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Octopus Alone Hardcover – Picture Book, May 16, 2013

4.8 out of 5 stars 128 ratings

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"A shy little octopus tries playing with new friends, and has fun doing it, but still retreats to the safety of the deep alone. Soon, however, Octopus decides she likes being among others and sets out to join them. A great story for encouraging kids who may be a little shy." - Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

From the author of Little Owl's Night comes a new book about shy Octopus who lives on a lively reef, and what happens when she finds herself in a new place far from home, wonderfully, peacefully alone. As she did in Little Owl's Night, Divya Srinivasan shows children a wonderful part of the natural world in a very warm-hearted way.
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-As she did in last year's sweetly graphic Little Owl's Night (Viking, 2011), Srinivasan again produces a visually appealing story of a young animal finding its way in the big wide world. In this case, a bashful, doe-eyed orange octopus ventures away from home to escape the friendly enthusiasm of three seahorses. Charmingly stylized sea creatures (helpfully labeled in the delightful endpapers) float through an aqua-and-purple waterscape with an occasionally confusing perspective that renders the seahorses tiny on one page and larger than our timid heroine on the next. Reserved or introspective children may sympathize with the octopus, who employs authentic octopus tricks like camouflaging her color and squirting ink at the boisterous trio before escaping to deeper waters; even more readers could benefit from a reminder that not everyone always wants to play. But the narrative does not quite cohere and the paean to shyness gets lost in marine diversions: drifting jellyfish, an attacking eel, a breaching whale that earns a gatefold. After restoring herself with quiet and a solo jig, the octopus wishes for companionship and the text concludes that she is "glad to be back with her friends." Once readers realize that the seahorses she avoided, fled, and squirted are her friends, this final line provides a pleasant resolution as well as gentle encouragement for the bashful among us to dip a toe-or tentacle-into the ocean of sociability.-Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NYα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

Praise for Divya's first book, LITTLE OWL’S NIGHT:

"This debut picture book gets it all just right. The story, while familiar, is executed deftly and with heart, and the crisp graphic elements of the artwork juxtapose well against the pretty prose." —
Booklist, starred review
 
"The story's chief virtue is its graceful, balletic prose... It's a provocative inversion of the classic bedtime story, and a solid first outing. Srinivasan's message is that night is a delightful place, and that's useful knowledge for small children." —
Publisher's Weekly 

"A graceful bedtime story celebrates the beauty found in night... Hold on to Little Owl's tail feathers and soar." —
Kirkus Reviews

"This exceptional first book by Srinivasan, a talented illustrator... follows Little Owl during his nighttime explorations... this bedtime tale may even convert children who are afraid of the dark into adventuresome night owls" —
New York Times Book Review

"This is the most visually and verbally gorgeous picture book of the year... Simple, dazzling - and simply dazzling." —
The Boston Globe


Praise for OCTOPUS ALONE:
"Srinivasan follows her debut, 
Little Owl’s Night (2011), with a similarly striking rendition of the marine world in this no-place-like-home tale."  —Kirkus

"...every page is stunner." —
Publishers Weekly

"a visually appealing story " —
School Library Journal

“Srinivasan, an animator and the author of the luminous “Little Owl’s Night” (2011), brings the same distinctive beauty to this story of a glowy orange octopus, ‘hidden in her cozy cave.’” —
New York Times Book Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking Books for Young Readers
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 16, 2013
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Illustrated
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0670785156
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0670785155
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.04 pounds
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 2 - 4 years, from customers
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.94 x 0.36 x 9.75 inches
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD590L
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 128 ratings

