Ready, Steady, Sloth! by Justin Anderson, Manu Montoya
Published by Candlewick Press on May 27, 2025
ISBN: 1536239623
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Ready, Steady, Sloth! is a narrative non-fiction picture book about a brown-throated sloth and her baby climbing down their tree for their weekly poop.  The story and dust jacket call it a “special mission.”

The pages have full color illustrations, and the colors are bright and flat. Each spread has the storyline in one font and side facts in another. The font of the side facts was a poor choice—it would be hard for early readers to decipher—but its content was excellent. The author compares sloth stats to other animals, including humans, and avoids those quantitative facts that make other non-fiction picture books dense. The final spread gleans over the six other species of sloth and has an unnecessary index for a book of 24 pages. This book is designed to introduce sloths to a young audience, less as a reference for an older kid’s school report.

Reviewed by Becky Cooper, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta