Platypus' World

August 1, 2008
K-Gr 2-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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