The Remarkable Octopus.
My son and I recently watch the Animal series, which includes an episode on cephalopods. We were intrigued by the creatures’ movements and body structure, beauty and intelligence. The cephalopods literally mean head foot translated in Greek. Thinking of cephalopods as a head attached to legs makes their extreme abilities to get through small spaces hard to comprehend, yet fascinating.
The two octopus in this month’s book pairings both escape their tanks in captivity in different ways. The children’s book this month is Inky the Octopus by Erin Guendelsberger with illustrations by David Leonard, perfect for readers age 4-10. The lyrical rhyming story is based on a true story of an octopus, Inky, who really did escape from the National Aquarium of New Zealand, according to the last four pages of interesting facts about octopus. The back matter was my 9 year old’s favorite part to discuss. Inky has a friend in the tank, Blotchy, who decides to stay in the comfort of his tank, while Inky escapes to the freedom he longs for in the ocean. The bright yellow octopus is an adorable character, who pulls your attention in and makes you route for his freedom.
In Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, we also find ourselves routing for the naughty behavior of the intelligent octopu, Marcellus McSquiddles. In this month’s adult novel, the reader experiences the story from three perspectives including the octopus Marcellus. I’ve never read an adult novel from the perspective of an animal - until now. The story of an elderly woman, an aging octopus and a thirty year old struggling man intersect in this fresh novel. All characters are caged in some way, including their past, the unknown or time. The impending events build to intertwine towards the end of this intriguing book.
The questions my son and I used to discuss July’s book pairing are:
What does it feel like to be caged if you are used to living in the wild ocean?
Have you ever felt trapped?
Do you think escaping the tank was the right or wrong choice?
What can you learn from an octopus?
Would you help an octopus or block it from escaping?
Click here to enter the July book giveaway.
