Sparky!

Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 4, 2014

Review

A little girl longs for a pet, maybe a bird, a bunny, or a trained seal, but her mother says she may only get a pet that doesn't need to be walked, bathed, or fed, which pretty much narrows it down to...a sloth, a suggestion from the school librarian who knows everything in the world. The sloth isn't much for games. In fact, his favorite activity is sleeping, though he excels at statue. When a friend belittles Sparky (what a fitting name, yes?) the girl decides to put on a Trained Sloth Extravaganza showcasing the countless tricks of which Sparky is capable. Oh, my. The water and pencil art in shades of burgundy and brown is appealing and the text is also done by the illustrator so that the pictures and text complement each other perfectly. Of course, the lesson is sometimes a sloth is just a sloth and that's okay.

Overall Book Score: good