An Octopus Followed Me Home

by Dan Yaccarino

Since her house is already filled with giraffes, crocodiles, and elephants, her father requests a very good reason from his daughter as to why she needs to keep a giantsized octopus at home as well. Reprint.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Exhibitions of his work have been held throughout the world. He is also the creator of the animated TV Series Willa's Wild Life and Oswald.

Mr. Yaccarino lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book about a young girl who brin gs home pets that take over the house but a few of my teachers found the illustrations of dad dated. Toddler and up

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I read this, I thought of the many times I've seen this idea before. Then I realized how old this book was and had to give it credit for doing it first. It's cute, and I love Yaccarino's art style. I wish the rhythm of the rhymed story were more on point.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

When a little girl brings home an octopus and wants to keep it as a pet, her father reminds her of all the wild animals that she has already bought home.

Note to readers: Wild animals are not pets. Keeping wild animals as pets is inhumane, unsafe, and illegal.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice rhyme scheme. Simple, bold illustrations. This was a hit with both toddlers and preschoolers.

[Faloni © · Rating 5 out of 5]

😹🏚🌧Cant wait to get home and
Crawl in bed. Over it. 🍣🐙 http://dj.empi.re/hands-on-you-dj-pack

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you have a child who brings home stray animals? This is the book for you!

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like the dad smoking a pipe.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dad’s had enough. With a crocodile under his bed, pesky seals in his swimming pool, a grizzly bear hibernating in his living room and mountain goats on his roof, dad just don’t think he can handle an octopus in his bathtub. These pets along with many others are taking over his home that he shares with his daughter. This building is more like a zoo than a home and it is being filled with animals that his daughter loves. His daughter claims these pets follow her home but if you take a closer look at the pictures, you will see otherwise. It’s a sad goodbye as his daughter waves to the octopus but her father can’t handle one more pet in the house. The story is not over though, as his red-haired daughter behavior is determined to fill her home with more critters.

The pictures are bright and I enjoyed all the different animals that she chose as pets. Nothing small makes her list and they all seemed to enjoy their new habitat. Father is very tolerable of his daughter’s pets and where she finds her pets is a mystery. The story line is entertaining and it is enjoyable book. I myself, was taken back by the word hate that father used in the book. Father said “But it’s though rabbits that I hate the most. They multiply every day!” I know I am being picky but it’s a strong word that I try not to use around young children. There are other words that can be substituted for this word and not be so harsh. This is a cute book and I am love how her pets adjust to living in her house.

[Rita Date · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Octopus Followed Me Home is about a little girl who loves pets. One day she is followed home by an octopus. When she asks her father if it can stay her father lists off all the other animals that are already in his house. He goes through every place in the house and lists off each animal that is staying there. At the end of the book, the father says no to the octopus staying and the little girl is once again followed home by another creature. This story is simple but would be good to read to a kindergarten class. The illustrations are simple as well but they contain bright bold colors. This would be good to have in the classroom because it is a short story that the children could become familiar with. It is also great for learning about different animals. I hope to have this in my classroom.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a brief, funny fantasy told in rhyme, about a little girl who just can't say no to the exotic animals she runs across, and she invites them home to live with her. The story is told mostly in the form of a diatribe from Dad, who describes each of the animals crowding their home: the crocodile under his bed, the seals in the pool, the goats on the roof. He forbids her to adopt the octopus for which she has requested, and she returns him to the ocean; but then escalates the excitement when she finds a dinosaur and leads him homeward on a leash.

There's not much substance to this story, but it's told in a pleasing limerick-y fashion, and the ridiculousness of the exotic pets wreaking havoc in an ordered home has a rather elemental appeal.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could you say no to a sweet little pet with nowhere to go? How about a pet with big green, watery eyes & eight squiggly legs? All you need is a big heart, an understanding parent, and a house that isn't just a home--it's a complete zoo! Dan Yaccarino sets this comic tale in motion with bright, bold art that bursts off the page. Full color.

An Octopus Followed Me Home by Dan Yaccarino is a rhyming story that entertains most children who enjoy seeing the home that overflows with pets. The pictures are silly and appealing. My two favorite pictures show the bear and the penguins in the freezer and feature the rhyming words refrigerating & hibernating. Fun to read aloud or to share one on one. For ages 4 to 8.

[Jennifer Velez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very easy book for the students to read. This book is about a little girl that has all kinds of pets at her house, but they are not normal pets. Her pets are elephants, rabbits, goats, a bear and many more wild animals. An octopus followed her home and wanted to keep him. Her dad mentioned all the pets that already lived in the house and he said she couldn't keep the octopus, but she wasn't sad because another animal followed her home. I really like this book because the students are going easily going to be able to read it, and they are going to love it. The illustrations are very cute. I think this book could be very helpful to teach quotation marks, question marks and periods.

[Mikaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not that keen on Dan Yaccarino (creator of Oswald), but my kids really like his books and illustrations. They are simple and sometimes silly and my kids like them. This one had the same effect on me as all his other books and the same effect on my kids as all his other books have.

[Crystal Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!!! Why? Well...it was the first book I ever remembered reading. I remember picking it up in preschool when I was three years old and reading it and looking at the pictures and marveling at the penguins who lived in the fridge...This book is a classic for all ages.

[Bethany]

A silly book that was a favorite for my children when we had it from the library.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book. The little girl reminds me of my grandmother. As a child she would bring home all sorts of animals for pets.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always really liked Willa's Wild Life- can see the inspiration here.

[Pemberton Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 2013 pick.

[Dana Pressnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids always want different animals for pets and lots of pets

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My children and I enjoyed laughing at how many animals this little girl really got to keep. It was a fun read!

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story until she's forced to abandon the octopus! >:(

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow soon.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little girl wants all the animals. Her dad says their house if already full. Cute rhymes, even if liberties are taken. Illustrations are big and bold.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do have to admit that I like the cartoon that is based off of this book better than the book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rhyming picture book about a girl who wants to keep an octopus for a pet. As it turns out, this is not her first pet. With bright, bold illustrations and gentle humor, young listeners will appreciate the situation and will especially enjoy the ending.

[The Book Box]

Mama brought this home from her school library. We love Dan Yaccarino but haven't read all of his books, so it was fun to have new ones to read! Mama read me this one last night.