written and illustrated by Darren Farrell

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014

Image from author’s website

So this was one of the ones I couldn’t leave the bookstore without. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I’m a sucker for anything nautical. And while that is what first attracted me to “Thank You, Octopus,” what grabbed me next was the hipster color palette (pale yellows and blues, bold teals and reds…wait a minute. those sound like my website colors), and what really got me hooked was the adorable hijinks of the boy and the octopus. They are in an inexplicable, unexplained relationship (is the octopus the boy’s caregiver? babysitter? I think it would be fun to talk about the possibilities with kiddos*), and they call each other only “Octopus” and “buddy.” Octopus’s merits as a caretaker are questionable: think tongue-in-cheek Amelia Bedelia-type decisions. But he and buddy make a hilarious pair. The book is all about getting ready for bed.

Things I appreciated: naked buddy at bathtime (I’m glad that this is not a risky thing in illustration, although there is no genitalia); little details (Octopus’s hat label reading “de la mar,” a character from the end as the captain of the boat, narwhal!… I find something new every time I look); the fact that Octopus wears pajamas but not clothes

My favorite bit was the one with monsters.

Read official reviews and see a few pages from the book here.

*there are some pieces of the story in the photos on the wall!