Las ardillas de tierra de trece franjas (Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrels)

In this series, the authors cover hibernation and migratory patterns of six different animals in a tidy and fascinating package. In Las golondrinas comunes, readers are introduced to the barn swallow and its migration to the South; in Los pequeños murciélagos café, they write about the little brown bat’s hibernation habits. Las mariposas monarca presents the monarch butterfly’s migration pattern and life cycle, while Las ardillas de tierra de trece franjas discusses how ground squirrels eat a lot prior to hibernation in order to accumulate fat. Las serpientes de cascabel de bandas covers rattlesnakes, and Las ranas de la madera tackles how wood frogs can stay frozen for up to several weeks. All of these titles incorporate photographs and close-ups to show the distinctive features of each animal. The large font is easy on early readers. Useful back matter rounds out each title and makes it a valuable introduction to science, zoology, and nature concepts. VERDICT: Solid additions.