Discover what Little Platypus gets up to and explore his world, in this fun and informative title from the Really Wild Families series.
Little Platypus has a small, but happy family! Little Platypus lives with his brother and Mummy, and they only come out at night! Little Platypus is super excited to introduce us to his family and explore their riverside home together by moonlight.
Beautiful and bright illustrations will make this informative book a hit with children of all ages! This charming celebration of platypus' will show children just how amazing nature is and is a reminder that it is up to us to care for the planet and its weird and wonderful creatures.
Learn about one of nature's most fascinating This adorable story is followed by a fun factivity section packed with craft projects , case studies and a quiz section at the back of the book, so you can put everything you have learnt about Little Platypus and their family to the test.
In this Really Wild Families series , based on the everyday adventures of wild animals, discover what the littlest members of the family get up to! Through their eyes we will explore their habitats, family dynamics and how they play, grow and survive as a family.
5★ “We have webbed feet and a bill like a duck, a body like an otter, and a tail like a beaver.”
What are we? We are puggles, baby platypuses. [These are currently acceptable terms, but there are others more traditionally used. I'm more familiar with platypus for singular or plural, like deer. If you want to know more, see the first two paragraphs here: https://platypus.asn.au/faqs/ ] “We live on the side of a riverbank in eastern Australia. Our home is a burrow with the entrance hidden by overhanging plants.”
Did you notice the koala in the background? Many of the pictures show other native animals (and a non-native, feral fox). These will be fun for kids to spot.
First of all, five stars for the wonderful illustrations, the cute story, and the excellent, comprehensive information, pared down enough for young readers, but detailed enough to educate even adults.
We learn they are nocturnal.
“Good evening, I’m Little Platypus. The sun might be setting outside, but my mommy, my twin brother, and I are just waking up, ready to start our day.”
OUCH! What a sour note “mommy” is to open a book about a unique Australian animal. American children would understand “mummy”, and if a platypus could talk, you know it would speak Australian. 😊
The mother teaches the young how to use their electroreception sense to find food, something I didn’t know. [We had platypus in our creeks on two different farms, so you’d think I’d have learned this.] “She shows us how she moves her head from side to side so her bill can sense the currents.”
I also learned that when they return to their burrow, they go through a narrow entrance (above water level), one at a time. “it helps squeeze the water from our fur.”
Very clever! We watch a pair of adults “playing tag” in the water and grabbing each other’s tails as a show of affection. Little Platypus hopes there might be some new babies soon. We don’t usually see this much information given in children’s picture books, but I was pleased to find it here.
On to the nest and eggs. I loved the picture of the burrow with all the neighbours in their own homes. “We platypuses are mammals, but the females actually lay small, leathery eggs like reptiles!”
The story goes on with daily life until they all curl up again for a good day’s sleep. Next come several pages of facts about habitat and conservation, with photos and illustrations, games, puzzles, quizzes, and plenty to whet the appetite of a youthful scientist.
There is a section on the rescue of several that were in danger during the 2019 bushfires and how Sydney’s Taronga Zoo cared for them. “Towels are used to make the platypuses feel warm and safe.”
I include the following one to give you a sense of scale. They are small animals, and also slimmer than the chubby, bearlike illustrations might suggest. “A platypus receives a health check at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo”
The rescued ones were returned to their natural homes with tracking devices so they could be monitored.
A lot has been fit into these 48 pages. All in all, a wonderful book (with only one, admittedly personal, objection!) I don’t know how many are in this series, but it looks good.
This book is so much more than the simple picture book I was expecting!
It starts out with a story about two platypus babies (a baby platypus is called a Puggle!) and their mother. One of the platypuses tells us all about their kind, and I think it’s a really accessible way for kids and adults alike to easily learn all about this unique little animal!
After the narrative part ends, there are some informative pages with facts, a quiz to test what you’ve learned, and some games that I’m sure kids will love! There are also a couple of pages dedicated to conservation — an interesting addition!
The illustrations are visually stunning and full of detail, but I thought the platypuses were a bit too chonky compared to what they look like in real life. It does make them look very adorable though!
Overall, a great educational read for the animal loving kid in your life — and you might learn more than you’d expect, too!
