Octavia and Her Purple Ink Cloud

by Donna Rathmell, Doreen Rathmell, Doreen Rathmell Meredith

Book Overview

Octavia Octopus and her sea-animal friends love playing camouflage games to practice how they would hide from a "big, hungry creature." Octavia, however, just cannot seem to get her colors right when she tries to shoot her purple ink cloud. What happens when the big, hungry shark shows up looking for his dinner? This creative book introduces basic colors along with the camouflage techniques of various sea animals - a great introduction to marine biology...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0976494353
• ISBN13: 9780976494355
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.8" x 10.2"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

excellent

My four year old has read this book about a million times, at her own request. Not only that, but one of her favorite games now is to use her plastic octopus and other fish toys to imitate the story in the book. The animals all use different defenses to get away from the shark. She even came up with some of her own, like dolphin who "jumps out of the water." She likes the build up of drama as the shark in the book gets closer and closer.

Learning about the octopus

Octavia the octopus and her ocean dwelling friends have a favorite game they play about how to protect themselves from enemies. Each of Octavia's friends has a special trick that they perform perfectly every time. The seahorse hangs onto seaweed and enemies can't see it. The turtle hides in grass. Octavia boasts that she can shoot purple ink, but every time she tries to prove it to her friends, something goes wrong and she ends up with a different color. Then the real test comes--a shark is tracking Octavia. Will she be able to shoot purple ink when she needs to? Octavia and Her Purple Ink Cloud is a wonderful book for children ages 4 to 8. It not only teaches different colors, but it also gives facts about how different ocean creatures protect themselves from predators. Both my two- and five-year-olds enjoyed the colorful pictures, and the older one was totally engrossed in the story. My preteen daughter enjoyed the additional facts about octopuses at the end of the book. Armchair Interview says: Some simple crafts are included that will also help youngsters with colors.

Octavia And Her Purple Ink Cloud

This is a charming story about Octavia Octopus and her friends who live in a small, secret cave in a colorful coral reef. They often pass the time practicing "how to hide from a hungry creature." Her friend Porcupine fish is able to puff up and turn himself into a big prickly ball. Octavia tells him she is able to squirt purple ink as a means of escape. She squirts a cloud to demonstrate this ability, but to her dismay it is yellow. Sandy Seahorse amuses Octavia when he shows her how he can wrap his tail around part of a plant. He sways with the plant leaves and becomes almost invisible. Again trying to squirt her purple ink, it squirts out orange, she sighs and says, "I guess I'd better practice." Freddy Flounder changes color and hides on the ocean floor. He has very strange, funny eyes and is able to see in many different directions. Again Octavia unsuccessfully tries to squirt purple ink but it squirts out green. Greta Sea Turtle, Carolyn Clown Fish, and Polly Parrotfish all demonstrate their survival tactics. Octavia continues to practice to squirt purple ink but consequently she quirts red and blue. After much practice Octavia is finally successful squirting her allusive purple ink just as a very big, very hungry shark approaches. She and her friends are able to hide from the hungry shark and he swims away with an empty belly. Children as well as parents will learn interesting facts about the unique octopus in the section "Octopus Fun Facts" in the back of the book.