SUPER SLOTH

A brown-throated sloth tries on the mantle of superhero.

Superheroes—faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Or, should the superhero happen to be a sloth, able to come to the rescue—eventually. Especially when the sloth is a “very ordinary” specimen of that slow-moving species. But sloths can dream, too, and after this one discovers a comic book left behind by some hikers, he is inspired to tie on a cape and get ready for action. In the jungle, with its giant ferns, blue tree trunks, and numerous animals, it isn’t long before there is a cry for help. An anteater is making off with a toucan’s mangoes. Sloth rushes over, but by the time he gets there the anteater is long gone with all the mangoes. “Oh bother!” moans the sloth. It turns out that the anteater is purloining all the animals’ mangoes, so they turn to their superhero friend to come to their aid. Not one to be deterred by a little gum in the superhero works, the sloth turns to its strength: slow motion. To get past all the guards at the anteater’s fort, the sloth pretends to be a tree, moving so slowly no one notices his approach. Voilà, the dastardly anteater and his minions are foiled. A two-page spread of sloth facts finishes the book. The blue-caped sloth is a stitch as he inches across the page and plummets from the occasional tree.

A sweet salute to talents that come in many guises.