Linda Kelly, age 8, of San Diego, California,  for her question:

How long does a baby kangaroo stay in his mother's vouch?

People always call a baby kangaroo Joey. But nobody gets a peek at Joey until he is at least two or three months old. When he is born, he is no bigger than a peanut. He is bare and blind and just strong enough to fumble his way into his mother's cozy, fur lined pouch. There he finds a faucet waiting for him. As he feeds and grows, he gets a coat of fur and opens his eyes. When he is two or three months old, he may be ready to poke out his head and take a bold look at the world outside.

Through the next month or so, he gets bolder. As his mother hops along in giant leaps, he peeps out more often. When she stops to munch the greenery, Joey puts out his hand and helps himself to a few tasty leaves. When he is about six months old, he takes a daring leap    and lands on the ground. This scares him, so he hops back inside. But he keeps practicing and staying outside longer and longer. When he is a year old, Joey stays outside the pouch most of the time. At the age of 14 months he is almost too big to fit inside.