Armadillos

Children's Literature

An armadillo's carapace is made of leather scales and bands of bone. Their unique anatomy protects the body and allows it to bend in a ball when threatened. Jango-Cohen uses sidebars among her flowing narrative to highlight facts about these creatures, e.g., "Rudyard Kipling wrote that armadillos were created from a tortoise and a hedgehog," and "the Aztec word for armadillo is turtle-rabbit." Neither description is genetically accurate (their actual closest relative is in the book). The text also covers habitat, feeding, reproduction, and defense mechanisms using examples from the four main species: nine-banded, three-banded, giant, and pink fairy. Bright color photos evoke unexpected emotion, and they convey a strong presence in these complex creatures. The book concludes with a reference glossary and useful list of resources to help curious students "Find Out More." This engaging reader mixes story with non-fiction. It is part of the "Animals, Animals" series, which includes over 20 titles. 2004, Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish, Ages 8 to 10.
—Tina Dybvik