  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 04/01/2018 This jaunty tale of derring-do imagines Inky the octopus’ real-life escape from the National Aquarium of New Zealand from Inky’s point of view. The golden-hued fellow can see the ocean from his tank and wants nothing more than to explore its waters, though it would mean leaving his aquarium friends behind. One night the lid to his tank isn’t secured, and the crafty critter gets his chance, oozing over its glass wall, down a drain in the floor, and out to the sea. Large-scale illustrations in bright watercolors pair with minimal text, making this easy to share with a group. Though the lines of rhyming text don’t always scan, a refrain echoing Inky’s desire to be free in the open sea anchors the story and offers support to young readers and listeners. The most interesting part of the book is actually its back matter, which not only gives a straightforward account of Inky’s escape but also details the antics of other aquariums’ octopuses and offers scintillating cephalopod facts. Who isn’t a sucker for that? - Copyright 2018 Booklist. School Library Journal - 04/01/2018 PreS-Gr 1—An imagined adventure inspired by real-life escape-artist octopodes. Told in rhyming couplets that are occasionally a little clumsy, the story shows the eponymous Inky dreaming of the world outside the walls of his aquarium. One day, Inky discovers the lid of his tank unlatched, and though his friends decline to join him, he slips through a drain and into the open sea. The illustrations are humorous, and rendered in bright and tonal colors. The human characters depicted, including a family, a custodian, and another aquarium worker, are white. The colors and shapes used to depict the marine life create a great deal of personality and visual interest for the background of the illustrations. Portrayals of Inky's life in the aquarium make more use of white space while the world outside incorporates more color, with the final pages depicting the open ocean and coral reef proving the most colorful of all. The back matter provides additional information about octopodes, as well as the stories of their real-life aquarium high jinks. VERDICT A suitable selection for reading aloud or as an independent read for early elementary schoolers.—Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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