Everyone Wants an Octopus Book!: We All Belong in Stories

by Liz Ledden, Makoto Koji (Illustrator)

Overview

"...Simple conversational text and beachy visuals belie a bigger point about the way books (and bonds) help readers feel seen and understood." —Publishers Weekly

Everyone Wants an Octopus Book! is a great conversation-starting children's book about representation. Inky is down in the dumps because he can’t find a book with a character like himself. There are bears and ducks and dogs, but no octopuses.

Inky the octopus wants to read a book with a character that looks like them. With their best friend, Quack the duck, they scour every shelf, but all they seem to find are more books about ducks! Why aren't there any stories with octopuses? They decide maybe it’s time for one.

Wonderfully illustrated by Makoto Koji, a talented Japanese-Australian illustrator and animator, Everyone Wants an Octopus Book! is a humorous, accessible and broadly-appealing story that just happens to carry a worthy message.

For ages 3-9 years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781761210846
Publisher:	Hardie Grant
Publication date:	11/05/2024
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.80(h) x (d)
Lexile:	430L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 9 Years

About the Author

Liz Ledden is a Sydney-based children’s book author and podcaster. She has published two picture books, Walking Your Human (Larrikin House) and Tulip and Brutus (Ford Street). Liz also co-hosts kids’ book podcast One More Page with her friends, authors and book lovers Kate Simpson and Nat Amoore. Together, the One More Page team contributed a kids’ play to the CBCA anthology OLD WORLDS, NEW WORLDS, OTHER WORLDS.

Makoto Koji is a Japanese-Australian illustrator and animator. She was born in Hiroshima in the Year of the Rabbit and was raised in the wilderness of rural Queensland. Her work draws from her unique upbringing, a blend of Eastern and Western sensibilities. She lives in Adelaide in South Australia.

Editorial Reviews

07/22/2024

Ledden and Koji’s sunny representation story sees an octopus carving out a place for itself in books. When beret-wearing octopus Inky laments the lack of books about its kind, avian kerchief-sporting pal Quack reassures, with ensuing dialogue highlighting the sea creature’s many cool features: eight legs, three hearts (“You are quite lovable”), and the ability to squirt ink. Concluding that there’s evident need for eight-tentacled literary protagonists, the pair also find a way to celebrate their friendship, envisioning a book that fills the discussed gap. Thick purple strokes give the characters their fluid forms as simple conversational text and beachy visuals belie a bigger point about the way books (and bonds) help readers feel seen and understood. Ages 3–9. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"...Simple conversational text and beachy visuals belie a bigger point about the way books (and bonds) help readers feel seen and understood."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher