Mervin the Sloth is just standing there quietly when giant letters drop onto the page: “Mervin the Sloth is about to do the best thing in the world.” But what is the best thing in the world? What is Mervin about to do? 

Brooke has a bit of a fascination with sloths and it may have something to do with my special love of this very SLOW moving animals and things that I’ve read and shown to her about sloths.  It may not come as a big surprise that we loved a new picture book called Mervin the Sloth Is About to Do the Best Thing in the World!  The book reminds me a little of the Elephant and Piggie books because it plays with book form and is quite silly and funny.  On the first page of the book, I actually wondered if there was a printing error in our copy because the words on the page were cut off until I realized that it was SUPPOSED to be that way.  Mervin’s slow moving lifestyle is accurately depicted in a book that makes you wait for the words and action of what Mervin is about to do, so it’s really a very fun read.

Mervin the Sloth Is About to Do the Best Thing in the World focuses on all of Mervin’s exuberant animal friends who are waiting around to see exactly what the sloth is going to do.  They each have their own idea which they are very insistent and forthcoming about. Flying! Digging! Gazelling! Wait, gazelling? Is that even a word?  Mervin’s slow actions prove to be difficult for most of his friends, until only Amy the red panda sticks around to see it.  This is an adorable book with witty humor and irresistibly huggable animal characters.