This informational picture book introduces the platypus, which lives only in Australia, and describes the physical characteristics and behaviors of this unusual animal. Comparing its appearance in water to that of a lizard and a beaver, Collard explains that the platypus is a toothless, egg-bearing mammal that lives in and around streams, burrows in the earth for a safe place to sleep and bear young, and finds its food by sensing electricity in the bodies of its animal prey. The main text, in large type, includes the everyday experiences of a female platypus that mates and raises her young, while text in smaller typeface offers added facts. Richly detailed and atmospheric, the acrylic-and-gouache paintings illustrate the text with many large-scale, horizontal spreads. On the last page, the author discusses efforts to save the platypus and other monotremes by restoring their habitats. A glossary and one Web site are appended. Carolyn Phelan Copyright c American Library Association. All rights reserved