Good Thing You're Not an Octopus!

The world of small children is filled with day-in, day-out challenges and tiresome activities. If someone's not telling you to get dressed, they're making you eat lunch, climb into the car seat, or take a nap. However, young humans should count their blessings. Baby birds have to eat worms for lunch. Tigers may not ever have to climb into a bathtub, but that's because their mothers are always licking them clean! And imagine being a shark when it comes time to brush your teeth--all 200 of them. Julie Markes hits her mark with this clever picture book, which will probably make at least a few human children appreciate their relatively simple daily routines (at least when compared to shoeless caterpillars). Maggie Smith's playful, detailed illustrations bring every character to life, with continually changing expressions even on the faces of the protagonist's many stuffed animals. Smith's artistic humor, combined with Markes's wise, wonderful text, will make this a favorite among kids and their parents, who may even want to expand and personalize the game for their own daily skirmishes. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

Product Description
It"s a good thing
you're not an
octopus!

If you were an octopus, you would have eight legs to put into your pants!

Follow one little boy through his day as he playfully considers how mealtime, bath time, nap time, and many other activities would be different if he were a bird, a tiger, or any number of baby animals. At the end of the day he realizes that the best thing of all is to be himself!

Julie Markes's first picture book is charmingly illustrated by Maggie Smith.

The only redeeming thing for me is the pictures, which are cute, clever and full of detail to point out with your young child. But it's certainly not something I want my child reading on a regular basis. I thought I was being generous to give it two stars. ... Also, I'm surprised that it's recommended for ages 4-8. I'd have thought it was more appropriate for the 2-4 year old crowd. (Thought I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.)


get ready to read it over and over   July 17, 2002
traceybeehive (Laguna Beach, Calif.)
My three year old god daughter has me read this to her for the first time the other day and it has been on the top of the request list ever since. She loves the rhythmic style of the story and it's bright light-hearted style. The author has taken a simple premise and turned it into a playful romp that kids will absolutely love. And it has gotten her to get dressed and brush her teeth without as much fuss......read it to find out what I mean. Really fun book.