The Armadillo from Amarillo

by Lynne Cherry

When an armadillo named Sasparillo wants to know where on Earth he is, he leaves his home in San Antonio and travels north through the canyons and prairies of Texas. An easy geography lesson.--Southern Living. Full color.

Genres: Picture Books, Geography, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Nature, School

40 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

An armadillo takes a ride to see how his corner of the world fits into the bigger picture. Great illustrations, unusual animal protagonist. A fun way to show kids how a town is part of a state, is part of a country, is part of the world, and so forth. Good informational pages at the end, too.

[Ahona Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

again, vivid illustrations that fill the page. I was 10/10 more invested in the pictures as a kid and going back is no different!

[Aisha Elwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with expansive, often birds-eye views of beautiful natural landscapes, the book follows the journey of a curious armadillo seeking to explore and learn more about the world. Halfway through his journey, he decides it would suit him far better to see everything from higher up, and so he asks an eagle to ride on his back as they explore, first flying low above prairie grasses, then higher, above the skyscrapers of the city of Amarillo, and then on and on until they eventually leave the atmosphere altogether. As a result, the book is unique in that it goes further than just Earth itself to depict the natural world, as the armadillo and eagle come across planets, stars, and even the moon. It also explains where they are with each location they get to, allowing readers to learn some new facts, such as how many planets there are or what countries border Texas. In this way, it can arguably be deemed as more of a didactic book even in comparison to other educational children’s books because of the constant referencing and facts that are offered. However, in this case it is more so didactic in the sense of teaching children about the broader world around them than trying to instruct how children should behave or deal with their own mistakes such as is portrayed in older works like Maria Edgeworth’s “The Purple Jar”. Of course, while that story was published quite long ago from the modern day, nevertheless it is interesting to note that even if the books may be educational to children in different ways, “The Purple Jar” does a better job at showing rather than telling than this book, even despite the fact that it did not have any images alongside it. It doesn’t just inform the reader, but instead takes the reader along with Rosamund, allowing you to see the outcome of her actions and her reactions to their consequences, making the lessons easier to grasp in that regard. Instead, this book more so relies on its illustrations to educate, which truly can only be described as grand, clearly aiming to induce a sense of awe at what the world truly looks like from above.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sharing with my friend that I was enjoying a juvenile chapter book that was written in letter form and really enjoying it. She asked if I had ever read The Armadillo from Amarillo. How can you pass up something with that fun a title and with an armadillo in it. And he is writing to his friend at the Philadelphia Zoo, which is right around the corner from us.
I was so taken by the illustrations that I paged through the book just enjoying them. I loved that Armadillo is interested in the world outside his little area and sets off on an adventure that leads him to ask - "Where? Where in the world am I? Perhaps I'd have a better idea if I could somehow fly." And off he goes on the back of an golden eagle, higher and higher, until..... Well, it is quite an adventure and a view.

[A B · Rating 4 out of 5]

We picked this book up for my grandfather many years ago simply because he once lived in Amarillo and he was constantly shooing away armadillos from his vegetable garden, and thus the title amused us.

It's actually a cute little book with fun illustrations. This would be a good book to read with a child.

The armadillo actually isn't really from Amarillo, which kind of left me scratching my head a bit. He lives in a field of bluebonnets and decides he wants to see the world, so he wanders around until he gets to Amarillo. He eventually befriends an eagle and they make a trip to outer space so that the plucky little armadillo can quite literally see the world.

[Hannah Holthaus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be really great to teach students about Texas but also how the world is made up. The Armadillo did not understand that he lived in a city which was in a state, which the state was in a country, and the country was on a continent, and the continent was on a planet. In this book, you went on a journey with the Armadillo and visited different cities and then he became friends with an eagle who flew him to different states and then out to space. Excellent illustrations throughout the story which really enhanced the text!

[Billy Noecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarsparillo is an armadillo that wants to know where he is in the world. He tours through Texas. When he gets to Amarillo he gets help from the Eagle to answer his questions of where he is. The adventure continues until he finally realizes that he wants to go back home. Great story for kids, with the beautiful pictures to go along with. Excellent book to be utilized with a science or social studies unit.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you'd like to find out where on Earth you are, trust Sasparillo the Armadillo. He can help.