Disclaimer: A digital copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A cute informative book about platypuses! Full on interesting facts and adorable illustrations, this book is great for kids. It also has trivia, puzzles, and crafts at the end.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
Look at that cover! Look at it! How could anyone resist that? How could one not read this adorable book? I just had to request it and yes, I was accepted!
In this adorable book we follow a family of 3 platypuses, a mom and her two twin boys. One of the boys tells us all about platypuses and what they do throughout the day. How their mom is helping them and how they are growing up and learning all about being a platypus. From playing in the mud and eating worms to how their nest and bed are made to many other fun facts about platypus. I didn’t know that the boys had an extra claw called a spur that can release poisonous venom. I loved how platypus showed their affection by playing a sort of tag. It was just so much fun and I learned some new things which I just adore. I really love the idea of following a baby platypus. Because you are learning alongside with them!
And the art, OMG the art! It was just the cutest! And so much fun. Very colourful as well and I love all the little details that you could find throughout the pages (like seeing various creatures from tiny to big in the pictures).
I always love it when books add bonusmaterials to the book. In this case activities, a quiz, some bonus non-fiction parts about preservation/etc.
I have to say that I thought that our platypus was a girl. Why? Because he had the typical eyelashes that a ton of illustrators use to indicate someone is a girl. From books to animation. And then it turned out our little platypus was a boy. XD
I had tons of fun reading this one and I would recommend it! It is a playful but educational book with a fun story and then some bonus materials.
This was a cute read. The illustrations were cute and it made the book even cuter. The book telled a pretty story about children's and mother's relationship. Also at the end you could do some tasks and read facts regarding platypuses.
Little Platypus lives with his Mum and brother in a burrow next to a river. This story is filled with facts about how a little family; a mother and two little puggles, would live in a hole on the riverbank. The illustrations are more cartoon-like, but it's a book that even older children would enjoy (I'm an older adult and I certainly did)!
Platypuses are smaller and lighter than I thought them to be. In wildlife photos I've seen elsewhere, they look large, but that's apparently only to show detail. The very largest male is little more than 5 pounds and 20-inches long, and they have no teeth, so they scoop up gravel from the river into their mouths to sift through for tidbits and to break up their food! (This seems very un-handy!)
This book was a fun way to learn more about these fairly rare and endangered animals, and what Australia is doing to help slowly restore the population!
In the back of the book are photos of platypus in the wild, crafts, puzzles, and a quiz so readers can measure their new knowledge!
5/5 Stars The paper bag puppets are so cute!
Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – QEB Publishing, and NetGalley, for the temporary digital preview of this book; any reviews are voluntary and entirely my own opinion.
The platypus is another one of those mysterious creatures that live only in the Land Down Under, so you might not know much about them. This book is a wonderful and fun way to learn.
Did you know that they are nocturnal, and don't have teeth?
Most of the book is written in storybook style as Little Platypus introduces us to his family, and explains where they live, and what they eat. The end of the book features pages of animal facts, interspersed with games.
I still can't believe I learned so much from a children's book!
I loved this one, and can't wait to buy a copy for the children's section at the library.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the chance to enjoy this one.
🦫SO CUTE! What an absolutely fantastic book! This book is a perfect addition to any classroom library! There is no doubt that your students will love this book and find it fascinating!
🦆I really enjoyed the way in which the author has introduced us to the life of a platypus through a little narrative. An engaging and creative way to learn a lot of facts about such an intriguing creature!
🦫The illustrator has provided the perfect addition to this story with colourful and cute images. You will absolutely love spending a day in the life of a little platypus.
🦆At the end of the book there is a facts section, maze activity, jigsaw puzzle, conservation tips, spot the difference, a quiz and even instructions of how you can make a paper bag platypus puppet!
🦫Recommended for students and children aged 6 and up! RRP: $19.99
🧠Teaching Point: WRITER’S CRAFT: This would be a wonderful mentor text to model to students how they can create a narrative that teaches the reader about an animal they are interested in. Perfect for this!
The way I was making a face of absolute adoration at the adorableness of the illustrations throughout the whole book (and that a baby platypus is called a puggle!).
