Peter & Ernesto: a Tale of Two Sloths

Reviewed by: Margy Soule - Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 10, 2018

Review

This graphic novel has humor, beginning philosophy, adventure, "human" drama, and a happy ending. Ernesto is a sloth who is not content and longs to see all of the sky beyond his treetop home that he shares with his best friend Peter, another sloth. He sets off for adventure with gusto. He enjoys the shaky bridge over the deep gorge and embraces each challenge his travels bring. Meanwhile, Peter misses his friend but is willing to go beyond his comfort zone in search of him. The friends view life's challenges differently. Peter clearly does not like the shaky bridge, but he keeps going until he ends up on a good lookout rock. Crabs help him be hopeful that his good friend will return. After multiple adventures, Ernesto ends up in the Arctic being chased by a polar bear and escapes with the help of a new whale friend. Peter and Ernesto are reunited in the end, and each has a new perspective as they look out from their treetop home. The black lined illustrations are done in shades of blues, olive greens, with a touch of red. The sloth's expressive big eyes and simply sketched bodies add to the book's humor. Kids can read the illustrations as well as the short speech bubble text.

Overall Book Score: good