Buy new:
$16.99
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: Alamobazaarusa
$16.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 9. Order within 10 hrs 38 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$16.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
Alamobazaarusa
Sold by
Alamobazaarusa
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$15.68
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Minimal signs of wear. Corners and cover may show wear. May contain highlighting and or writing. May be missing dust jacket. May not include supplemental materials. May be a former library book. Ships direct from Amazon! Minimal signs of wear. Corners and cover may show wear. May contain highlighting and or writing. May be missing dust jacket. May not include supplemental materials. May be a former library book. Ships direct from Amazon! See less
FREE delivery Saturday, May 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 10 hrs 38 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$16.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Also an Octopus Hardcover – Picture Book, October 4, 2016

by Maggie Tokuda-Hall (Author), Benji Davies (Illustrator)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 100 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$16.99","priceAmount":16.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"tDCKEAKE6yqjP3TGL1AE%2FrjeAqNzeuV8rStf%2BLC2ax%2BDhgyQP3mxO0cMgF71Q54RiUppL91BcKwmUnI%2BQSUg6JsSNS%2BaDcLdNjqKKeaI%2FwQid5pdV9y2ND%2BMvrWVjM4T%2BeFBk%2BwWVBP2TyeXA2CD1UCTpjrpE45eXZlyd6hsxIxVhKfAhTDKVL562c%2FhYZ65","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$15.68","priceAmount":15.68,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"68","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"tDCKEAKE6yqjP3TGL1AE%2FrjeAqNzeuV8V80s7GgliEaEeaty48vwfv%2F8FDvLh1QDmi5KfbBwgzx%2BPnZZm2YPFhV5jHUdmlkdvYICAhK4xPacpG%2FggGHr5jfc5%2FkwrCAHpb5ETi%2BappB4Hdm9TZor5uE3ncvKwmDIL0lC1qugZB%2BQH0iENEYaag%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A 2017 Parent's Choice Gold Award Winner: Picture Books

Even the most totally awesome story starts with a little bit of nothing. What happens next is up to you! A delightfully meta picture book that will set imaginations soaring.

It begins with an octopus who plays the ukulele. Since this is a story, the octopus has to want something—maybe to travel to faraway galaxies in a totally awesome purple spaceship. Then the octopus sets out to build a spaceship out of soda cans, glue, umbrellas, glitter, and waffles. OK, maybe the octopus needs some help, like from an adorable bunny friend, and maybe that bunny turns out to be . . . a rocket scientist? (Probably not.) But could something even more amazing come to pass? Debut author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, with the help of illustrator Benji Davies, sets up an endearingly funny story, then hands the baton to readers, who will be more than primed to take it away.
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    3 - 7 years
  2. Print length
    32 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 2
  5. Dimensions
    9 x 0.5 x 12 inches
  6. Publisher
    Candlewick
  7. Publication date
    October 4, 2016
  8. ISBN-10
    0763670847
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0763670849
  10. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

Also an Octopus
$16.99
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Alamobazaarusa and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
Love in the Library
$10.99
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
$8.00
Get it May 13 - 16
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by sweethomeliquid2.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3—"Every story starts the same way…with nothing." So begins this picture book, which doubles as an encouraging exercise in story development. Moving on from nothing, the narrator says that every story needs a character, and after presenting a couple of possibilities (a little girl, a bunny), it settles on an octopus who plays the ukulele. From there, the narrator explores the concept of plot: "But in order for it to be a story, and not just an octopus, that octopus needs to want something." This particular octopus wants a spaceship, a complicated desire that sets the stage for plenty of comedy and the introduction of more characters (including the girl, the bunny, and some rocket scientists). The bubbly, appealing art has punchy humor and works as an ongoing conversation with the narration, bringing the fumbling but exciting progress of crafting a new story to life. As the book ends, the visuals move the plot in a multitude of new directions, but the text leaves everything open-ended, concluding with encouragement for readers to take it from there. The final page shows one of the rocket scientists wielding a wrench and sporting a colander on her head as she rides a water-skiing rhinoceros off the right-hand page into whatever new plot readers can dream up for her. VERDICT This entertaining read-aloud will jump-start imaginations and create opportunities for thinking about existing tales as well as for making new ones.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

Review

Debut author Tokuda-Hall offers a capricious crash course in the elements and boundless possibilities of story...freewheeling digital art keeps pace with the encouraging narration, and the concluding image—of a rocket scientist water-skiing atop a rhino while wearing a colander on her head—cements the idea that, when it comes to storytelling, anything is possible.
—Publishers Weekly