A very good and informative book on the platypus! There were facts that I didn't know (what a baby platypus was called, that they're nocturnal, or that the males have poisonous spurs in their back legs). I also really enjoyed that this book had extra fun facts after the initial story and activities that kids could do in learning about platypuses.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
This has been a successful little series, for successful little learners, and this entry in it is no exception – a young platypus guides us around their world for a night, before we have end-matter that includes activities and a revising quiz as well as further pages about conservation. And certainly here the subject matter is worthy of such a book, what with the bonkers critter that is the platypus, and the unusual hunting sense it has to use in the dark waters of the night. It's cute enough, it's designed to be a chatty read that doesn't appear to be a bludgeoning lesson, and for an early nature book it's all done really quite well. Four and a half stars.
'Little Platypus' by Anna Brett is a gorgeous book following the life one of little platypus and its family. It uses the voice of the platypus to tell us all about how they are born, the food they eat, survival strategies and their habitat. It is really accessible for young children to understand but both myself and my 9yo found facts in here we did not know about, so it has reach for older children too. The illustrations are beautiful and support the information. The inclusion of activities at the end are a lovely feature as well.
We thoroughly enjoyed this read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A puggle informs readers of what his life is like, attributes of platypuses, habitat, and other little facts. The back of the book includes further facts about platypuses, photographs, activities, and true stories about platypus conservation efforts.
A very informative little book about platypuses. I like the cute illustration style of the story part, and love the further information at the back of the book for curious readers to dive into more details and see actual photos of real platypuses. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a really fun and informative read that even adults can learn something from. I had very little knowledge about these animals and now thanks to this story I know a few things!
Thanks to an easy read full of both storytelling and information we go on a journey to see how the platypuses live.
I also liked that there is a fun games and activities part after the story so children can learn some more things.
I think this release is going to be a really fun one for animal lovers especially to enjoy.
I love the puggles! And I just came to know baby platypuses are called puggles! And how nice it feels!
I love how cute the entire book is and informative it is (as always is with Quarto Publishing books!).
I never knewI would learn this much about platypuses from a cute little book with beautiful illustrations and just a wee bit of writing! Your team rocks and can do anything, you know?!
Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group - QEB Publishing, for the advance reading copy.
This book was gifted to me on Netgalley! All opinions are my own!
This book was such a joy to read! I enjoyed learning new things about platypuses while also getting to enjoy a cute story about a platypus and his family! The artwork was absolutely adorable; I had so much fun looking for the little details the artist put in the background of other animals and bugs! The book also contains fun activities in the back as well! I had a very positive reading experience with is!
This is a sweet story about the life in the night of a platypus family. The illustrations are cute and colorful. There is lots of great information on the interesting animal, the platypus. At the end of the book there is more information, photographs, games to play, and a quiz. It is a good balance of information and fun for kids. We learned so much and enjoyed this book a lot before bed.
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – QEB Publishing, QEB Publishing for a free digital copy.
Who knew platypuses were so interesting? This book is full of fun facts about platypuses paired with adorable illustrations. I learned a lot and I think this book would be great for many rereads.
Note: there is a bit about platypus reproduction mentioned that may lead to a bigger discussion. Not a negative thing at all, but just a heads up.
I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I really liked this one! It follows the life of a little Platypus, and shows what everyday life is like for them. It makes learning about them fun, and it feels more like a story than just a non-fiction book! I also LOVE that is has exercises and fun facts in the back.
A perfect non-fiction for younger kids, and easy to include in teaching!
Adorable, but uses a few words I would think are above the age range this book is aiming for. Parents, come prepared to explain how electric pulses and help locate food. The art is great and most of the story is easily manageable for young kids
A cute and informative children's book. I love the engaging and colorful artwork, quippy facts, and easy to follow storyline about a platypus family. The fun facts with real pictures at the end were a great touch to a children's nonfiction book. Great for libraries, classrooms, and platypus fans.
This book was so cute. I love how it gives you different facts about platypuses. The story about the mama platypus and her babies was so sweet and having it told by one of the babies was just adorable. There was so much information that I did not know about platypuses.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. A wonderful educational book about a wonderful mammal. I enjoyed the story and the games and quiz in the back to help retain l the information learned
Adorable illustration and fascinating education! Written well and easy to understand for kiddos. The bonus games and things at the back were also great!
Very cute and absolutely packed with information! A really sweet and in depth (yet completely understandable for children) book about the lives of platypuses