The three-toed sloth of the Amazon rain forest is very, very slow. "Why are you so slow?" the howler monkey asks. But the sloth doesn't answer. He doesn't respond when the caiman asks why he's so quiet, either--or when the anteater asks why he's so boring. He is only moved to speak when the jaguar asks him why he's so lazy. After thinking long and hard (as sloths tend to do), he begins to elaborate on his many slothful qualities: unflappable, lethargic, but not lazy. "That's just how I am. I like to do things slowly, slowly, slowly." This simple introduction to the joys of sloth (and sloths) may be the perfect book for bedtime--parents and children alike will enjoy learning in zoologist Jane Goodall's foreword that sloths sleep 15 to 19 hours a day! The beautiful tapirs, tree frogs, and birds of the Amazon that adorn Eric Carle's cut-paper collage, color-drenched pages are identified at the close of this lush, oversized picture book. (Preschool to age 5) --Karin Snelson