Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths by Graham Annable (review)

Peter and Ernesto the sloths are best friends, whose favorite activity is to sit in the top of their tree and name the shapes they see in the clouds. Peter is happy to stay right where they are forever, but Ernesto wants more, so he sets off, leaving a worried Peter behind. While carefree Ernesto frolics his way across a wobbly bridge, splashes through a creek, and makes friends with a whale, Peter plucks up his courage to venture after his friend. Kids will get plenty of giggles out of both sloths' storylines, but none of it is at the expense of Peter or his timidity. Even though he stays closer to home, keeping a lookout for his friend's return, Peter gets as much of an adventure as Ernesto, whose trip takes him all the way to the Arctic. The simple panel structure neatly positions this as both picture book and graphic novel. The clean layouts and spare text are easy to follow for early readers and those new to the genre; the thickly lined earth-toned visuals offer subtle comedy and carry the story as much as the text. Annable skillfully communicates a message that will be especially welcome to anxious kids—that sometimes small adventures take even more courage than big ones. Readers will be eager to reunite with Peter and Ernesto in the next installment of this new graphic novel series. SS