Longing to be free, when Spanky escapes his habitat, he runs into a world nothing like the one he's seen through the distorting lens of television. Unbeknownst to the one-and-a-half-pound platypus, Spanky has lived a sheltered life, but he soon learns there's a lot more to it than the wild exaggerations found in the movies. (And unlike himself, animals don't talk.)
A treacherous place, full of deadly beasts, time and again, Spanky battles homesickness, his own ignorance, and the overwhelming dangers he meets on the road with his usual plucky attitude.
But when Spanky finally puts aside his fears to help the girl-fish Matilda, only then does he shine. Spanky is a hero and whether it's crossing a raging river or just the highway, he will not let the world stop him. He will save the girl from her terrible witch step-sister, and get her home. Facing one danger after the next using only his wits--and the one Kung Fu move he knows--one thing is for certain, Spanky is not giving up easily.
Meanwhile, realizing that Spanky is missing, his family begins a desperate search for him. Following a cold trail, they race to save their beloved platypus before something terrible happens to the little fellow.
And unbeknownst to the Wildermusses, they may prove too late to save Spanky from the greatest danger of all--teenagers.
Of course, sometimes a platypus has to roll up his sleeves and do things himself. Now, if only Spanky knew which direction home lay?
