Customer Reviews

Score One for the Sloths

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Ho-dee-hum. It was another day at Sleepy Valley Sloth School, and all the sloths were just hanging around." Every so often their teacher would awaken and teach a short lesson in yawn, snore or roll over. Lunch hour took three hours as the sloths slowly ate each berry, one at a time and after such an exhausting workout in the cafeteria, it was time for a nap. Then onto study hall and finally recess, though no sloth had the energy to play. They just hung around all over the swing set sleeping some more. At dismissal, no one had the energy to get up and leave, so they all just dozed and waited for the janitor to sweep them out the door. Life was good and slothful until Sparky showed up. She was perky and full of energy, a real mover and shaker and by lunchtime had driven the rest of the class crazy, disrupting their usual sleepy routine. But when a Boar with a clipboard from the Society for Organizing Sameness (SOS) in the Mammal District shows up and announces that Sleepy Valley Sloth School will be closed, because of such low, really non-existant test scores, Sparky comes to the rescue and saves the day..... That dynamic duo of Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger have teamed up again and authored a delightful and amusing story that will have kids giggling and laughing and definitely wanting more. Ms Lester's charming, witty text includes puns and wordplay and is only outdone by Ms Munsinger's humorous and expressive artwork featuring sleepy, napping, inert sloths draped over trees, tables and playground equipment often with schoolbooks covering their faces. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Score One For The Sloths is hopefully the beginning of a new series and makes a wonderful addition to all home libraries.

A friend of mine at work pointed this out to me, and I was struck immediately at how funny the story and the illustrations work out together. Who would have known that looking at very inactive sloths could be so entertaining? For instance, the scene at the playground is precious.

As if the illustrations weren't enough, the story is good, and Sparky, the character introduced as a contrast to the other sloths and a disruption to their routine, was able to "save the day" without any of the characters having to completely change their personality.

Score One for the Sloths, written by Helen Lester and illustrated by Lynn Musinger, is a wonderful story that truly defines the nature of the animals in a way a child can understand and enjoy. The story is about Sleepy Valley Sloth School, a school where sloths do nothing all day except sleep and eat. About halfway through the book, Sparky, the perky sloth, comes to the school. The lazy sloths do not welcome her arrival until they find out that because of their poor academic performance, their school might be shut down.
The entertaining story features wonderful illustrations. The book has relatively easy language, and it is probably aimed at an early elementary school level. Helen Lester does a great job of portraying the typical sloth as well as the atypical sloth. The story conveys a message to children readers about stereotypes: although sloths have a reputation for being lazy, some do not fit that image. The illustrations work wonderfully with the text to tell a story about one sloth that saved the day for the rest.

Lester, Helen. Score One For the Sloths. Illus. Lynn Munsinger.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001

Sleepy Valley has a school just for sloths. The sloth children sleep through their classes, and they sleep through recess, too, just like their teacher. One day, a new energetic sloth named Sparky shows up and tries to get them excited about something- -about anything! But she doesn't have much success. Then the superintendent, a real boar, comes to inspect the school, and it's up to Sparky to single-handedly save the school. The story is cute and not at all scary. It might be most enjoyable for the younger school-aged crowd. It has about 400 words.

Just goes to show what a little ingenuity and ability to think on your feet can accomplish-even if you are a sloth!! A fun story about playing the game just enough to be left alone to be who you really are...My (almost) 3 year old loves this story, and I love reading it over and over and over and...

I was delighted to be one of the first people to review Helen Lester & Lynn Munsinger's newest tale of unique animal heros in our Library School. Once again, these ladies have outdone themselves!

The wit and charm of the text compliments the pictures very well. Plus the introduction of other types of animal-characters adds to the contrast of the "sloth world." I believe that not only children but the adults who read this book will find the sloths a fanciful, familiar tale that they will want to revisit again and again!

Welcome to Sleep Valley Sloth School where you will find sloths just hanging around in pajamas, " content in their slothfulness". The classroom was equipped with pillows for each sloth as well as a place for slippers and robes. Adorning the walls are individual drawings of a chair that reclines, a bed and a pillow that made a B+. The schedule listed shows nothing for morning and afternoon with a chalkboard showing the counting of sheep.

Sometimes the teacher would arise to instruct the class to yawn, roll over or to keep the snores coming. Through out the day the sloths were found in chairs sleeping, on the floor and on top of the desks. Lunch hour showed the most movement of the day when they had three lunch hours, " when the sloths would amble around the slotherteria taking a berry at a time, slowly chewing each one ever ... so... carefully."

Once lunch was over it was time for the sloths nap, then study hall and on to recess. Each of these activities shows them in various positions such as being slumped over a swing or on top of the swing set. During the study hall they each had a book opened and placed over their faces. Yes they had their faces in the books fast asleep with pencils still lying on the floor. These sloths were able to sleep in any position as their bodies were twisted in balls, sometimes with tails tucked underneath them.

Although the bell rang daily at three these sloths did not leave willingly, but with a push from the janitor at six. Usually one would complain about a leg hurting and they argued over who would get up to get the door. This is what caused them to stick around till six each day. They were literally swept out the door and rolled home in their same positions of slumber.

The sloths banded together in the end to save their school and Sparky fit right in. My son was not too interested in this book because it is only about sloths and they are too slow and old. He also made note that their eyes were closed on all the pages.

The sloths at school are content to be sleepy sloths, until a new go-getter sloth arrives to drive them all crazy. But the pesty new arrival proves the sloths' salvation when an official decides to shut the school due to its low academic scores. Fun drawings make Score One For The Sloths an exceptional story.

Helen Lester's books are ALWAYS enjoyable and Lynn Munsinger is a terrific illustrator. When a new sloth named Sparky comes to school for the first time she is totally caught off guard. You see Sparky has more energy than ALL the rest of the other sloths put together. She gets a true workout when a boar comes to evaluate whether the school should be closed or meets the Society for Organizing Sameness' approval.Sparky proves one sloth can make a difference. When the boar leaves she joins the rest of the sloth students for nap time.

This is a really good and funny book about sloths. The sloths' school is about to be closed down since they aren't learning anything. So, when a new sloth (full of energy) comes to school, can she save their school? Find out in this hilarious book featuring lots of cute sloths! A must-read for all animal lovers!