Mixing deadpan humor with whimsical, endearing characters, Tokuda-Hall spins a reader-friendly metanarrative out of a wickedly absurd premise. Filled with numerous shades of purple, yellow, and blue, Davies' inspired digital artwork springs from the page, like bursts of an overactive imagination...A perceptive how-to for beginner storytellers.
—Kirkus Reviews

Funny and engaging, this book has an interactive quality that will inspire kids to imagine a story of their own.
—Booklist

The bubbly, appealing art has punchy humor and works as an ongoing conversation with the narration, bringing the fumbling but exciting progress of crafting a new story to life...This entertaining read-aloud will jump-start imaginations and create opportunities for thinking about existing tales as well as for making new ones.
—School Library Journal

A superfun story that completely engages the imagination (while actually teaching kids about constructing a good story), "Also an Octopus" is first rate in every way.
—Reading Eagle (from Kendal Rautzhan's "Books to Borrow")

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick; Illustrated edition (October 4, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0763670847
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0763670849
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 2
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 0.5 x 12 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 100 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Maggie Tokuda-Hall is the author of Also an Octopus, illustrated by Benji Davies. The Mermaid, The Witch, and The Sea is her first novel.

You can read her writing for adults in her column for Catapult Magazine (Fear and Loathing in Utero), and her fiction on The Rumpus, Joyland Magazine, and Columbia Journal for Literature and the Arts.

She lives in Oakland, California with her husband, son, and objectively perfect dog.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
100 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dr H
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful book
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2020
Verified Purchase
I'm an octopus fan, so I had to try this book. Every kids I've given it to has loved it -- two nieces and a newphew, so far.

A bored octopus decides to dream big: he wants a rocket ship! But rocket ships are expensive, and he has no money. So what does he do? Well, he goes busking with his ukulele, of course. And it turns out people love his music! I'll say no more about the plot, so as not to spoil it for you.

Appropriate for new readers (Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd grade), and beautifully illustrated.

Get your, today. :)
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Christina
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read-a-Loud
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
My 5yr old son and I checked this book out at the library and we both LOVED it! We enjoyed it so much that we bought it. It's a fun story to read but also inspires children to create their own - out of just a little bit of nothing
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amy Shane
4.0 out of 5 stars Readers will bounce along with delight as a friendly octopus gets built right into a ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2017
Also An Octopus, explores the process behind building a story. Readers will bounce along with delight as a friendly octopus gets built right into a story. Add in a ukulele, a sandwich, a friend and a purple spaceship; you get the beginnings of a story. But what happens when the spaceship doesn’t work? You add an in a bunny. But what happens when it all becomes a mess? You begin again, and let your imagination soar. A charming story teaching children and students the importance of how starting with a little bit of nothing, can blossom into one amazing story, and if not, you can just begin again. Ending with the most important question- what is your story?

From my weekly newspaper column: For the Love of Books-Dixon's Independent Voice
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Paul N.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book. Colorful. Origional. Delightful.
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
This delightful and colorful children's book is more than just a story. Also an Octopus is an invitation to create, a lesson on how to create, and permission to make your own art. I hate to use the word empowering but it really kind of is.
Helpful
 Report
HD4386
5.0 out of 5 stars So good!
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
Loved this book! Great concept wonderful illustrations, funny and oh so fun.
Helpful
 Report
Kylie
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for any age!
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
I love using this book to teach my students at any age about story telling. It’s silly and fun!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Becky B.
4.0 out of 5 stars A nice tool for writing classes and creative kids
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2018
How do you make a story? Learn from this book about an octopus who wants to build an intergalactic spaceship.

Adorable illustrations accompany some great pointers in how to build a story by picking a character and a problem to write about. A nice tool for writing classes and creative kids.
Helpful
 Report
David
5.0 out of 5 stars Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
It was fine
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars profits first
Reviewed in Germany on October 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Quality of a product is good. Additional hidden costs not disclosed by the seller. Refund of additional costs unapologetically refused. Would not shop with them ever again.
Report
Emma
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
Fab book foe my Year 1 class and it arrived swiftly and in great condition.
Report
Gem Tetley
3.0 out of 5 stars So-so
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this, but it was totally lost on my 4 year old who hasn't requested it again since I first read it. Not the inspiration I was hoping for.
Report