About the author

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Divya Srinivasan
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Divya Srinivasan is the author and illustrator of the picture books Little Owl's Night, Little Owl's Day, Little Owl's Snow, and Octopus Alone, and she illustrated the picture book Cinnamon, written by Neil Gaiman. Her illustrations have appeared in New Yorker magazine, and she has done work for This American Life, They Might Be Giants, Sundance Channel, Sufjan Stevens, and Weird Al Yankovic, among others. Divya was also an animator on the film Waking Life. More of Divya's work can be seen at www.pupae.com. She lives in Austin, Texas.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
128 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book beautifully illustrated and appreciate its lovely tale with a real plot. Moreover, the book is particularly suitable for 3-5 year olds, with one customer noting how it keeps their 2-year-old enthralled. Additionally, they value its educational content, with one review highlighting its interactive pages and another mentioning its advanced vocabulary.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

39 customers mention "Visual quality"39 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's beautiful illustrations and sea world setting, with one customer noting its vibrant colors and graphics.

"...The illustrations are captivating and will definitely hold a child's attention in order to help them stay focused on the text...." Read more

"...It is also more of a real story with a plot, while still exploring a new environment. The illustrations are gorgeous, and when (spoiler!)..." Read more

"Octopus Alone is a great book for children ages 3-5. The illustrations are wonderful and the text isn't too long or complex for a bedtime story...." Read more

"...I also liked the word pictures used, e.g., "magnificent storm of bubbles". Thus is exactly the kind of book I want to share with my grandson!" Read more

29 customers mention "Story quality"27 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, describing it as a lovely tale with a real plot that is nicely written and fun to read.

"...A very simple story, but meaningful...." Read more

"...It is also more of a real story with a plot, while still exploring a new environment. The illustrations are gorgeous, and when (spoiler!)..." Read more

"...The illustrations were simple, bold and large, perfect to use during my story time with a large group...." Read more

"...as her other book, Little Owl's Night, but it's a nice addition to the bedtime story rotation." Read more

19 customers mention "Book love"19 positive0 negative

Customers love this book, with one mentioning it's a favorite bedtime read and another noting it's great for the start of summer.

"...This is a great book for your child's home library, it is my favorite Srinivasan book so far, and a great book for the start of summer...." Read more

"...expanding my grandson's vocabulary just slightly, which is perfect for a book, e.g., merry rather than happy...." Read more

"This was a great book for me to use for my preschool class unit...." Read more

"This book is simply lovely- it will stand out in your kids' library...." Read more

18 customers mention "Book for kids"18 positive0 negative

Customers find this book great for kids, particularly suitable for 3-5 year olds, with one customer noting it keeps toddlers enthralled.

"...Great for exuberant kids who sometimes need to calm down, great for quiet kids who are easily overwhelmed and need a chance to get centered before..." Read more

"...since my daughter was 1.5, but this one is more suited to older toddlers / young children...." Read more

"Octopus Alone is a great book for children ages 3-5. The illustrations are wonderful and the text isn't too long or complex for a bedtime story...." Read more

"...A really lovely book. One of the best children's books I have ever read." Read more

11 customers mention "Knowledge level"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and curious, with one customer noting it contains enough facts to encourage questioning and another mentioning its advanced vocabulary.

"...A very simple story, but meaningful...." Read more

"...There was just enough facts to begin the questioning by the preschoolers to spark their interest...." Read more

"...My 2 year old loves it- fun pictures, new creatures to learn about, a nice story...." Read more

"...has a good theme to it too, about wanting both alone time and time with others. It's one of our favorite bed time books...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2015
    My daughter loves this book and I do as well! We both enjoy the story and illustrations. My daughter (age 3) does not fully comprehend the message of the story but she does get the main idea. Octopus needs alone time, like we all do sometimes. The flow of the story lends itself easily to a fun dramatic reading so this is wonderful to read aloud. The illustrations are captivating and will definitely hold a child's attention in order to help them stay focused on the text.

    Octopus feels overwhelmed by her friends and swims away to a part of the ocean where she can be alone for a little while. She plays alone and has a nap, (and a snack too) and when she wakes up she misses her friends and goes back to them. A very simple story, but meaningful.

