Platypus

Sue Whiting, illustrated by Mark Jackson
Nature Storybooks, Walker Books Aust
ISBN: 9781922077448
RRP: $27.95

One of the best information book series ever published for younger children is this one. Books in the series are identified by two text threads, one of which is narrative, the other factual. Here the story tells of a day – or more specifically, a night – in the life of a platypus. It slips from its well-concealed burrow, into the adjacent stream and on to a routine of hunting in its depths – always looking for a meal. The narrative text is lyrical, the factual text direct. They elaborate each in fascinating ways. Wet watercolours fit the setting, with gloomy forest greens and the muddy colours of riverbanks and stream beds. More than clever.