A Platypus, Probably by Sneed B. Collard III

by Sneed B. Collard III

What has a bill like a duck's and the body of a beaver? A platypus, probably. Engaging text follows a female platypus through her life, while sidebars offer in-depth information about this unique monotreme and her environment. Vivid, accurate illustrations capture the wonder of this amazing creature.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Childrens

Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Sneed B. Collard III (see also "Sneed B. Collard") is a biologist, world traveler, speaker, and author of almost one hundred books for young people, including the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award winner, Border Crossings (Charlesbridge Publishing). His other recent science titles include Fire Birds; Hopping Ahead of Climate Change; Little Killers; Waiting for a Warbler; Beaver & Otter Get Along . . . Sort of; and the upcoming picture book, Like No Other. Collard holds science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and U.C. Santa Barbara. He lives in Montana.

Reviews

[Ralf Urbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids think platypus is just a funny word so reading this go many laughs. Great teaching tool on the whole life of a platypus. The pictures really give the book some purpose. It's good for a book such as this to focus on a particular animal that is so very odd but interesting.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. More information about Platypuses.
The San Diego Safari Park has the only two outside of Australia.


#JennyGuyColvin

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative book about platypses which I think might be perfect for a Grade 2 or Grade 3 student.

The only drawback was that though there were beautiful illustrations, there were no photographs of a platypus! One could have easily been included in the back of the book by the glossary.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course, the moment I’d resolved to resist buying any more picture books, I read A Platypus, Probably. That’s yet another resolution down the drain! The facts themselves are truly fascinating—I blurted out in astonishment multiple times while reading—and it’s also masterfully written. The variety of sentence structures, along with the way the facts are skillfully woven into the narrative, positions it as an indispensable mentor text for qualities of writing.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful, informative title about the fascinating platypus.

This is a wonderful book to compare to Platypus by Sue Whiting. A great activity for elementary readers!

[EJLJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and interesting.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and lovely illustrations.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating animal! The author shares the wonders of life as a platypus. They are perhaps the most unique mammal alive today.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

When your kids are asking “What are we going to do today?” it is probably time to read this book. It’s informative, fun to read, and the illustrations are lovely. Young children will like the engaging prose, older children will learn much from the additional facts on every page. Whether you’re cursing semi aquatic mammals, teaching a class, homeschooling, or just a platypus enthusiast this is the book for you! Probably.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to this very unusual creature!

[Fjóla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is two books in one: a poetic rendering of a platypus' life cycle, with beautiful illustrations. In smaller print are scientific facts about the fascinating platypuses. By asking a question in the beginning, and then tying it together with the silhouette image of a little boy and his fisherman father on the last page, a feeling of proximity with this exotic animal is created, and I liked that. The problem with the book is trying to read and enjoy both the story, the art and the facts all at the same time, and I would suggest not to, rather leave the factoids for a second reading of the book, in order better to enjoy the text. Although not in rhyme, the the text has a hint of lyricism here and there, but if one starts reading the fine print it will never take off.
This is an interesting little book, and it rather stands out compared to the typical non fiction platypus book, in the same way that I enjoyed for instance New Questions and Answers about Dinosaurs

[Shannon K]

I didn’t really like this book. Yes it has a lot of great information but to me the story and the way it was written did not seem to flow very well in some spots. It seemed almost like two books in one. There was the story part of it on each page and also an informative part on each page. This I think might make it hard for children to understand at times. I think I would have liked it better if the author would have just worked the two parts together in to one. Although I didn’t care much for the way the book was written, I very much enjoyed the detailed illustrations throughout the book. They were done in acrylic gouache on acid-free cartridge paper making them very fun to look at and enjoy.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal reaction: This book was different than most informational picture books. I liked learning about the animals this way but some prior knowledge might be necessary for some classes to fully understand what the text means.

It had facts about platypuses written as poems arranged around beautiful pictures with additional facts and information below in paragraph form. It might be difficult for a child to read to themselves because of the scattered information across a page. Vocab like "forage", "ancestors", and "venemous" are included. It is a good book to read to children interested in platypuses.

[Nell Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is quite interesting. It is a book that teachers could use to teach their students of different mammals that swim and that live on the land. This goes into good detail about what a platypus is, what it does and how it goes about it's day. This book also provides little facts at the bottom of some pages so that the reader can fully understand what the author is talking about. The illustrations are detailed and eye catching. They include a lot of color and certainly are not boring.

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

We enjoyed learning more about the platypus! A strange mammal that lays eggs and feeds it's young milk (but not through nipples), the platypus is one of only three species of monotremes in the world. They were once plentiful (110 million years ago) and are considered a possible link between reptiles and mammals.

[Sydney Hall]

I chose my info-non fiction books on animals that I did not know that much about. This particular book focuses on the platypus and its habitat, feeding habits and mating. The language used in this book is easy enough for students to read and comprehend while also being informational. This could be used for enjoyment reading or for a research writing assignment.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in a style similar to that of Sarah Weeks, this book is a clever mix of poetry, solid non-fiction, and clever phrasing. I learned a little more about the platypus from this and I was carried along nicely by the overall flow of the text. Very impressive book.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great nonfiction poetry book with nonfiction facts listed below on platypuses, with nice illustrations.