The Story of the Platypus

Fabulous Animals

by Anita Ganeri

We see unusual animals in the zoo or on TV, but have you ever wondered how they came to be discovered? Some of these animals were so strange and different that they were originally thought to have been invented or made up. These books tell the story of some of those the reports  of their first discovery and people's reactions to them, the search for evidence of their existence, and how they became recognized as real animals. The books also describe the animals themselves and what makes them special or different.

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Anita Ganeri is a highly experienced author of children’s information books, specialising in religion, India/Asia, multiculturalism, geography, biography and natural history. She became a freelance writer after working at Walker Books (as foreign rights manager) and Usborne Publishing (as an editor). Since then, she has written over 300 titles, including the best-selling Horrible Geography series for Scholastic. The series won the Geographical Association Silver Award in 1999 and was cited as being ‘an innovation that all geographers will applaud’. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society where she conducts most of her research for the books.

Reviews

[Hilary]

When the platypus was first discovered, a taxidermied specimen was shipped to the British Museum, which declared the sample a hoax. After all, who had ever heard of a duck-billed, egg-laying mammal with poisonous spikes? This text looks at the playpus: the first time it was reported to the Western world, the public and scientific community’s reaction to it, the search for evidence, how the animal was finally recognized as a legitimate (and real!) species, and the status of the platypus population today.

Also included in Story of the Platypus is information about the platypus’ life, habitat, and habits that make this elusive creature unique and special. Liberally illustrated with full-color photographs of platypus, casual readers as well as student researchers will be drawn to the attractive, slim volume.

Anita Ganeri is an award-winning author of information books for children. Educated at Cambridge University, she has written more than 300 books, including the best-selling “Horrible Geography series for Scholastic Children’s Books which won a 2009 Blue Peter Book Award.