Too Tired

Product Description
Two sloths sleeping in the rain forest keep sleeping despite the warnings of all the other animals that the flood has come and, when the ark arrives to save them, it’s up to the elephants to rescue the sleeping sloths.
From Publishers Weekly
This fanciful picture-book account of Noah and the Flood features two sloths who are just too tired to board the ark with everyone else. As a young-looking Noah fastidiously organizes the animals according to his list, he notices that the sloths are missing. No amount of cajoling or coaxing from the other passengers can get the sloths to budge. Everyone is in a tizzy, except for the cocksure cats who remark, “Who cares? Let them drown.” Democracy and kindess rule, however, and the sloths are saved just as the water reaches a dangerous level. Turnbull’s short sentences keep the story at a suspenseful pace while her humorous undertones and callous feline characters prevent the proceedings from becoming too scary. Clark’s lush jungle and sea scenes showcase an impressive array of species trudging, swimming and winging their way to safety. Her wide-eyed menagerie displays an air of frenzy and concern most welcome in this tale. While not exactly a reverent introduction to the Bible, this funny story clearly extols the virtues of patience and caring for others. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-As Noah calls roll on the ark, he discovers that the sloths are missing-they were too tired to make the journey. He then sails to the rain forest to pick them up. The animals on board unite to rouse the sloths, and the elephants rescue them from their treetop perch. The watercolor illustrations are pleasant, with the pink ark resembling a yacht. However, this mildly amusing book lacks the necessary flair or uniqueness to deserve inclusion on the crowded shelves of Noah-related picture books.

Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 5-7. Turnbull puts a new spin on the story of Noah, which seems to have been a popular picture-book subject this year (see reviews under Gauch for several other titles). The floods are coming, and, in orderly progression, the animals are climbing aboard the ark. Noah diligently stands by, checking each pair off his list as the waters rise. But there’s something amiss–the sloths have not arrived. They’re too tired to come. That causes all manner of consternation among the animals onboard except for the bored cats, who placidly respond, “Who cares?” Clark’s congenial animal characters and their nontraditional human companions (Noah wears a yellow panama hat and sports eye glasses) are humorously presented in a riot of pleasing, natural tones, with watercolor the perfect medium for casting the rising sea. Kids who know the original story will feel most comfortable with this version, which does end happily. However, even Noah fans are likely to find the humor here a bit offbeat. For larger picture-book collections.
Stephanie Zvirin
From Kirkus Reviews
The sloths are on Noah’s list but can’t be bothered to come: “Tomorrow,” they mumble, going back to sleep. The cats say “Who cares? Let them drown,” but Noah and the other animals are determined; as the waters rise, Ham steers the Ark to the lazy sloths’ tree, and though at first the elephants can’t reach them, when everyone (except the cats) crowds to one side the Ark tips enough so that they can pull the sloths aboard. Clark’s watercolors add to the humor of this amusing story with their whimsical caricatures; in spectacles and broad-brimmed hat, Noah is the picture of an earnest 19th-century naturalist, while the self-absorbed, still-curious cats are a sly comment on the 20th century’s lack of concern for the several rainforest creatures depicted here. An entertaining tale with an unobtrusive subtext and delectable art.