Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 04/15/2022 K-Gr 2—Longtime nature lovers with a history of numerous guided wildlife excursions, the Sayres are wonderfully equipped to tell the story of the sloth. Stunning photos of the Panamanian rainforest accompany the snappy text. "A tree is sloth salad," they write. "Rip! Snip! Chew. Chew." For younger readers, this colorful language might serve as a sufficient introduction, but older readers will also be drawn to the highly informative sidebars. Here are the differences between the two-toed and three-toed sloth, as well as the distinct characteristics of sloths and howler monkeys, their fellow tree dwellers. Kids who like to accumulate amazing facts will note the surprising similarities between cow and sloth digestive systems, the vertebrae that allow sloths to turn their heads 270 degrees, and the fact that the green color so useful for camouflage is a result of microbes housed in the cracks of a sloth's hair. Illustrations capture not only the sloth, but other animals residing in the rainforest habitat. The back matter is rich and comprehensive, with additional resources provided. This makes it a likely source for report writing, as well as pleasure reading. VERDICT This well-researched title gloriously evokes the wonder of the rainforest and celebrates a fascinating and often misunderstood creature.—Gloria Koster - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/15/2022 *Starred Review* Happiness, indeed! Starting with the cover, you can’t help but smile along with the featured sloth, who appears content to human viewers. But what does this brown-throated sloth, a type of three-toed sloth, do all day? In spare, poetic rhyming text (“A tree is sloth salad. / Rip! Snip! / Chew. Chew. / Head turn. / Slowwwwly scan. / What’s the treetop view?”), the text describes routine sloth activities in the rain forest canopy of Panama’s Soberanía National Park. From eating and napping to back scratching and hiding from predators, gorgeous up-close and large-format photos taken in the wild depict the sloth in its natural environment. Related sidebars add fascinating details about sloth life, such as how it camouflages, digests food like a cow, and, despite commonly held myths, doesn’t sleep all day. Because the sloth doesn’t live in isolation, the photos also portray rain forest companions, with action words (“Hammer. / Hover. / Crunch. / Catch”) contrasting their quick, busy movements. Across several spreads, the Sayres highlight, in particular, the physical differences between the sloth and howler monkeys to show how these differences affect their lifestyles. Finally, as the day draws to a close and the diurnal sloth readies for rest, the nocturnal Hoffman’s sloth, a type of two-toed sloth emerges. More sloth facts and their interconnectedness to other species concludes this cheery, attractive science book. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.