All I Want Is An Octopus

An octopus seems like the perfect pet, but Dad and Mom will need convincing. Luckily, Grandma seems to be on the same wavelength!

Combining the emotional depth of The Art of Racing in the Rain with the magical spirit of The Life of Pi, Lily and the Octopus is an epic adventure of the heart. When you sit down with Lily and the Octopus, you will be taken on an unforgettable ride. The magic of this novel is in the read, and we don’t want to spoil it by giving away too many details. We can tell you that this is a story about that special someone: the one you trust, the one you can’t live without. For Ted Flask, that someone special is his aging companion Lily, who happens to be a dog. Lily and the Octopus reminds us how it feels to love fiercely, how difficult it can be to let go, and how the fight for those we love is the greatest fight of all. Remember the last book you told someone they had to read? Lily and the Octopus is the next one.

Think like you’ve got nine brains, feel like you’ve got three hearts, and hug as though you have eight arms.

Finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction * New York Times Bestseller * Starred Booklist and Library Journal Editors’ Spring Pick * A Huffington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of the Year * One of the Best Books of the Month on Goodreads * Library Journal Best Sci-Tech Book of the Year * An American Library Association Notable Book of the Year “Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus does for the creature what Helen Macdonald’s H Is for Hawk did for raptors.” —New Statesman, UK “One of the best science books of the year.” —Science Friday, NPR Another New York Times bestseller from the author of The Good Good Pig, this “fascinating…touching…informative…entertaining” (The Daily Beast) book explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus—a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature—and the remarkable connections it makes with humans. In pursuit of the wild, solitary, predatory octopus, popular naturalist Sy Montgomery has practiced true immersion journalism. From New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, she has befriended octopuses with strikingly different personalities—gentle Athena, assertive Octavia, curious Kali, and joyful Karma. Each creature shows her cleverness in myriad ways: escaping enclosures like an orangutan; jetting water to bounce balls; and endlessly tricking companions with multiple “sleights of hand” to get food. Scientists have only recently accepted the intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees but now are watching octopuses solve problems and are trying to decipher the meaning of the animal’s color-changing techniques. With her “joyful passion for these intelligent and fascinating creatures” (Library Journal Editors’ Spring Pick), Montgomery chronicles the growing appreciation of this mollusk as she tells a unique love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about the meeting of two very different minds.

A new bedtime classic from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site! It's time for bed and this little octopus is more than happy to volunteer! He's all ready to put his parents to bed! Bath time, putting on pajamas, brushing teeth, and tucking everyone in is a whole new challenge when the kid is in charge (and especially when everyone has eight arms!). From bestselling author Sherri Duskey Rinker and award-winning illustrator Viviane Schwarz comes a romping, rhyming, hilarious tale sure to entertain wiggly bedtime readers everywhere. • Perfect for children who are learning good bedtime, bath time, and toothbrushing habits • Silly and clever rhymes make this a perfect read-aloud book • From the bestselling author of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train Any child who loves Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, I Am Not Sleepy and Will Not Go to Bed, and Llama, Llama, Red Pajama will love How to Put an Octopus to Bed! • Read-aloud book for kids ages 3–5 • Toddler book about brushing teeth • Goodnight books for toddlers Sherri Duskey Rinker is the New York Times bestselling author of the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site series and Steam Train, Dream Train. She lives in Chicago with her photographer husband and two energetic, inquisitive sons. Viviane Schwarz is the author-illustrator of several picture books, including There Are Cats in this Book, There Are No Cats in this Book, and Is There a Dog in this Book? She can usually be found in her studio in London, unless she's outside researching and sketching.

If you were an octopus, you′d have eight legs to put into pants! Follow one little boy through his day as he playfully considers how mealtime, bath time, nap time, and many other activities would be different if he were a bird, a tiger, or any number of baby animals. Julie Markes′s first picture book is charmingly illustrated by Maggie Smith.

An NPR Best Book of 2018! Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they've got to do. Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there's Lenny, her mom's boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer. At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them. Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses. Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia's situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they're better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she's ever had? This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward.

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. Features an audio read-along! 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.