“Aardvark, also called antbear, stocky African mammal found south of the Sahara Desert in savanna and semiarid areas. The name aardvark—Afrikaans for ‘earth pig’—refers to its piglike face and burrowing habits.” Michael Nava was fascinated by the set of encyclopedias set on a high shelf of his grandparents’ home. The Mexican immigrants did not have many books in their house, but they had purchased the set from a traveling salesman, perhaps hoping that one of their grand children would be inspired to pick up a volume or two. Michael took it one step farther. Early in elementary school, he climbed the back of his grandfather’s armchair, careful not to knock his grandmother’s plant from th