In 1998, I was ten years old and knee-deep in a school project about animals. While most of my classmates created posters or fact sheets, I decided to write and illustrate a story: How the Duck-Billed Platypus Became . It was a hand-written, hand-bound little book that I proudly gifted to my younger sister. I don’t remember if I thought it was any good at the time but I do remember being excited to share it with her. My fascination with the platypus had begun even earlier. My