Sleepy Mr. Sloth

Summary

This charming story follows Mr. Sloth, who visits seeking a comfortable branch to nap on. Despite being good at climbing and swinging, his favorite activity is sleeping. Throughout his search, Mr. Sloth encounters a variety of obstacles, like a giraffe that might nibble him, a beehive full of buzzing bees, a snake that he mistakenly thinks is a branch, and a noisy bird that makes rest impossible. Each time he picks a new spot, his animal friends warn him of the potential for disturbance or danger. Eventually, Mr. Sloth finds the perfect branch, granting him the peaceful slumber he seeks. The narrative emphasizes themes of perseverance and the importance of finding one's right place, while also illustrating the value of community and helping one another.

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One day, Mr. Sloth came to visit. He said:

I’m sleepy! I need a good branch for a bed!

I’m quite good at climbing. I know how to swing.

But sleeping’s my favourite, favourite thing!

This branch looks lovely!
I think I’ll sleep here.

And you? Don’t you think that’s a splendid idea?

Oh no, Mr. Sloth! A giraffe’s eating there!

He might think you are lunch and start nibbling your hair!

This branch looks lovely! I think I’ll sleep here.

And you? Don’t you think that’s a splendid idea?

Oh no, Mr. Sloth! There’s a beehive right there!

You’ll never get to sleep with those bees everywhere!

This branch looks lovely! I think I’ll sleep here.

And you? Don’t you think that’s a splendid idea?

Oh no, Mr. Sloth, that’s a snake over there!

Not a branch! Poor old snake. You gave him quite a scare.

This branch looks lovely! I think I’ll sleep here.

And you? Don’t you think that’s a splendid idea?

Oh no, Mr. Sloth! There’s a bird squawking there!

You’ll never get to sleep with that noise in the air!

Try to climb one more branch, Mr. Sloth! They all said.

And that branch was just the right one for his bed.

The bird and the snake, the giraffe and each bee were happy to have Mr. Sloth in their tree.


Credits

Originally published by Book Dash under a Creative Commons Licensed BY 4.0. This book can be read for free on https://bookdash.org/books/sleepy-mr-sloth and was created by: Graham Paterson (Illustrator), Paul Kennedy (Writer), Nick Mulgrew (Designer), Arthur Attwell (Editor) Book Dash logo