Don't Hurry! Be Happy! Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, Said the Sloth by Eric Carle

SLOWLY, SLOWLY, SLOWLY THE SLOTH CRAWLED ALONG A BRANCH OF A TREE.

ALL DAY LONG THE SLOTH HUNG UPSIDE DOWN.

As they make their way to and fro all day, the animals of the tropical forest can't help noticing that the sloth is not making much progress from day to day toward the end of that branch. The creepy-crawling caiman, the loud howler monkey, the flashy toucan, and the slashy, scary jaguar ask rather rude questions of the sloth, but he doesn't reply.

"WHY ARE YOU DO BORING?" ASKED THE ANTEATER.

The sloth thought and thought and thought, while the impatient ground dwellers waited for his answer. At last the sloth yawns, slowly, of course, and comes up with his reply.

"I KNOW THAT I AM LACKADAISIACAL, PLACID, AND MELLOW. THAT'S JUST HOW I AM!"

The sloth is truly an unusual animal, moving at a pace that can make a snail look speedy, staying so still for so long that greenish moses grow into its fur and serve as camouflage. A sloth moves so infrequently that moths and beetles can lay eggs and raise their young on his shaggy coat without ever leaving the neighborhood branch, as naturalist Jane Goodall explains in her forward to noted artist-author Eric Carle's "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth (Penguin Books/Random House). 

For kids who like animals who move at a faster pace, Eric Carle provides a picture glossary of some of the swifter forest dwellers, such a spider monkeys, coatis, pumas, tapirs, macaws, quetzels, and anacondas, to name a few.

Carle's carefully executed collaged artwork has earned him a prominent place among picture book illustrators, and although he seems to admire the mellow moves of the sloth, living a life of peace, Carle's career has been a busy one, with many awards over his long career for books such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Busy Spider and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?