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.

Illustrated by: Bruce Hiscock