Octopuses!: Strange and Wonderful

Strange and Wonderful

by Laurence Pringle, Meryl Learnihan Henderson (Illustrator)

Did you know that octopuses can eject ink in the shape of a ghostly octopus or detach a wiggling arm while jetting away to safety? Or that their skin can change color for camouflage? Octopuses are the subject of this latest installment of the
successful Strange and Wonderful series. Covering the entire life cycle of these mysterious ocean dwellers and their anatomical details and behavioral quirks, Laurence Pringle’s investigation of octopuses is both a comprehensive and
accessible introduction and resource.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2015

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reliably, Laurence Pringle offers an interesting introduction for middle grade readers on the octopus. It sets the record straight on the "attacking octopus" myth (it doesn't happen- they're terrified of humans and in rare cases have only defended themselves), and on the word "octopi" (technically incorrect- start saying "octopodes" instead) gives information about their bodies, adaptations, habitat, food, and even mating (which they only do immediately before death- interesting, huh?)

I, like many other reviews I read, would have preferred photographs of the octopus to make it seem more fact-based, but the watercolor illustrations do the trick, and this does make it unique among recent books about these sea creatures.

As per usual, Pringle includes excellent back matter, with sections entitled Glossary, To Learn More (with books and periodicals listed) Websites, and Index. It also gives an answer key for a "seek and find" earlier in the book.

[Aliza Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed with facts about octopuses! Watercolor illustrations provide the visuals, and the text shares engaging and important facts about these unique and intelligent creatures.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book that has new information even for octopus fans. The page where you try to find six hidden octopuses was particularly fun. I only wish that each octopus was reliably identified. My son asked about several that weren't labelled.

[Lauri Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and bright illustration. Lots of interesting information about camouflage, including a spread where the reader tries to find 5 octopuses. Covers anatomy, reproduction , hunting, etc. it flows in continuous prose, without sections or spread titles or call outs.
Boyds mills press, 2015

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid expository nonfiction book on a very interesting topic. Robust scientific facts and eye-catching illustrations. Back matter includes an index, glossary and Learn More sections for further learning and exploration.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction text about octopuses is obviously above the level of my toddlers, so I did not read every word. However, we've spent a lot of time studying octopuses this week, so they already knew most of what was written. They especially enjoyed the page with the hidden octopuses.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great information about octopuses and beautiful illustrations.

[Joleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible! Well written and illustrated.

[Abby Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations accompany lots of clear and simple information. Love it!

[Zack Rodgers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and factual book with great illustrations! For a children's book, it actually goes very in depth into details about octopuses. The illustrations show how it changes color and can fit through tiny holes. On one page it has a FANTASTIC exercise where it has 5 or 6 octopuses camouflaged in a full page spread and you have to try to find them, and it is tricky. Kid's would love that exercise and I would want the book in my classroom for that page alone.

[Teresa Scherping Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's right - this book is called "Octopuses" NOT "Octopi." Despite the fact that many of us were taught differently, more than one "octopus" should be called "octopuses" or, if you really want a fun word, "octopodes" (ock-TOP-uh-deez). That's just one of the interesting things I learned from the book Octopuses: Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle. Although we might think of octopuses as huge creatures, most of the 300 species of octopuses are small - some would even fit in the palm of your hand! What we think is the octopus's head is actually a body part called the mantle that contains the stomach, kidneys, gills, and THREE hearts! Octopuses are the smartest of the invertebrate animals; some scientists think they're as smart as a dog or cat. Invertebrate means that octopuses have no backbone - or any other bones for that matter. The only hard, inflexible part of an octopus is its beak. If an octopus's beak can fit through a small hole in a rock or piece of coral, then the WHOLE octopus can fit through it! But the most amazing of all octopus "tricks" is the ability to change the color, texture, and shape of their bodies with the chromatophores in their skin - instantly!

This was a fun read. I still find octopuses a little creepy, but I can't deny that they are super interesting. You can probably tell by my booktalk above that I learned a lot of amazing facts, facts that I was quick to share with anyone who would listen. I do wish that the book had some photographs, but I also see the benefit of illustrated nonfiction books, and these illustrations were lovely. Actually, if you want to see some real octopuses, I think videos do them justice more than photos. They are seriously amazing creatures.

I would recommend this book to grades 3-6, especially fans of animals and weird facts. Readalikes for this book might include other books about octopuses like The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of a Mollusk by Sy Montgomery or books about weird animal facts like 100 Most Feared Creatures by Anna Claybourne.

[Jennifer Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Octopus Alone
Srinivasan, D. (2013). Octopus Alone. New York, NY: Viking Books.

Rationale
Octopus Alone is a cute story about an octopus that wants to be alone and have some quiet time. We see the octopus travel across and the water and it sees a lot of different sea creatures. Eventually, octopus wants to go home to his friends. These books go well together because they both discuss the abilities of an octopus. For example octopuses can change their body color to match their surroundings. They can also squirt ink when they want to get away and they can squeeze through tiny spaces.

Text Structures
Description

Text Features
Glossary
Index
Diagrams
Captions

Strategy
For these books I would use a KWL chart. First, I would ask the students what they know about octopuses. Then, we would write down what they want to know more about them. Next I would read both books to the students and then we would discuss what they learned from both of them.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and engaging, this book offers a solid introduction to the amazing octopus. Addresses differences between species, historical ideas about the octopus, anatomy, physiology, habitats and rearing of young. Includes a glossary, bibliography (books, articles and websites), and index. There is even a search-and-find page where the reader must find six octopuses hiding in the sand, coral, and plants on the ocean floor. The illustrator, with whom Pringle has collaborated on numerous other non-fiction books, has used watercolors with a pleasing and realistic result. My only complaint is the absence of detail on how octopuses actually reproduce.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I'd prefer photographs, the illustrations are very well done, and provide inclusion of a puzzle for readers to enjoy searching for the hidden octopuses. Many pages have white background, thus bringing the readers attention to the octopus being discussed.
I thought at first it was a bit too text heavy, but the phrases used make it very interesting reading - could be used as a read aloud!
Lots of examples of how non-fiction books can be written to show scientific knowledge:
"They are probably smarter..."
"Some scientists think..."
Index, glossary, and "To Learn More" lists are helpful.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic fact filled read about the smartest invertebrate on the planet, the octopus! Did you know that some species of octopus can eject ink in the shape of an octopus to confuse predators and aid in escape? Or that the proper way to pronounce the plural for octopus is octopodes, not octopi! Even my spell checker in Word doesn’t seem to know that one. This would be a wonderful addition to any elementary/ middle school library or classroom.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both interesting and informative - I learned something new on the second page!

Octopuses (or Octopodes) are fascinating creatures, and this book does a great job of explaining WHY they're just so cool. The illustrations are very detailed and the text is clear. It's not dumbed down but it's not too complicated.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is perfect nonfiction for third grade researchers. The text is full of facts that are not typically already known by students (or this teacher!), and there are additional sources for further information listed at the end.

[Julie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, informative book about octopuses. The information was good and not too overwhelming and the illustrations were nice. I would have like actual photographs but that's just me. A solid book about the topic.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this fact-filled book about octopuses, I wanted to know more about the! Very interesting and informative read. Will be adding it to my elementary school library.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent middle grade children's nonfiction. Wonderful color illustrations by Meryl Henderson.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written for children ages 7-9. It has won the 2015 Eureka Honor Award for excellence in Nonfiction for young readers. This books main purpose is to inform children about the amazing and odd creatures called octopuses. The book talks about what they are, what family they are in a dell other information about them. I rated this book a 4 because I think although it is informative it is a bit long for some children. The illustrations are wonderful and really capture the look of an octopus.