A story about constructing a story, Also an Octopus settles upon a hero - the eponymous octopus, playing his ukulele - gives him something to strive after - a purple spaceship that will take him to visit far galaxies! - and sets up a conflict - the hero's lack of spaceship-building skills. The result is a meta-fictional tale that entertains, even as it self-consciously draws the reader's attention to its own process...

A fun little read, Also an Octopus is author Maggie Tokuda-Hall's picture-book debut, and is both engaging and though-provoking, hopefully prompting young listeners to consider just what is needed to create a good story. The artwork by Benji Davies, creator of such gorgeous titles as The Storm Whale and its sequel, The Storm Whale in Winter, is just as lovely as one would expect. The color scheme is subtle but appealing, and the figures have a stylized, almost folkloric charm. Recommended to Davies fans, and to anyone searching for children's stories about storytelling and/or octopuses. ( )

ALSO AN OCTOPUS by Maggie Tokuda-Hall is an engaging picture book exploring how stories are created.

This inspirational picture book tells the story of how stories are built. The author begins with a blank page, adds characters, and builds the plot using a silly situation sure to capture the imagination of young readers.

Librarians will find this book to be a useful way to introduce the elements of stories to young writers. Work with primary teachers to weave this book into the language arts curriculum.

Learn more about the author at http://www.prettyokmaggie.com/.

Published by Candlewick Press on October 4, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher. ( )