Sad when the swallows leave for the winter, young Juan prepares to welcome them back to the old California Mission at Capistrano on St. Joseph's Day the next spring.
The old bell-ringer at the Mission of San Juan Capistrano tells Juan about Father Serra, the founder of the first missions in California, and about swallows that come to Capistrano every St. Joseph's Day.
Two children put up a birdhouse in their backyard and watch as a pair of tree swallows build a nest and raise six babies before migrating south in the fall. Includes information about tree swallows and about birdhouses.
A story about the swallows of the San Juan Capistrano Mission, and the little boy and the old gardener who loved the swallows and waited for their return on St. Joseph's day.
Follows a barn swallow, a monarch butterfly, and an eel from summer on a farm until they make their respective fall voyages south, and then later begin to return north again when the weather warms. Includes facts about the animals.
