On the beach, exploring the rock pools at low tide, a young boy discovers an octopus.
He wonders if it’s happy, if it’s lonely, if maybe he should take it home.
He wonders what it would be like to be friends with an octopus and all the things they could do. But is the boy’s home the right place for a sea creature?
This is a lovely and quiet tale about curiosity and wonderings. It has a lovely slow pace that forces you to read it slowly in a gentle voice. There are places to pause and explore the pictures and lots of questions to ask your audience as you read.
With a splendid die cut cover design that invites you to look in, this is a story about exploration and curiosity. It’s about having time to think about the possibilities and enjoying a moment of quiet reflection as the busy world rolls by.
It’s also about caring for others and respecting animals and where they come from. Expertly camouflaged within the story, there is a message there about leaving creatures be. Sometimes we think it would be lovely to take creatures home with us, but it’s important to put their needs before our own desires.
Known for her young adult novels The Sky is so Heavy and The Protected, No Place for an Octopus is Claire Zorn’s first picture book (as both the author and the illustrator). It is a loving and warm story, perfect for bedtime snuggles or quiet reading corners in classrooms.
Don't forget to check out Claire's guest post on the necessity of nonsense.
Title: No Place for an Octopus
Author/Illustrator: Claire Zorn
Publisher: UQP, $24.99
Publication Date: 5 November 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978 0 7022 6260 9
For ages: 3 - 6
Type: Picture Book
