Squid in Pants: Ready-to-Read Level 1

by Kaz Windness

A squid wants to dress in the latest fashion—if only he could find some clothes—in this hilarious Level 1 Ready-to-Read from Theodore Geisel Honor–winning author-illustrator Kaz Windness!

Two shoes. FLIP-FLOP!
One shirt.
Tank top!
Nice pants. Kid gone?
Squid puts clothes on!

When a fashion-seeking squid spies some abandoned clothing on a boat, he feels his time has come at last! He takes the clothes to try on, but when their owner returns, a deal must be struck!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Humor, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published May 13, 2025

Reviews

[Emelisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super easy read. Loved the rhyming. We laughed when he traded the clothes with the kid even though its the kids clothes he was wearing.

[Stan Yan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious fun. I love sea creatures and I love animals in clothes. This book has my heart!

[Koralsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable! A fashion-forward squid in need of clothes...
The colors are so vibrant. The characters are so cute! Highly recommend!!

[Jessica Calaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading age
4 - 6 years

For the younger side. Is a bit hard to follow, but great with counting!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Sad squid. No clothes. I would wear those. Fish friends spot kid. We found clothes, Squid! Four friends, one boat. Two socks, one coat. Two shoes. Flip-flop! One shirt. Tank top! Nice pants. Kid gone? Squid puts clothes on!

Premise/plot: Squid and friends enjoy trying on and wearing human clothes...but all does not go smoothly under the sea.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. What I enjoyed most was the rhythm and rhyme of the story. I liked the short, choppy sentences. I liked the rhyme. I liked the humor. I think it is incredibly silly. I think this one will probably have a good amount of kid appeal since UNDERWEAR.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A silly rhyming early reading picture book about a squid who sees an ad for a pair of briefs and longs to wear them. Then some friends swipe some clothes from an inattentive kid and the fun really begins. Colorful illustrations and a humorous text ("I inked.") will make this a fun book for little ones to read aloud and share.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the rhythm and the rhyme in this sweet and silly early reader about a squid who desperately wants to wear clothes. Adorable illustrations and snappy short sentences make it an irresistible read.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Squid yearns for clothes after seeing an underwear package float by. His friends are on the job - finding an inattentive kid fishing nearby. Lots of fun ensues - love the fashion parade! Adorable sea creatures and level one rhyming text by Geisel honoree.

[Josh Campeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually flip through the leveled readers, but I decided to with this one. It was silly fun, but just okay.

[Andrea Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wacky fun book that all kids will love!

[Penny Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable early reader. Absolutely gorgeous illustrations. Fun, cute and full of fun!

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confusing

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great choice for those just beginning. Funny and fun.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, fun, fun!

[Miss Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and cute - but a little hard to follow. I don't feel great about that, especially since this book is intended to be an early reader.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly, and hard to follow as a story. But fun for little learners

[Andréa · Rating 2 out of 5]

So strange.

[Lbsantini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is pretty genius.