The Escape Artist: A True Story of Octopus Adventure

by Thor Hanson, Galia Bernstein (Illustrator)

Overview

When Inky the octopus slipped out of his tank at the National Aquarium in New Zealand, his audacious escape made headlines around the world. Biologist Thor Hanson’s funny, informational text and Galia Bernstein’s illuminating, humorous pictures showcase the intelligence and curiosity of this fascinating creature. For readers who love true stories about animals. Features fun facts about octopuses and additional information about Inky’s escape.

A rock. A pot. Some sand. A light. And those same four walls, day in and day out. Inky the octopus has only ever known his tank at the aquarium in New Zealand. Understimulated and craving answers, he watches the people walk by and wonders where they go—until one fateful day when the lock on his tank is left unlatched. Inky escapes, and he miraculously makes his way into a drainpipe and out to the ocean.

Inky’s story is all true—there really was an octopus who escaped the National Aquarium in New Zealand and returned to the sea, becoming a viral sensation. Award-winning author and biologist Thor Hanson’s rhyming text is funny, engaging, and informative and highlights the innate intelligence of octopuses. Galia Bernstein’s vibrant, tentacle-filled artwork is the perfect complement, capturing Inky’s curiosity, intelligence, and resourcefulness. Extensive back matter includes information about octopuses, aquariums, and the real Inky’s escape.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062676474
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/22/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dr. Thor Hanson is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Switzer Environmental Fellow, and an award-winning author and biologist. His books include The Triumph of Seeds, The Impenetrable Forest, Feathers, and the children's favorite Bartholomew Quill as well as Star and the Maestro, illustrated by Matt Schu. Thor Hanson's writing has earned many accolades, including the John Burroughs Medal, the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize, and two Pacific Northwest Book Awards. His many media appearances have included NPR's Fresh Air, PRI's The World and Science Friday, The Current on CBC, and Book Lust with Nancy Pearl. He lives with his wife and son on an island in the Pacific Northwest.

Galia Bernstein loves animals and has been studying and drawing them since she was two years old. She is the bestselling author of three picture books, which have been published in fifteen languages, and the illustrator of many more. Galia Bernstein lives in Brooklyn, New York, with a very small dog and a large cat.

Editorial Reviews

This should be cephalopod catnip for readers who are just beginning to feel the stirrings of independence, ingenuity, and curiosity about worlds waiting outside their own walls.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Hanson’s lively rhymes, a pleasure to read aloud, vary their rhythm without stumbling and adeptly convey information while telling a captivating story. Bernstein’s colorful illustrations realistically portray the aquarium and sea animals while also allowing Inky’s eyes full cartoon scope to express his personality, emotions, and intelligence. . . . Backmatter with info on octopuses and the real-life Inky add educational depth. . . . Certain to grab nature lovers.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A ­daring escape, an engaging hero, and a happy ending, along with the chance to learn more about the amazing octopus. This is an all-around winner, a tall tale that ­happens to be (­mostly) the truth.” — School Library Journal

“A salute to Inky, a clever octopus who took advantage of a tank lid left slightly ajar in a New Zealand aquarium, escaping down a drain and back to the sea. Hanson relates the (reconstructed) episode in playful verse, and Bernstein records it in wide illustrations featuring a big, mottled mollusk with expressive eyes and a thick tangle of gracefully curled arms. . . . The author closes with more on Inky’s original capture and backstory, plus basic information about octopuses.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 2025-05-30
In this tale based on real-life events, a Māori octopus in a New Zealand aquarium makes a break back to the sea.

Inky lives a cushy life, housed between a sea turtle enclosure and a tank that holds several seahorses. He’s well cared for and playful, “but a tank can’t contain an octopus brain,” and the innately curious Inky has many questions: Why does he breathe underwater when the turtles surface for air? And could he live outside his tank? Inky isn’t unhappy, but he’s not complacent, either, and when someone carelessly leaves the lid to his tank ajar, he seizes the opportunity, squeezing his substantial but spongy body through the gap. Suspense builds: Out of the water, he doesn’t have much time. But he slides dramatically down the glass, across the floor, and through a drain, pulling himself through a pipe 164 feet to the sea. Hanson’s lively rhymes, a pleasure to read aloud, vary their rhythm without stumbling and adeptly convey information while telling a captivating story. Bernstein’s colorful illustrations realistically portray the aquarium and sea animals while also allowing Inky’s eyes full cartoon scope to express his personality, emotions, and intelligence. Clever endpapers depicting Inky’s escape calculations will amuse adult readers. Backmatter with info on octopuses and the real-life Inky add educational depth. Human characters vary in skin tone.

Certain to grab nature lovers.(Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews