PLATYPUS

Riddell (Rabbit’s Wish, 2001, etc.) reaches out to the preschool set in this charming environmental primer. The journey begins when Platypus, an avid collector, sets out to the seashore to find something special. When a “large curly shell” turns up in his bucket, Platypus thinks he’s hit the jackpot. He goes home and puts the shell in his special box. Riddell’s crisp watercolor illustration, finely accented in black ink, stands out against the stark white page as Platypus falls asleep under a blue-and-white striped blanket; behind him, two little eyes and a claw push the lid off the bright green box. When Platypus wakes up, his shell is gone. “ ‘Oh dear . . . I will have to find a new shell for my collection,’ ” says Platypus. But when the second shell goes missing, Platypus is perplexed. Riddell pictures the big-billed hero soaking his feet in “his favorite thinking place.” On the next page, Platypus looks aghast when a hermit crab latches on to his toe. “ ‘Oh,’ said Platypus to the little crab. ‘I’m sorry. If I had known the curly shell was your home, I never would have collected it.’ ” Final illustrations show Platypus returning the hermit crab to the beach, then checking another shell for signs of life before taking it home. Well-known as a political cartoonist, Riddell conveys his message subtly and with good humor. (Picture book. 2-5)