When a strange little creature appears out of nowhere after the big rains, Australian animals wonder what in the world he could possibly be! His fur, feet, tail, and duck-like bill remind each animal of something different. But with a “down-under” spirit, they all pitch in to help him discover where he belongs. Kersplatypus is the story of one creature’s journey to find his place in the world and how he sometimes falls flat on the way there. A heart-warming story with an unmistakable Aussie flare, Kersplatypus proves that with a little determination (and some really good friends) you can pick yourself up when you fall and keep on going.

Written by Susan K. Mitchell Illustrated by Sherry Rogers	32 pg 8.5'' X 10'', ages 3-7, Lexile: 510 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-934359-07-5, $16.95 Paperback ISBN: 978-1-934359-23-5, $8.95
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“Parents/Educators will love it not only because it is a fun story in general, but because it will lead its readers to recognize and accept diversity. This is a great way to encourage conversation with young readers to help them learn basic social skills, and to help reinforce the age-old idea of treating others like you'd like to be treated.” – Ready Set Read Reviews

“I love Kersplatypus. He’s the cutest little platypus. And I love the cozy, caring feel of the story. I suspect the kids will wear out the book from use. It’s that good. Kersplatypus is a must have!” – Armchair Interviews

“This delightful tale is sure to be a winner with young readers and listeners. In addition to being a fun story, the book presents excellent material about Australia by showing the habitats of Australian animals and introducing Australian terms.” – Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database

Author/Artist Bio:

Susan K. Mitchell is a children’s author with many hats in her collection:author, mom, wife, pre-school teacher, and Spanish teacher. Susan loves creating a silly world of words for kids. The idea of Kersplatypus quite literally came from a word she made up when her youngest daughter fell down one day. Surrounded by kids all day, every day, she has no shortage of story ideas. Susan is also the author of two other picture books: The Rainforest Grew All Around and Stone Pizza. She has also written more than fourteen non-fiction chapter books for older readers on topics ranging from entertainment to architecture to animals. Susan, her husband, and two wonderful daughters live outside of Houston with their dog and two crazy cats. To visit her website, click here.

Sherry Rogers spent twelve years as a corporate graphic designer and artist before “leaving it all behind” for the freelance world. Sherry has developed a unique style of painting digitally on her computer. Just like a “traditional artist,” Sherry sketches by hand. When happy with the composition, she scans it into the computer. Just as she would use a “normal” paint brush, she paints her illustrations stroke for stroke on her computer in her program of choice, Photoshop. She laughs that the paint clean up is much easier than it used to be! Sherry has also illustrated Burro's Tortillas, If You Were a Parrot and Sort it Out for Sylvan Dell and has a new 2009 book Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet. Her first book, Counting Little Geckos was published in the summer of 2005. Sherry, her husband and two children live in Northern California. Visit Sherry's website and  Sherry's blog.