I'M A DUMBO OCTOPUS!

In this work of graphic nonfiction, a stubby pink host introduces readers to the other members of a remarkably diverse taxonomic class.

Those who don’t already appreciate the special talents of the four types of cephalopods—octopuses, nautiluses, cuttlefish, and squids—will get both an earful and an eyeful from chatty, pink-cheeked Grimpy (“That’s short for Grimpoteuthis”). The utterly appealing narrator undulates up from the benthic depths to point blunt limbs at various smiling but otherwise accurately rendered relatives while fondly highlighting their intelligence and abilities to disguise themselves by changing shapes and colors, to ooze through the narrowest of gaps, and to escape predators amid billowing inky clouds. Lambelet offers an enchanting blend of whimsy and well-chosen, creatively expressed facts. She covers multiple species, from the Japanese flying squid, which can glide through the air for short distances, to the giant Pacific octopus, which can weigh 100 pounds. And when Grimpy, who can’t fly, glow, change shape, or shoot ink, feels less than special, several cousins gather around to soothingly lay out the unique adaptations that allow dumbos to live at depths of over 23,000 feet, more than twice as deep as any of them. A visual glossary and a photo of the adorably ungainly narrator round off this look at some of the ocean’s more exotic residents.

An informative, buoyant, and wildly original look at some marine marvels.