Bat and Sloth Hang Around

Gr 1-3–The first of two beginning readers featuring anthropomorphic Bat and Sloth. In their inaugural tale, Bat and Sloth meet and discover what they have in common: hanging from tree branches upside-down, sleeping, and being heroes to each other. Bat also learns the value of taking responsibility for his actions and apologizing after he bumps Sloth off their branch. These four very slight stories introduce all sorts of facts about sloths and bats—what they eat, how they move, when and how they sleep, if they can swim, etc. How Bat manages to bump into Sloth despite his echolocation is not addressed. The text uses simple dialogue, short sentences, and ample spacing. The illustrations, which appear to be digital, are crisp and clear and support the text. Sloth and Bat are depicted in an appealing, cartoonlike fashion.