Also An Octopus

Cover Image

Description

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.

Press

A Bank Street Best Children's Book of 2017 --Humor Category

"There’s a playful look at plot mechanics in Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Benji Davies’ Also an Octopus (Walker), which first asks what a story needs, then supplies it – in the shape of an eight-legged protagonist, a space-travel dream and a ukulele. With dynamic, polychromatic illustrations and finely judged text, this paean to the “little bit of nothing” with which a book begins should be a sure-fire hit for aspiring writers of any age." --The Guardian 

"This is a smart and uplifting look at how stories work and the power of imagination – paired with bright colours and a very cuddly octopus in a cosy red hat. One for the creative kids out there (which is to say, all of them)." --The Irish Times 

"Tokuda-Hall subtly introduces concepts like conflict and emotional stakes... and the concluding image—of a rocket scientist water-skiing atop a rhino while wearing a colander on her head—cements the idea that, when it comes to storytelling, anything is possible." --Publisher's Weekly 

"A perceptive how-to for beginner storytellers." --Kirkus Reviews  

"In terms of new children’s writers, Maggie Tokuda-Hall is definitely one to watch." --The Fountain

"The payoff for an adult reading a child’s book is in the child’s reaction. Tokuda-Hall’s tale of an octopus (quite darling, in the illustrator Benji Davies’s rendering) building a spaceship out of waffles made my kids laugh hysterically. There’s no sweeter sound," --The New York Times  

"Funny and engaging, this book has an interactive quality that will inspire kids to imagine a story of their own." --Booklist