The Story of Shy the Platypus

Young Australia Series

by Leslie Rees, Walter Cunningham

Written for children from 5 to 8 years old. Lovely water-color illustrations. The story of a baby platypus from her time in the nest until she prepares a nest of her own.

Genres: Australia, Childrens, Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

George Leslie Clarence Rees was born in Bayswater, Perth, Western Australia on 28 December 1905, the youngest of the six children of John Henry Rees, a Welsh-born schoolteacher and his wife Mary Elizabeth née Wilkinson. Known as Leslie, his childhood was marked by poverty and the insecurity occasioned by his father's chronic alcoholism. He was educated at Subiaco Primary School and Perth Modern School, and in 1924 gained a scholarship to the University of Western Australia, where he edited the university magazine The Black Swan. His fellow students and collaborators included his future wife Coralie Clarke, Paul Hasluck (later Governor-General) and the economist HC 'Nugget' Coombs.

Rees graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1927 and worked briefly for the State Education Department, before joining the West Australian newspaper as a cadet journalist in the port of Fremantle. In 1929 Rees won a scholarship to study in London and sailed to England on the RMS Orford. The following year he was joined by Coralie Clarke, and they travelled together on the Continent, and were married in St Pancras Registry Office on 19 September 1931. Rees sent regular contributions to the West Australian from London, but between 1930 and 1935 he was the chief drama critic of The Era and met many prominent writers, including Sean O'Casey, Henry Handel Richardson, W. Somerset Maugham, A.A. Milne, G.K. Chesterton, W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and C Day Lewis. In February 1935 he interviewed James Joyce in Paris.

Leslie and Coralie Rees departed Britain for Australia on the SS Moreton Bay on 26 February 1936 and settled in Sydney. After working for several months as a reviewer of plays, films and exhibitions, for the Sydney Morning Herald, Rees joined the Australian Broadcasting Commission as its first Federal Drama Editor (later Deputy Director of Drama), inviting and developing scripts for radio production until 1966. In 1953 Rees and his wife Coralie published their best selling travel book Spinifex Walkabout, and the following year made a return visit to Britain via the Cocos Islands, Mauritius and southern Africa. Their adventures in these areas were chronicled with lively prose in their co-authored book Westward From Cocos Indian Ocean Travels, published in 1956.

Rees published several books on Australian drama and was the best-selling author of numerous children's books, including the Digit Dick series, and many others with Australian wildlife themes. In 1966 he was elected president of the Sydney centre of International PEN. Leslie Rees was made a Member of the Order of Australia, in 1981, for his services to literature. The following year he published his autobiography Hold Fast to Dreams. Leslie Rees died in Sydney on 17 August 2000, a highly respected member of the Australian literary community. His beloved wife and frequent

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I loved this book when I was a kid. I mean really loved this book. The problem was that it wasn't mine. It belong to a school library in Stockholm where my family was staying for a time.

I finally (so many years later) got my own copy. And you know, it is as good as I remember it. A wonderful story about a Platypus. Cute but not overly so. Wonderful.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

a story with LOTS of information about the playtpus.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book from my childhood while visiting my parents. Originally published in 1945, it's a blend of fact and fiction. It follows the life of a female platypus from birth t preparing for motherhood. The story follows how her mother seals the burrow, Shy and her brother spur learning to find food from their father, making a home of her own, surviving drought, flood and escaping temporary captivity, and meeting her mate and making a nesting burrow.

I wondered about the accuracy of the information, given it's from the 1940s and I don't think much was known about platypuses back then. For example, I wondered if their father teaching them how to find food was fiction, a way to include the father. Seems more likely the mother would teach them this. There's also no mention of platypus venom--I think the venom wasn't discovered until the 1990s. Nevertheless, it was a nice and informative story with attractive water color illustrations and enough suspense to keep a young reader, particularly a nature lover, invested.

[Sarah Loft · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful written and illustrated book, that fits the Charlotte Mason 'living book' description.

This story follows the life of Shy the Platypus from one generation to the next in an engaging and delightful way that will appeal to child and adult alike.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids loved this one.

[Seonaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

'twas good to see into the life of a platypus albeit through fiction.

[Aaron Azadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool for 1946

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rees Reads #1
Dated but decent look at platypus growing from birth onwards.
Nicely illustrated and with good text.

[Joshua's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is text heavy (for a picture book) and the pictures are more for older children, the book says for ages 5-8. I found this while I was going through some old childhood books my mom had. It talks about the life of a platypus which may or may not be interesting depending on what child is reading it. The books in these series might be more interesting for the Australian folk. My 4 year old quickly lost interest with this book but my 7 year old niece really enjoyed it.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Australian author
Australian Bush animals