HELLO, I'M A SLOTH

A genial slowpoke invites young readers to hang out in the trees.

“Oh, hiiiiiiiii!” Kicking off a series of basic encounters with threatened or endangered species, the Roccos wake a smiling brown-throated three-toed sloth from a nap so that it can describe its lifestyle in Mr. Rogers–style simplicity. “Actually, the only time I climb down to the ground is once a week to poop. How often do you poop?” Along with introducing the algae, fungi, and insects that live in its long hair (“I’ve got hundreds of friends with me wherever I go”) and describing other sloth species, the arboreal narrator frets about predators like harpy eagles and the way logging has left gaps in the leafy understories, which make new food sources hard to reach. Luckily, though, there are people who plant new trees and string rope bridges between patches of forest to climb across. “Will you help, too?” Various leads to organizations that are working to preserve and restore sloth populations cap a closing set of additional sloth feats and facts, plus a more detailed explanation of the threats facing these slow, nonaggressive creatures. Human characters are diverse.

A particularly absorbing overview.