Armadillo Trail: The Northward Journey of the Armadillo

by Stephen R. Swinburne, Bruce Hiscock

Follow the journey of this "armored" creature to the north. It is descended from an animal that evolved fifty-five million years ago in South America. It looks like a miniature tank, with its stiff armor and short legs. When the Spanish arrived in the New World and saw this strange-looking creature, they called it el armadillo, "the little armored one." Stephen Swinburne and Bruce Hiscock follow the trail of one armadillo in Texas that gives birth to four female pups. When her babies are ready, the mother leads them out of their burrow. Soon they learn how to dig for worms and beetles to eat. The young armadillos keep growing and keep moving, staying alert for dogs and other predators. They wander ever northward on a journey of survival fraught with danger.

Genres: Picture Books, Science, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2009

About the author

Steve was born in London, England. He holds a BA degree in Biology and English from Castleton State College in Vermont. He has worked as a ranger in a number of national parks and is the author of over 30 children's books. His extensive travels to faraway lands such as Africa and treks through Yellowstone have all influenced his book projects. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt published Steve’s book Sea Turtle Scientist in 2014. His most recent title is from Scholastic and entitled Safe in a Storm, a comforting read-aloud story, where all the animals find cozy places to keep them safe and warm. Steve visits nearly a hundred schools a year across the United States as well as many international schools. He lives in Vermont with his wife Heather, two dogs named Scout and Jem, and a cat named Skittles.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be a great book for older kids. But the story was hard to follow. The facts were good though!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fascinating story of the armadillo, an animal that has actually been expanding its range since the arrival of European settlers. It describes the cyclical pattern of one small family of armadillos who move from Texas to Oklahoma and then beyond once of the armadillo offspring sets out on her own. The whole book is beautifully illustrated, and the text is both informative and engaging. It includes a brief overview of the expanding territory of the armadillo as well as some of the nuances of its different species of armadillo, particularly the nine-banded armadillo that has been working its way north into the United States since about 1850. Really an interesting book. I certainly learned a thing or two from it.

[Beth Thames · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, after all, it's about the Texas state mammal--the armadillo. It just didn't engange me. However it does have some interesting facts about armadillos and it a good way to present the information to young students.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story follows an armadillo from birth to motherhood, sharing a great deal of information about the animal in the process. Large watercolor illustrations depict the various landscapes of the journey. Two page appendix provides additional information about armadillos.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute book, wish they had explained how the males were born and how they found each other, also the map in the back was wrong, I've seen Armadillos in St Louis and we didn't make the map