Fictional or not, this book can deliver a helpful geography lesson.

You see, Sasparillo's search to find out more about where he lives can help picture book readers to discover geographic concepts like:

* City
* State
*Country
* Continent
* Planet

FIVE STARS for lively entertainment that's also educational, essential.
Thank you, author and illustrator Lynne Cherry.

[Betsy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved Lynne Cherry books forever. This book was a wonderful addition to my kinder-classroom ARMADILLO unit. We used it during our Western USA unit, our Florida unit, and our desert unit. As always, the illustrations are beautiful, and the text was great for mini-lessons for story elements and Language Arts.

[Cheryl]

Read in a school textbook (LFL find). Not sure how much it's redesigned or abridged, so can't rate. Ok geography, but don't read it for the science! No way could either the armadillo or the eagle be able to travel like that, silly.

Oct. 2023

[Capt. H. Hornblower Of His Majesty’s Navy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt confused about the message it was trying to convey. In one sense the armadillo wanted to know where it lived, geographically. But as much as the author tried to write about Texas, she kept broadening her search parameters to the world, the solar system, and the galaxy as well.

[Latoyawinbush · Rating 5 out of 5]

its a good book and it help you learn about armadillo

[Dawn]

Great book ! Wonderful wonderful illustrations ! Lynne Cherry is Awesome !

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying too hard. I liked the postcards but wasn’t keen on the illustrations and I found the half rhyme annoying.

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the story-within-the-story that takes place in the post cards as Sasparillo travels through Texas. Author’s Note at back

[DarBesko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this excellent picture book. Since it was published in 1994, it mentions nine planets. A teacher could explain why the book does not say eight planets or edit that book page.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute and original. Loved this book!!

[Desi Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I little long, but great pictures and fun.

[Leslie Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets off topic a bit.....

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't my favorite children's book ever, but it was pretty cute. My favorite part of the whole thing was the post cards they sent back and forth to each other! It was freaking adorable!! I loved what Brillo finally wrote back at the end! It was the perfect way to end the book. I did enjoy the rhyming that took over the pages it kept the book moving fast paced. For me the reason it didn't get four or five stars it just didn't have anything special about it that set it apart from any other children's book. I wasn't really a fan of the illustrations as well. It just wasn't my type of art. It made the book look very old.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Armadillo from Amarillo
Cherry, Lynne
Where am i wonders the armadillo as he wanders through the cities and hills, the valleys, and plains, and fly through the sky, only to learn that he is in Amarillo Texas, united states in north america, on earth. he writes home to tell them of his adventures.

[Jillian Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cute adventurous story follows a armadillo in Amarillo who wants to see where he is. His friend the eagle takes him up into space so he can see all the different types of components that he lives within like Amarillo is in the united states which is the northern hemisphere of the planet which is one out of nine.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired, as all Lynne Cherry titles are. The story is a delight, and the images Armadillo gains of his place in the world, from an ever-distancing perspective, are informative, breathtaking, and moving.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's an armadillo from Amarillo (reminds me of a puppet show I saw at Six Flags Over Texas many years ago). With Sasparillo, we travel around Texas to Austin, San Antonio and Amarillo. We also see the US and ultimately the Earth. The illustrations are gorgeous! =)

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I must have picked up a hundred times before and have never gave a solid read. I really like this book. Unexpectedly, it was a great book on geography. It has an environmental twist, of course, but the whole point of the book was Armadillo figuring out where he fit in the world.

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about an armadillo that flies high above the earth to gain a reference point of his small town on the planet. This one was perfect timing for my preschooler, who is learning her place in North America. It would be especially relevant to Texans, obviously.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for the younger ones learning about where they are in the universe. Literally takes them through a town/city,state, country, continent, planet, solar system, galaxy, universe. Also teaches a bit about space, armadillos, and Texas. Nice book.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An armadillo wonders “where in the world am I?” So, he sets out to explore the world. He sees Texas and then, with the help of an eagle, flies over the US, North America and then the world.

Beautiful illustrations

[Alfajirikali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great illustrations, rhyme and overall story (largely in the form of postcards).

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

really pretty art. only book writtn by an armadillo that i know of. helps to care about texas.