Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-When Octopus sees a large, colorful tail sticking out his front door, he visits the homes of his underwater friends for advice. Although they each suggest tactics that come naturally to them, he cannot bring himself to eat, scare, ignore, move, or slime the unknown intruder who's blocking his entrance. It is not until Octopus is alone with his own thoughts that he realizes that he must approach the tail with caution and question it with politeness. This story about fear turns into a rescue story (and a love story) after the tail screams for help and all the sea animals pull the creature free. Van Hout adds humor to the multi-colored waters by drawing PJs on the pajama fish and a suitcase around the trunk fish. VERDICT A strong addition to most collections.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
One day, Octopus returns to find a tail sticking out of the entrance to his underwater home. He asks various friends for advice; it's all bad (e.g., "Eat him!"). By behaving politely, Octopus learns that the obstructing visitor is friendly. Brimming with colorful sea life, the detailed art isn't enough to offset the bland writing full of grammar and punctuation blunders. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A small yellow octopus is nonplussed to return home from his daily swim to find someone else's tale protruding from his home.The soft and expressive illustrations done in acrylic and oil pastels by van Hout (Surprise, 2014, etc.) are the highlight of what could have been a noteworthy story about the pitfalls of jumping to conclusions. Flitting among his concerned friends, an endearingly expressive octopus searches for a solution to the very big intruder stuck in his doorway. The fishy suggestions run the gamut from "Chase him away!" to "Declare war on him." As the story unfolds, the problem of what to do with the giant tail sticking out of Octopus' home involves every sea creature in the neighborhood. After much deliberation, the little octopus hears whispered advice in the depths around him. "What would you do?" The sea seems to be urging him to listen to his intuitionwhich he does to his ultimate delight. Van Lieshout and van Os explore the extreme reactions fear and uncertainty can elicit. As is so often the case, a simple question could have prevented the escalating misunderstanding and turmoil. What makes the resolution unsatisfactory is that an entire scene seems to be missingthe reveal. One minute the friends struggle to pull out the mysterious tale la "The Enormous Turnip," and the next, there's a smiling mermaid holding the besotted octopus. " Oh,' Octopus blushed. If I'd only known you were a lady! That's different!' " This Dutch import's fatuous ending falls short, but the illustrations are worth the time spent appreciating them. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
