A great adventure ... This delightful book will be an enduring favourite.
The Lazy Friend
The Lazy Friend is a wordless picture book for fans of The Chicken Thief.
The sloth lives in the jungle with some excellent friends who care about him very much. When the sloth’s tree is cut down and he is taken away on a truck, his friends must do everything they can to get him home safely. He leads them on an enormous adventure, even if he is asleep the whole time…
This picture book explores themes of friendship, loyalty and environmentalism. It is great for improving visual literacy. Children will love telling the story of what is happening in the pictures.
Written and illustrated by Ronan Badel.
Available as an ebook wherever you buy your ebooks
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Book Details
Country of Origin France Reader Age 2-5 year, 5-7 year Book Size ISBN
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Reviews
Available worldwide from your local bookstore or online.
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North Somerset Teachers Book Award –
I bought this beautiful, wordless picture book when I went to the South Ken Kids Fest a few weeks ago and completely fell in love with Sloth and his friends.
The Source (NZ), March 2015 –
A witty, wordless and charming introduction to environmental issues.
Page and Blackmore Booksellers (NZ), November 2014 –
A great adventure … This delightful book will be an enduring favourite.
Booksellers We Love Books (NZ), November 2014 –
[Will] encourage tentative readers, or pre-schoolers who cannot yet read, to pick up the book … Delightful and funny.
Magpies (Australia/NZ), September 2014 –
It is really to Snake that the story belongs … The body language and facial expressions of the characters are unequivocal and the readers’ admiration for the staunch Snake grows as the story evolves … There is atmosphere and action, change of pace and humour … The advantages of well-crafted wordless books sing loudly here as The Lazy Friend provides an excellent opportunity of interpretation, imagination and discussion. Recommended 4 years and above.
Space on the Bookshelf (UK), August 2014 –
An amusing tale of the adventures of the jungle animals. It’s funny, and a manageable size, with each spread developing the story to the next level, making it easy for young children to follow, and giving them the scope for creating their own stories to accompany the images.
Create a Kids Book (Australia), August 2014 –
An exciting adventure … a great way to have the child tell the story with you and to you.
Bay of Plenty Times (NZ), July 2014 –
Fun, detailed, charming full page illustrations … gentle and humorous.
Create a Kids Book (AUS), August 2014 –
This is a great way to have the child tell the story with you and to you.
The Bookbag (UK), June 2014 –
Leaves children free to extrapolate the plot and understand the characters and their motivations unimpeded by literacy level … a good choice for reluctant readers or those simply looking for a change to mainstream picture book formats … a great gift for an adult snake or sloth in your life
Bob’s Books Blog (NZ), April 2014 –
Outstanding story that ends brilliantly. The illustrations tell it all … It is for me a 10 out of 10 book. Every school should have this and it is perfect for the home. Let the children tell their own stories.
Swings and Roundabouts (Winter, NZ), July 2014 –
The main theme of this story is friendship … The illustrations are humorous and simple, but clearly describe what is happening in great detail … allowing for children to increase their visual literacy.
Bookrapt (NZ), June 2014 –
[A] triumph of loyalty and courage … encourage[s] readers to add their own words and storylines to the evocative illustrations.
Read it, Daddy! (UK), May 2014 –
Wordless picture books are extremely important for children who aren’t confident readers, but want to join in with telling a story … a ton of atmosphere, engagement and above all, loads of fun!
Tall, Short, Tiny and Pickle Blog, May 2014 –
At first, [my son] asked where the words were, but as we looked through the beautiful, comically-illustrated pages, he started to talk about what was happening, and the story unfolded as only a four-year-old could imagine. At breakfast this morning, instead of eating his cornflakes, he told me the story again and again.
Book Trailers for Kids and YA (NZ), May 2014 –
This is truly a delightfully funny, wordless picture book. Children will love the illustrations, and no doubt come up with their own wonderful versions of this story.