Hello, My Name Is Octicorn

by Kevin Diller, Binny Talib (Illustrator), Justin Lowe

Overview

An Amazon Best Book of the Year

Meet Octicorn, the funny, sweet, and disarming character who is a champion for anyone who has ever felt a little bit different. And isn’t that everyone? This is a self-published success story from debut authors Justin Lowe and Kevin Diller. 

Octicorn is half octopus, half unicorn, half confused . . . which sometimes makes it hard to fit in.

But maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062387936
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/17/2016
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kevin Diller is a writer and producer who lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and two kids.

Justin Lowe is an artist and filmmaker who somehow entered adulthood with his childlike imagination entirely intact. Over a decade ago now, Justin took Sharpie to paper and combined an octopus with a unicorn. That doodle somehow took on a life of its own and is now throwing a party.

Editorial Reviews

Charming and amusing…a fun choice for storytime.” — School Library Journal

“At once funny and heartfelt, this highly original, important book helps kids to think about their own place among others and encourages acceptance of others, especially those who are left out.” — The Times Herald

From the Publisher

At once funny and heartfelt, this highly original, important book helps kids to think about their own place among others and encourages acceptance of others, especially those who are left out.

The Times Herald

2016-02-17
The offspring of an octopus mom and a unicorn dad, Octicorn really needs a friend. With a grim expression, line-drawn body, and mismatched eyes, Octi is still a cute little critter with remarkable self-awareness. Octi is sad to be the only one without an invitation to a cupcake party—and grasps how unusual it is to be one-of-a-kind as a species. Octi speculates about how Mom and Dad may have met ("maybe a personal ad") and reveals the perils and bonuses of having four legs and a sharp protrusion from the head. The playground merry-go-round is a challenge, but juggling and roasting marshmallows are a snap. What Octi doesn't do, unfortunately, is narrate a story that goes beyond the novelty of a book-length character introduction. By the book's end, all readers know about Octi is that it's exceptionally lonely, and not in an endearing way that invites more interest. Rather, Octi seems desperate in a way that makes the concluding invitation for hugs and friendship a call for pity instead of excitement. The doodle-simple illustrations, which seem to have been enhanced with some splashes of color in the book's transition from self-published Kickstarter project to major publisher release, only add to the feeling that this was a thin idea unable to transcend its one-joke premise. There may be plenty more adventures for Octicorn; here's hoping that they'll be more amusing than awkward—unlike this introduction. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews