might miss (or could be directed to by an adult) that add a little something extra. I honestly want all of these illustrations as my bedroom wallpaper they’re so adorable. Definitely one of my favorites that I’ve snagged from the library so far. The best part though is the fun facts about sloths right in the middle of the story: not too many, presented in a fun way, and containing both interesting and relevant content.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was pretty surprised at how much I didn't like this book, mainly due to the existential angst it inspired given that the sloth was supposed to go back to the zoo and ended up forsaken in the jungle. I think this could make for a good Werner Herzog movie.

But my toddler liked the book just fine.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storytime in the reader services department! I started showing this to my coworkers and ended up staging a dramatic reading. We all enjoyed it a lot, although I don't know how well it would go over with an actual child -- it's very text-heavy for a board book. The illustrations are adorable. We all especially adored the full-page spread of a sloth in space.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the funnier children's picture books I've read in awhile. Didn't like the ending as much. But the idea of the kid's trying to figure out what this creature is. And them missing the news from the zoo. And then ignoring one of them having already figured it out. Clever. Well written. With good enough art. 4.5 of 5.

[ina_loves_books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Ende ist sehr enttäuschend und besonders als Erwachsene ärgert man sich sehr darüber, weil die Erwachsenen im Buch nicht auf die Kinder achten und mit ein bisschen mehr Aufmerksamkeit den Kindern hätten helfen können, das Richtige zu tun. Die Illustrationen und die ersten zwei Drittel sind wunderbar und ich finde es einfach schade, dass mit dem Schluss alles kaputtgemacht wird.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute little read for my son's reading time. I thought it was interesting that the whole time there was a missing sloth sign but they sent him to the rainforest and then the sloth was asking for directions to the zoo, LOL. Either way it was still a cute read.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really cute, clever book with mixed media illustrations and an adorable, original story. I love this! May be a little too nuanced for my playtime kids, but a very fun read aloud with children old enough to pick up on illustrative queues (4+).

[Ketutar Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

No! No, no, no, no, no... that was horrible!
The illustrations were really nice and I like how the kids found out by themselves, and were independent and venturous and inventive, but... it went all wrong! Poor sloth!

[Charity Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book that was featured in our sloth storytime. The children had fun figuring out BEFORE the children in the story that they were sending the sloth to the wrong place. The sloth in the space suit was also a huge hit!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun readaloud with hints throughout about where the sloth came from. Great for a sloth or zoo storytime.

[Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teehee. I love sloths

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute illustrations!

[Y.Poston]

very cute & odd

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love sloths? Read this. Like a Disney movie, it provides humor in the form of Easter eggs for all.

[Dahlia]

very cute pictures

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it because I’m also a sleepy sloth

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable book with great illustrations.