A brown-throated sloth tries on the mantle of superhero.Superheroesfaster 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 rescueeventually. 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. Voil, 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. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Super Sloth to the rescue! Well, eventually, maybe. Super Sloth becomes inspired to be a superhero, and just in time. Evil Anteater has stolen all of the animals' mangoes, and they fear they will starve. There's no way Super Sloth will ever catch up to Anteater on foot, and as our hero finds out rather painfully, sloths can't fly. So how will Super Sloth ever infiltrate Anteater's secret lair, hidden deep in the jungle where even the guards have guards? Turns out sloths are very good at something: climbing trees and blending in. It's up to Super Sloth to turn these skills into a winning strategy as he tracks down Anteater, finds the stolen mangoes, and saves the day. The whimsical cartoonlike animals are appropriately goofy and include appropriate markings (a few sloth facts are appended at the end). The illustrations fill the pages and offer lots of ingenious details that will keep readers entertained. This is a lovely story about an ordinary sloth who uses his own powers to turn into someone extraordinary.--Kathleen McBroom Copyright 2010 Booklist