Friends of Montclair Library

Perhaps it’s only fitting that I’m getting a late start with this post in honor of International Sloth Day (October 20), a day to celebrate these adorable, tree-dwelling and slow-moving animals. The holiday is a project of the AIUNAU Foundation, a non-profit conservation and wildlife organization based in Colombia.

Got a slow-poke, a day-dreamy dawdler, on your hands? Pick up some picture books about sloths, and discover the virtue in their laid-back worldview.

“Slowly , Slowly, Slowly,” Said the Sloth by Eric Carle (J PICBK CARLE) – Challenged by the other jungle animals for its seemingly lazy ways, a sloth living in a tree explains the many advantages of his slow and peaceful existence.

Sparky! by Jenny Offill (J PICBK OFFILL) – A child takes a sloth named Sparky as a pet.

Who Lives Here by Nicola Davies (J PICBK DAVIES) – This beautiful lift-the-flap book includes a sloth in the section about the rainforest.

Lost Sloth by J. Otto Seibold (J PICBK SEIBOLD) (not at Montclair) – Sloth hurries to make it to the store to claim his free shopping spree, but the notoriously slow-moving animal faces challenges in reaching his destination before time runs out.

Sloths by Melissa Stewart (J 599.313 STEWART) (not at Montclair) – This non-fiction book covers the history, habits and habitat of sloths.

Score One For the Sloths by Helen Lester (J PICBK LESTER) (not at Montclair) – Sparky (a different Sparky), a new energetic student at a sloth school, saves her lazy classmates when a wild boar from a government agency tries to shut the school down.

Diego Saves the Sloth! by Alexis Romay (J PICBK ROMAY) (not at Montclair) – Diego saves Sammy the Sloth who is stranded on a tree branch.

A Little Book of Sloth by Lucy Cooke (J 599.313 COOKE) (not at Montclair) – Photos of the residents of the Avarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica, the world’s largest sloth orphanage, by the National Geographic explorer and proprietor of Slothville.com.

Bonus easy readers:
The High-Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Sleepy Sloth by Cynthia Rylant (J READER RYLANT) – While having a picnic on the docks, animal detectives Bunny and Jack meet a dog whose one and only lawn chair is missing, and they set out to solve the case.

Swing, Sloth! Explore the Rain Forest by Susan B. Neuman (J 591.734 NEUMAN) – Learn about the creatures that make their home in the rainforest.

P.S. The sloth illustration at bottom right of the graphic that accompanies this article is by Emily Balsley via Flickr / Creative Commons. Thanks for sharing!