From Publishers Weekly
This off-beat British import relates how a slow-moving sloth was a year late for his birthday party and thus had outgrown his main present, the shoes of the title. But while the book lacks a satisfying storyline, Willis and Ross (who joined talents for The Pet Person) draw readers in with playful language and humorous ink-and-watercolor illustrations. Willis's alliterative absurdity at times recalls Dr. Seuss, as when "A Boomslang boomed from a branch below." The "Potteroos," which look like moles with long noses, stitch "Such beautiful shoes with vine-twine ties/ ?His favorite shape! His perfect size!?/ And lined with softest, moth-proof moss/ And sewn with skeins of spiders' floss." Ross's animated animal party is a gleeful assortment of woodland animals in formal dress, dancing and sipping from tiny martini glasses. But the premise of a no-show birthday sloth ultimately keeps the amusing moments from adding up to an engaging whole. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1?A harmless British import, this is the tale of a sloth who is so slow that he's a whole year late for his own birthday party. While eager to get to the festivities, this unhurried creature's old habit of "Three steps forward. Backwards two" causes his tardiness. When he finally does arrive, his birthday shoes no longer fit him. Although the rhymed verse is at times stilted, the cartoon illustrations are colorful and fun. A book that is pleasantly devoid of an agenda to enlighten, educate, or moralize.?Christy Norris Blanchette, Valley Cottage Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
