The animal kingdom offers a special fascination for children because so many of the cozy rituals they share at home are echoed in nature. All mammal mothers feed, protect, and teach their young― tasks that often challenge their own needs for survival. With beautiful illustrations and inventive text, this fascinating introduction reveals how fourteen mammals' babies travel the path from helpless infant to self-sufficient adults. If My Mom were a Platypus is also available in Spanish, Hebrew, and Dutch. This deeply entertaining and informative book holds readers riveted with its concise format, fun facts and engagingly literary style. Each of the 14 chapters follows a different mammal from birth through self-sufficiency, fascinating journeys through which young readers tend to start perceiving themselves as being part of a greater whole. Though details may vary significantly depending on whether the mammal is a bear, bat, hippo or human, the material remains highly relatable throughout. Students readily absorb the content and, in so doing, acquire a host of science and language skills with little to no conscious effort. Each section wraps up with exciting and memorable facts that propel the reader forward, eager to learn more! A free downloadable Teacher's Guide (available from the Science Naturally website) expands the STEM content and offers engaging hands-on activities. Dia L. Michels is an award-winning internationally published science and parenting writer, she is the author or editor of over a dozen books for both children and adults. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Dutch, Hebrew, Chinese, and Korean. A popular speaker, she lectures frequently at conferences, universities, libraries, and schools around the country. She teaches classes on mammal reproduction and lactation at children's and science museums around the U.S. and is a commentator for Public Radio, International. Her articles have been published in People, Parenting, Mothering, Parents, Baby Talk, Family Fun, Nurturing, and the Washington Post. She lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC, with her husband, Tony Gualtieri, their three children, and four cats and a dog. Andrew Barthelmes, illustrator of If My Mom Were a Platypus, and designer of I Was Born to Be a Brother and many other projects, is a New York based illustrator and graphic designer. A graduate of The School of Visual Arts, his illustrations have appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Ladies' Home Journal, Street & Smith's Sports, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition to the Platypus book, he also illustrated Herman the Loudmouth. He has been a children's book designer for Random House, Inc. and is currently creating new children's books for Reader's Digest. He lives in Peekskill, NY with his wife Barbara, and new baby, Julia.