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The Flash, The Fast Sloth Story

Sloths are famous for being very slow, you know? But our pal, Flash, is one of the fastest! Learn how he wins the running race in this fantastical rhyme!

Read myself

Flash, The Fast Sloth

Yes, lots of birds live high in trees.

With super-speed, they ride the breeze. 

Some furry creatures dash quite well:

Cheetah, ferret, sleek gazelle.

Some delight us with their ways,

Like how a monkey swings and plays,

Flinging quickly up in trees,

The branches being their trapeze.

A monkey hangs from a vine as green birds fly overhead and a cheetah and ferret run past while a gazelle jumps behind them

Some creatures aren’t zippy, though.

Some merely sit or barely go.

They’re simply cut from different cloth.

One such slowpoke is...the sloth. 

Yes, that’s our star who’ll make his splash:

A three-toed sloth who’s name is Flash.

Since sloths are known to be quite slow,

He’s diff’rent from all sloths you know.

Flash is not pokey, calm or hushed.

He is not sluggish nor unrushed.

No. Flash can speed and Flash can dash.

He’s quick, quick, quick – our sloth named Flash!

With headband, shorts and trainers on,

The days for training are now gone.

He stretches, bends and jogs in place, 

Determination on his face.

He always wins, so fast in fact 

They make him start way in the back.

Though it’s against the sloth’s design,

He’ll beat them to that finish line.

But wait! Before our race today

Let’s ponder how Flash got this way.

Practice, practice – that’s one part.

He lifts his weights. He pulls a cart

The sloth in exercise gear hangs from a tree looking strained while holding trying to lift a weight

With heavy loads of bricks and blocks.

His muscled legs are hard as rocks

(Though under fur it’s hard to tell).

His stride is long, his feet grip well.

His body’s lean, he’s taut, he’s trim.

His lanky limbs, well-formed and slim.

He gets a very good night’s sleep.

He’s rested well, both long and deep. 

So here we are, back at our race,

A grin on Flash’s hairy face.

He waves to all his watching fans

Who cheer and whoop and clap their hands.

the sloth surrounded by colourful clapping hands

Bum in the air, he takes his pose.

All racers ready, poised on toes.

They wait to hear the starting gun...

BANG! They’re off! The run’s begun!

the sloth in exercise gear standing ready on a run track in position to go

And as we thought, Flash pulls ahead.

Not in a blur quite like we’d said.

He’s hardly like a cheetah, true, 

But still he’s faster than this crew

Of creatures who now trail behind.

There is a fact that slipped my mind.

One small detail left from our tale:

Flash only races...Slug and Snail.

the sloth running past 2 snails

The End

Is there a version of Flash, The Fast Sloth read aloud?

You can choose to experience this rhyming poem read aloud or you can read it yourself.