#BEA16 Children’s Month – Also an Octopus by Maggie Tokuda-Hall @Candlewick @emteehall @Benji_Davies #5paws
Today I am featuring another book I received at Book Expo America, Also an Octopus written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Benji Davies. Like the book I highlighted on Sunday, this book is not due out until October, but you can also pre-order it on Amazon.
Synopsis
Even the most totally awesome story starts with a little bit of nothing. What happens next is up to you! A delightfully meta picture book that will set imaginations soaring.
It begins with an octopus who plays the ukulele. Since this is a story, the octopus has to want something—maybe to travel to faraway galaxies in a totally awesome purple spaceship. Then the octopus sets out to build a spaceship out of soda cans, glue, umbrellas, glitter, and waffles. OK, maybe the octopus needs some help, like from an adorable bunny friend, and maybe that bunny turns out to be . . . a rocket scientist? (Probably not.) But could something even more amazing come to pass? Debut author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, with the help of illustrator Benji Davies, sets up an endearingly funny story, then hands the baton to readers, who will be more than primed to take it away.
Review
I picked up this book for my great-niece to build up her library, but I was not expecting a great story about how anyone can write a story and that no idea is too silly. In fact, this book would actually help an aspiring young author by showing the steps they need to go through to actually write the story.
I do love how the book starts: “Every story starts the same way…with nothing.” It s true, every story that any author has written started with nothing to very little other than a dream to write that story.
We give this 5 paws up!