When a giant octopus arrives, the children LOVE their new friend: he makes the perfect slide and is fantastic at football! But some of the grown-ups aren’t so pleased. Will they drive away their spectacular, tentacular chum … or will they realise just how helpful and fun an octopus can be? The Highland Falcon Thiefwritten by M G Leonard and Sam Sedgman, and illustrated by Elisa Paganelli, won the Books for Younger Readers Category, When The World Was Ours, written by Liz Kessler, won the Books for Older Reader’s category winner.

Everyone is excited when an octopus appears on the roof of a house. Everyone that is except Mrs. Antrobus. Soon the octopus has made friends with everyone and is entertaining the children, helping the community by fixing things and solving all manner of problems. But one night the octopus is nowhere to be found… Steven Lenton’s illustrations are lively and bright, especially the neon-pink octopus. They are sure to ‘brighten’ anyone’s day and are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. This is a delightful rhyming narrative full of warmth and charm. It shows the kindness of others and how they are all excited when the octopus arrives. They make their new visitor feel welcome and include it in all their games and activities. The octopus proves how valuable it can be to the community when it fixes things and even Mrs. Antrobus likes the octopus after it rescues her hat and cat. The book is filled with lovely messages on accepting others, celebrating differences and friendship. This new instalment in The Little Princess’ adventures reminds children of the responsibilities of owning a pet, as well as depicting the kind of “frenemy” friendship that children often experience. Totally relatable for children, as well as making us laugh.

Expanding a child's knowledge of the animal kingdom has many benefits! Learning about the wider world beyond the classroom is great for general cognitive development. This knowledge may inspire more exploration of other animals or ideas. This was an instant hit with all of my three children. A colourful octopus on a roof, perfectly portrayed by Steven Lenton's fantastically detailed illustrations, was a concept too irresistible to miss out on. Peter Bently's flawless, fast-paced rhythm sweeps you up as fast as an octopus' tentacle and whizzes you through an exhilarating narration of a story that is as delightful as it is unique.

A warm and witty rhyming story about welcoming newcomers. Sunglasses at the ready this book has zingy fluorescent ink on the cover and inside illustrations. A warm and witty rhyming story about welcoming newcomers. Sunglasses at the ready – this book has zingy fluorescent ink on the cover and inside illustrations. It’s a quirky, pretty bonkers idea that an octopus would land on anybody’s roof but if one were to I would quite like this one as it is fluorescent orange!

Success!

The story is told in rhyme so it would be great to enjoy together but also makes it a good one to read by yourself as there are lots of supportive word clues from rhyme and obviously the illustrations help along the way too. Cette nouveauté de 2021 est un des plus adorables album jeunesse que j'ai vu cette année, et ce même avant de l'ouvrir, vu la couverture.

Het einde… tja, ik verklap niks. XD Maar ik kan je wel vertellen dat ik het einde echt helemaal top vond. Anisha Accidental Detective, written by Serena Patel and illustrated by Emma McCann, published by OUP

Why is it important for kids to learn facts about octopuses?

Peter Bently’s wonderfully crafted rhyming story is brilliant to read aloud, with a bouncy rhythm and hilarious vocabulary which will delight small listeners and is sure to become a regular favourite. It’s such an absurd notion that a giant octopus would arrive on a roof for no reason (and become so useful), but that’s the joy of this book, coupled with Steven Lenton’s colourful, characterful illustration – we really feel like we know Mrs Antrobus with her big hair curlers and slippers, and her diverse and friendly community – and the octopus itself, of course. It’s both a cosy and silly read, perfect for bedtime and any other time of the day when a story is needed.

One day an Octopus turns up on top of a house. It’s such a fun and silly situation and Erin’s reaction was great. She couldn’t believe it! At first the neighbours aren’t happy and no one really knows what to do. I mean, what do you do with an octopus living on top of your house? After a while it becomes clear that the octopus can not only be fun but useful too! These octopus facts for kids are also a fantastic way of inspiring creativity.Maybe they're writing stories and they want a cool animal to be a character, or maybe they want to make an octopus out of paper, the applications of this knowledge are endless. Ik kon dit boek gewoon niet laten liggen toen ik hem bij de bibliotheek zag. Kom op, een fluo octopus op een huis? Ik wil zeker meer weten! Waar komt ie vandaan? Waarom stort het huis niet in? Heeft ie water nodig? Waarom is hij daar? Since, little kids tend to remember things easier if they have more hands on materials, I thought having the octopus visible in every video was a great way for the students to interact with one another. Imagine if one day you woke up to find an octopus sitting on top of your house. Sounds ridiculous right? But oh what fun you could have!Would you rather serve a meal to a very polite rat or a very bad-mannered cat? John Burningham's hilarious sequel to Would You Rather... poses this and other vital questions. A brilliant book you can turn into a game, which also ends with a particularly snuggly bed. But then one day the octopus just goes away out of the blue. There’s a great surprise at the end so I won’t spoil it for you.