Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Because really, I’ve got to get at least one more review done or I’m going to go nuts. And this one shouldn’t take long, because I felt sort of meh about the book–although that may be mostly that I’m a 43-year-old English major. Elementary school-aged graphic novel fans might love it, you know? And I’ll try and comment on my children’s reactions after they read it. In the meantime, Cyndi Marko’s Sloth Sleuth popped onto my radar because my youngest read her ‘Kung Pow Chicken’ series (I can’t remember how THAT popped onto my radar–oh, well!), and when I saw Sloth Sleuth listed as her newest book, hey–it seemed like fun. And really, the premise IS fun–a mysteriously hidden island full of shady characters plus a policewoman and a librarian, and a sloth investigating a crime wave in the middle of them all. The sloth alternates between periodically falling asleep and acting like a seasoned investigative operative, and there are gadgets. My problem with it all is that it seems more like a string of fun scenes and things threaded together rather than a cohesive mystery with strong characterization. Do I think its intended audience is going to care? Not necessarily. On the other hand, the more completely put together the books we give our children are, the more they’ll learn about successfully expressing themselves well–so there’s that. I’m going to try and get my friend Britt to read it and offer her opinion; in the meantime, let me know what YOU think!