It's Ok, Slow Lizard

K-Gr 2--This is a book in two parts. In the first half of the book, Slow Lizard introduces us to his friends. He describes scenarios that arise as a result of each anthropomorphized character's personality traits: Elephant has a short temper, Rabbit rushes without paying attention, and so on. Slow Lizard is a patient, mindful friend. Halfway through the book, he wonders if his friends are as happy to have him around as he is to have them. However, the book does not explore that doubt. In the second half, the animals set off on a journey to gather apples before a storm arrives. Each friend has a strength: Elephant helps carry large loads, Rabbit knows the way through the brush, and so on. Through their combined efforts, they make it home safe and dry, basket of apples in tow. The animals live in a world created by the most ebullient of colored pencils, with green plants, purple lilacs, and bright red apples. Most scenes are viewed from a comfortable middle distance, although one ingenious spread shows a first-person view of fluffy clouds seen through a hole in a leaf. Elephant is a friendly yellow, Little Bird is a bubbly blue. Slow Lizard resembles a frog head on a tiny dinosaur body in gentle green. VERDICT A look at the dynamics of friendship helps set this apart in a growing collection of mindfulness books, and the illustrations are worth getting lost in. Recommended for larger collections.--Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

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