I'd seen this at a few shops and found the sloth so cute and inviting even from first glance. When I finally flipped open the pages, I was even more delighted.

Created for the youngest reader, this books takes reading-aloud and adds a new dimension. Now, this isn't the first finger puppet book I've run across, but it's definitely one of the better ones I've had my hands on. The pages are thick and sturdy, perfect for small hands and built to handle some bumps and tosses. Especially the finger puppet impressed me. It's soft and cuddly, and invites to touch and play with a nice quality. The sloth's neck is long enough to poke through all pages and still can be easily moved around in all directions. The neck is fastened well to the back page and will hold up hours of fun without ripping right away. Even the hole and the sloth's neck are spacious, allowing even thicker fingers to fit through. In other words, thought went into creating this one.

The pages are bright and colorful. While the scenes are relatively simple, they pack just the right amount of details to make it clear what's going on. Plus, they offer a fitting background for the sloth to stretch and play.

While screaming cuteness, the purpose of this book isn't just to have fun. Young listeners get to learn a few sloth facts along the way. Fitting to the intended age group, the animal facts are kept extremely simple (food, sleep, etc). One simple sentence accompanies every page, making sure it stays at the right level. The combination of play and a little fact is definitely getting big thumbs up from us.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it so much (as did my kids) that I'm leaving our honest thoughts. ( )