Destiny Finds Her Way: How a Rescued Baby Sloth Learned to Be Wild

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Synopsis

This is the heartwarming true story of Destiny, a rescued baby sloth, who was abandoned on the rainforest floor by her mother. The little sloth had an injured eye that would have made it impossible to survive on her own, so she was taken to a nearby rescue center in Costa Rica, where she befriends other orphaned sloths. There she also learns all the things that baby sloths are supposed to know. Her vision impairment makes it difficult to keep her balance, but she bravely begins to climb and explore using her other senses. But will she be able to master all the skills she needs to return to her natural habitat? Find out in this inspiring story about overcoming obstacles and having confidence in yourself.

Review

Destiny Finds Her Way is a non-fiction, children's picture book about a baby sloth that was found on the forest floor with an injured eye. She was taken to The Sloth Institute where scientist and photographer Sam Trull helped care for her. Destiny made friends with other orphaned sloths while she was there, and although her eye never fully healed, the rescuers worked hard to teach her how to survive on her own. She learned all about the sights, sounds, and smells of her natural habitat, and practiced new skills every day until she was finally able to be released back into the wild, where scientists continued to monitor her. At the end, author Margarita Engle and photographer Sam Trull share their stories about meeting Destiny, the work that The Sloth Institute does and how much they enjoyed helping the sloths that the Institute rescues. There is also a map, showing the range of the sloths habitat, as well as information about The Sloth Institute, fun facts about sloths, and suggested additional reading.

Destiny Finds Her Way is a heartwarming story of this baby sloth getting a new lease on life. Thanks to the rescuers she didn't fall prey to predator animals, and they carefully and patiently taught her all the things that her mother would have taught her in the wild. Destiny's story is also inspiring because she didn't let her vision impairment hold her back, instead bravely and curiously exploring her temporary home. This also made it possible for the rescue to eventually release her back into the wild. I enjoyed reading the author and photographer's experiences and seeing both Destiny and sloths in general through their eyes. I also learned a few new facts about these adorable creatures that often get mistaken for being lazy. I love how the story can inspire kids to overcome obstacles and learn to believe in themselves. Overall, this was a really fun book that I think kids would very much enjoy.

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Margarita Engle

Sam Trull @ GoodReads