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![]() The platypus is a strange animal, with a bill like a duck and a fur coat and flat tail like a beaver. This egg laying mammal is found only in Australia. It is at home both on land and in the water. Inside a burrow next to a stream, the mother platypus lays two eggs. Soon, a tiny baby platypus hatches from each egg. As the babies get older, they learn to find food in the stream. Take a swim through this book and find out what happens in a platypus' world. A readable and lively text provides a close-up look at these unusual mammals. Cut paper illustrations by the author help tell the tales of these strange animals and the world in which they live.The story follows two baby platypuses from birth in a an eastern Australian woodland through the first year of their life. It shows platypuses in their natural home along with other animals that share their environment. This picture book can be read aloud to younger children or an older child can read it alone. Sidebars on each page spread expand information in the text. Back matter includes a map of where platypuses live, fun facts, a glossary and index, and a guide to websites appropriate for the age group. Look in your library for more information about platypuses in Caroline Arnold's book, Australian Animals, (Harper Collins, 2000) and Shockers of the Sea(Charlesbridge Publishing, 1999). To purchase a fine art print or card of one of the illustrations from A Platypus' World, go to www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt. For a preview of the book, click here . |
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![]() When do young platypuses come out to play? Click here for a printable coloring page of a mother platypus and her two youngsters. |
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Reviews
School Library Journal, August 2008
Review of A Platypus' World and A Wombat's World by Caroline Arnold: Each of these books describes one Australian mammal. Arnold opens with a brief entry stating where the mammal lives and its habitat, food, length, weight, animal class, and scientific name. Her narrative of a female's life from birthing preparations through raising the young cleverly contrasts with distinctly hued boxes of fast facts, such as the length of a platypus's burrow or size of a newborn wombat. Along the way, readers will also learn to identify other species in the biome, via captioned images. In both titles, the cut-paper illustrations in scenic spreads feature a night-time palette of indigo, olive, mocha, and burnt sienna. Back matter includes a map of the habitat, six fun facts, and instructions for accessing FactHound's site to research related topics. Visually engaging and brimming with data, these books are perfect for reports on these animals or the Australian continent. Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA |
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