Slow Mo product reviews

Sloths are like cats insofar as children love the idea of cuddly animals. The internet is full of sloth videos with these cute creatures cuddling each other or their human friends. Miss Three liked the way Slow Mo was pictured draped over a branch as if he were cuddling that too. The place where he lives is called Snuggle Town, with the emphasis on Snuggle! And the creatures who live there are the slowest, cuddliest animals of all.

The start of the story celebrates Slow Mo's reluctance (or inability?) to go fast, not matter what he is doing. His friends are all pictured in a tree with him; they have similarly descriptive names like Relaxed Max and Busy Lizzy, but none is shown as being absolutely still. While Slow Mo is still draped over his branch, looking ecstatic, the others are all in motion - however slightly. Even Flat Pat is not completely reliant on his branch for support. This is probably the most imaginative graphic in the book as it demonstrates that not all sloths are the same!

Miss Three and her little brother, Mr One, thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the story, and she picked out this book several days running for reading time. The text is uncomplicated and complements the graphics perfectly, making it truly accessible to preschoolers. However, the last section of the story raised some questions. The main problem was the introduction of Bill as the sloth who was even slower than Slow Mo.

The issue for Miss Three was that Bill suddenly turned into Joan. She could not understand why the story had got the name wrong at first! Then, when Joan was actually revealed as Stone Joan, who became popular among all the sloths despite her identity crisis, Slow Mo unexpectedly started to move in uncharacteristic fashion. He used a rope to reposition Stone Joan so he could have a perfect place to snuggle and be slow again.

There was also a question as to why Stone Joan had acquired the "Stone" descriptor. It needed Miss Three's mother to do some explaining about the purpose of a monument, and the reasons why it might have been placed in the middle of Snuggle Town. Miss Three accepted that explanation and was pleased that Slow Mo had found an alternative to the branch as it was not as far to fall should he topple over. She also loved the way Busy Lizzy was placing a floral wreath on Stone Joan's head to make her look pretty! Once she had clarified what was going on, she declared that she loved the story and requested that it be read again.