"Earl! You built a flood room!
What would we do without you?
A FEW HOURS LATER ...
I think the rain stopped.
Earl! Your teeth are chattering!"
A coterie of prairie dogs loves to play together ... outside their burrow. When they hear noises from below ground, they know it is Earl. He's calling to them, asking them to come back inside where they will be safe. Earl is scared to be outside; he fears its many dangers.
His friends try to dismiss his worries, encouraging him to come outside with them. Earl presses on with his digging. He worries about coyotes while the others are appreciating the sunrise. When they return to the outside world, Earl cautions that he smells a coming storm. The others ignore him, not even noticing a bird of prey hovering about them, or the coyote watching them from nearby bushes.
Just as the coyote prepares to pounce, a huge clap of thunder scatters them all. The prairie dogs panic in their search for the burrow opening. Earl calls out to show them the way. The burrow is flooded! Earl encourages them to follow his voice to safety. Earl's rescue dig has left him cold and in need of sunshine. The others convince him that they will take care of him, just as he has done for them.
Ms. Marino's use of speech bubbles to tell her story is effective and keeps the story moving right along. The cross-sections of the tunnel show how the prairie dogs maintain their life underground. Final pages provide further information about prairie dogs and the tunnels they maintain.
Don't miss the final scene!
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