    Great for exuberant kids who sometimes need to calm down, great for quiet kids who are easily overwhelmed and need a chance to get centered before joining others, great for family and friends of kids who need alone time, to help understand what others are feeling.

    A favorite in our collection, highly recommended.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2017
    I was stalking this book for a while, and pounced when it went on sale. I have the two owl books by this author, which we have been enjoying since my daughter was 1.5, but this one is more suited to older toddlers / young children. It is also more of a real story with a plot, while still exploring a new environment.

    The illustrations are gorgeous, and when (spoiler!) the whale pops up, it has a surprise fold-out. In the front and back are labeled illustrations of all the types of sea creatures in the book, and my daughter (now 2.5) loves trying to learn them all.

    There are some darker themes (how to explain what the octopus was about to do that lobster? I decided to go with the truth, but it might upset a sensitive child). It is definitely a book that will offer my daughter new concepts, as she grows old enough to hear them.
    9 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2013
    Octopus Alone is a great book for children ages 3-5. The illustrations are wonderful and the text isn't too long or complex for a bedtime story. This story begins with Octopus hiding in her cave watching the scenes outside, when a few pesky Seahorses invade her space, she just wants to get away. On her quest for alone time she changes colors to hide and inks her way out of some close encounters. During her journey she sees: sea snakes, anemones, tiny fish eating algae from the scales of a big fish, jellies, and sea stars. After a missed meal, a humorous moment with crabs in a cage, a close call with an eel and a whale, and a nap, she realizes she misses the reef, and most of all, those pesky Seahorses. When she returns home the little Seahorses are there to welcome her back. This is a great book for your child's home library, it is my favorite Srinivasan book so far, and a great book for the start of summer. I highly recommend it.
    16 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2017
    This book has beautiful under the ocean illustrations. There is a page with various sea critters labeled in cursive writing. My 3 year old future marine biologist (maybe) added trumpet fish, squirrelfish, domino fish and damsel fish to his list of known species from us reading this book together. There are several other marine species also identified, they were just not new to him, but we read ocean themed material and watch ocean documentaries on a regular basis. I was also pleased with word choices in this book as they required expanding my grandson's vocabulary just slightly, which is perfect for a book, e.g., merry rather than happy. I also liked the word pictures used, e.g., "magnificent storm of bubbles". Thus is exactly the kind of book I want to share with my grandson!
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2014
    This was a great book for me to use for my preschool class unit. The illustrations were simple, bold and large, perfect to use during my story time with a large group. There was just enough facts to begin the questioning by the preschoolers to spark their interest. We followed up afterwards with a non-fiction book on octopus facts and real pictures. I would recommend this book and hope the author continues to write more about other animals of the sea.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2014
    We got this for my daughter as one of her Christmas presents, and she absolutely loves it. The art is very nicely done, and the story is nicely written. I don't think it's quite as good as her other book, Little Owl's Night, but it's a nice addition to the bedtime story rotation.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2015
    This book is simply lovely- it will stand out in your kids' library. My 2 year old loves it- fun pictures, new creatures to learn about, a nice story. We love reading it to him because of the more advanced vocabulary (mostly interesting adjectives and adverbs, so I think 18 months and up would still get it)- it goes way beyond standard fare and I could see him enjoying this until he's 5. Enjoy!
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2013
    Divya Srinivasan has such a beautiful style! My toddler loved her owl book, so we bought this one, which he also loves. The pictures are so vibrant and the story line is a bit more complex than her other book. Plus a whale page that opens up! I liked it so much, I also bought one for our friend's kids.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Andreea
    5.0 out of 5 stars My little boy loves the series
    Reviewed in Germany on February 25, 2020
    Little owls and the octopus, my boys favourite. The book is simple and colourful, works its magic on the little ones.
  • Kitterine
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on February 24, 2015
    I found the story jumped around a lot and it just wasn't as enjoyable as other books.