• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: p to 3
• Reading age: 4 to 8

“An unusual…cast of animal characters makes this whimsical, charming story stand out.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Readers will delight in this world of anthropomorphized animals, coming away with a lesson on the importance of the friends and family who help them find their way.” —Booklist

A platypus who thinks he is an emu finds his way home with the help of his friends in this classic, tender picture book from Annika Dunklee and Brian Won.

When the stork drops an egg before delivering it to its parents the little animal’s first words are EEE-MOO. So, a cow, pig, horse, and other furry friends who watch him hatch decide he is an emu and Australia is his home. Good friends that they are, they offer to help him get there. So EEE-MOO’s journey begins, and along the way he meets a cast of other animal friends who guide him to the open arms of his family. But when he gets there, he realizes something is missing.

ANNIKA DUNKLEE was born in Uppsala, Sweden, to a Scottish father and a Swedish mother. She is the award-winning author of many books, including My Name Is Elizabeth!, Me, Too! and Me, Me, Me. When she’s not writing, she’s busy eating cheese. She currently resides in Toronto, Ontario with her husband, two teens, a puppy and a cockatiel.

Annika Dunklee's profile page

Brian Won has worked as a busboy, library shelver, and currently is working as an art director and illustrating books for children. He graduated from California’s Art Center and his awards include The Society of illustrators Silver Medal and the Crystal Kite from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. He lives in California with his wife and son.

Brian Won's profile page

A little platypus finds himself stranded far from his own kind, but with the help of friends, he travels back to Australia, where he is united with his parents.The stork delivers a large egg on the opening endpapers of this whimsical story, the egg hatching on a farm next to a pig ("EEE!") and a cow ("MOO!"). The baby platypus names himself Eee-Moo, and the farm animals send him on his way to Australia to find other emus. The resourceful creature uses several kinds of transportation to return to Australia, where a kangaroo, a kookaburra, some actual emus, and a koala bear help him find his family. Eee-Moo invites all the animals that helped him to visit, and they all ride off into the sunset on a bicycle built for eight. The closing endpapers offer an intriguing, wordless conclusion as Eee-Moo, holding another egg, flies toward a new adventure on the back of the stork. The clever plot has a fairy-tale flavor, with talking animal characters and Eee-Moo's travels that transcend logical rules of time and space. Digitally composed illustrations have the appearance of delicate watercolor paintings with ink outlines. The clothed, anthropomorphic animals all appear to be male except for a hen and Eee-Moo's mother. An unusual, robustly Antipodean cast of animal characters makes this whimsical, charming story stand out. (Picture book. 4-7)

June 15, 2019

This adventure starts with the endpapers, when a stork accidentally drops an egg on the way to make a baby delivery. The wayward egg hatches in front of some surprised farm animals, and a case of mistaken identity ensues. The baby’s first word is “eee-moo” (imitating the respective reactions of a nearby pig and cow), so all the farm-animal locals assume that the little platypus is actually an emu, and they direct the little guy to Australia to find his parents. After hopping from one form of transportation to another, Eee Moo finds his flock, but he quickly sees that he doesn’t fit in with the emus. Not to worry: a nearby koala facilitates a happy ending by reuniting him with his real platypus parents. Dunklee’s story is incredibly sweet and silly, and Won’s winning illustrations add a wonderful sense of whimsy to the proceedings. Readers will delight in this world of anthropomorphized animals, coming away with a lesson on the importance of the friends and family who help them find their way.

September 20, 2019