I Am Not a Sloth

Written by Marie-Pier Meunier

Illustrated by Valérie Desrochers

CrackBoom! Books

978-2-898026041

32 pp.

Ages 6-9

May 2025 

Harry may be a sloth i.e., the mammal but he is not lazy or complacent. He is more than just sloth, and he wants everyone to see all the things that he is because he has a big personality and he's proud of it. In fact, he introduces the reader to all the Harrys he is.

From I Am Not a Sloth, written by Marie-Pier Meunier, illustrated by Valérie Desrochers

He is joyful and generous, but he can also be furious and cranky. He can be studious and adventurous but also proud and anxious. He is typical in that he is a blend of positives and less positives, lovely traits and others when challenged with life. He may be a sloth–which he finally accepts–but he's so much more.

I am HARRY

and that suits me just fine.

I like myself as I am, one of a kind. 

From I Am Not a Sloth, written by Marie-Pier Meunier, illustrated by Valérie Desrochers

Quebec's Marie-Pier Meunier's message is that all of us are not just one thing. We are a blend of so many traits, both good and less desirable, that make us who we are. We might not always like being envious or stubborn and we certainly don't want to be labelled based on a single trait or a single bad act because we are more than our worst moments. Too often children are told by their peers or a parent or a teacher than they are one thing, whether precocious or difficult, lazy or entitled, and that's all they will remember or fear that's how everyone will see them. Harry is more than a sloth in his behaviours but then aren't we all? We all have days of inefficiency or fatigue or even unkindness, but we should not let those moments define us. It's unfortunate that we often see ourselves and others in terms of our worst not who we truly are. It's hard for Harry to accept that he is a sloth because of the connotations associated with that label but Marie-Pier Meunier lets him see how much more he is–just as young readers might do so–and how full his personality is. (Her author's note speaks about how personalities are formed, that we are not defined by our emotions, and that labels are hurtful.)

From I Am Not a Sloth, written by Marie-Pier Meunier, illustrated by Valérie Desrochers

Valérie Desrochers, an illustrator also from Quebec, makes I Am Not a Sloth a joyful acceptance of self beyond the obvious. She makes Harry both shy and brave in acknowledging his true self. He has twinkling eyes, a smile that is both affectionate and self-deprecating, and a face that expresses all the good and the not-so-good traits that are Harry. And in a landscape of lush fronds and leaves, as well as in a playful house setting, readers get to see the big picture that is Harry.

 

I Am Not a Sloth would a fabulous starter for so many lessons, from writing characters that are full-developed to self-image and acceptance. Most of all, it is a sweet story about acknowledging everything about ourselves, good and bad, and not dwelling on the worst, and that includes avoiding labelling, a harmful practice that overlooks the individual as a whole.

From I Am Not a Sloth, written by Marie-Pier Meunier, illustrated by Valérie Desrochers