Customer Reviews

A Platypus, Probably

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The perfect book for kids who ask, "What is the weirdest animal on earth?" Each two-page layout has larger descriptive text on top, and smaller text with more scientific facts on the bottom. Nice illustrations.

This is a beautifully illustrated book about one of the most curious creatures in the animal kingdom. The platypus, famous for laying eggs and nursing their young has defied categorization for centuries. This book follows the history and evolution of the platypus and provides a rich description of the animal's lifestyle and life cycle.

An interesting note - platypus are called monotremes, which means an egg laying mammal. That is a catch all because mammalia have to a) have hair on some part of their bodies; b) be warm-blooded and c) give live birth and nurse their young. According to this book, monotremes were the precursor to the modern mammals and only the platypus and 2 kinds of echidnas remain today. Monotremes do not have teats to suckle their young; instead they have 2 milk pouches of skin on their stomachs which drips into the mouths of their young.

This book will undoubtedly delight all ages and has a plethora of very interesting information.

This book compliments the toy that was purchased at the same time. The 4 year old can see and feel the soft toy and associate it with the written story.

I bought this for my son before he went to the literature festival where this author was. My son has a thing for platypuses. Finding this book was great. He loves non-fiction with pictures written in a web page style. He has shared this book with his entire class. It's too bad it isn't in Accelerated Reader. He would really love it then.