Sloth’s Totally Not Weird First Day of School
A little sloth learns to be himself among his peers in the warm picture book Sloth’s Totally Not Weird First Day of School.
Christie Nicholls’s quirky picture book Sloth’s Totally Not Weird First Day of School is about being true to yourself regardless of what others might think.
Though Sloth has a comfortable bed in his new home, he cannot sleep. Tomorrow is his first day of school, and he wants other students to like him. His sisters advise him to avoid crawling and climbing like a sloth and to choose an outfit that is “fun.” Dressed as a cowboy, Sloth rides the bus for the first time; he loses his hat out the window, though, and starts out feeling out of place.
Throughout his first day, Sloth tries to be like the other kids, but his failure to fit in leaves him feeling awkward and “weird.” Near the end of the school day, Sloth’s messy approach to crafts feels like another weird moment. To his surprise, the other kids love it, though; they copy Sloth’s messy style and he realizes being weird is not so bad.
The characterizations are thorough, focused on the children’s different personalities and how they engage in various activities and try to fit in at school. Sloth’s dilemmas about what to wear, nervous feelings before his first day of school, desire to be liked by his classmates, and being himself are explored in natural terms.
The hand-drawn watercolor illustrations exude natural warmth and connection, showing Sloth and the other students’ personalities, as when Sloth makes a mess, getting glue and glitter in his fur. Sloth’s smile and natural markings also stand out. When Sloth eats seventeen pizza pockets and wears his cowboy outfit, small details in the illustrations add humor and movement to the scenes.
The layout of the text is sparse. On some pages, only the illustrations are shown, such that they often do the bulk of the work of telling the story. Still, the pages with text flow well, with accessible vocabulary used to tell Sloth’s story.
Rebranding the word “weird,” Sloth’s Totally Not Weird First Day of School is a delightful picture book in which a sloth learns to be himself, no matter what.
Reviewed by
N.T. McQueen
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
