Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Roof Octopus
Illustrator: Rogerio Coelho
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Sleeping Bear Press, 2018 ISBN: 978-1585369973
One morning Nora is woken up by a strange sound. Something is tapping on her bedroom window. When she looks out of the window she sees that an enormous octopus is sitting on the roof of her apartment building. Soon Nora’s parents and their neighbors are standing outside on the sidewalk looking up at the octopus. Not surprisingly they don’t know what to think about their enormous visitor. Mr. Dodson thinks that they should call the coastguard, but the landlord believes that the solution is to ignore the animal and maybe it will go away.
Everybody does their best to ignore the octopus, but they soon discover that this is not going to be an easy thing to do. It turns out that the octopus likes to interact with the people who live in the apartment building. It helps Mr. Dodson wash his car, it pulls weeds from flower boxes, and it walks Abe McIntyre’s dogs. It really enjoys playing with Nora and her friends.
Not surprisingly, the octopus is soon a beloved member of the apartment building family, which is why Nora thinks nothing of asking the animal if it will come to her school on Friday for show and tell. The octopus agrees and Nora looks forward to sharing her friend with her classmates.
The next morning the octopus is gone and Nora is very sad. It would appear that the octopus has moved on after all.
Children and their grownups are going to love the octopus in this story. What’s not to love? It is really really big, it is beautiful (in a octopussy sort of way), it is kind and helpful, and it is really friendly. Readers will find themselves hoping that the octopus will come back. Surely it will.
