Octopus Stew
By Carrie Kingsley, Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Octopus adventure celebrates imagination, Latino culture.
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What's the Story?
In OCTOPUS STEW, young, cape-wearing Ramsey isn't thrilled when his grandma decides to make octopus stew for dinner. At the grocery store, he's sure the octopus is still alive, and things get even worse when they get home and his grandma puts it in the pot. The octopus comes to life and becomes enormous, leaving Ramsey and his superhero ideas to save his grandma in time. There are two ways to read the book: Open the flaps of the middle pages and see it as Ramsey telling his family a story, or leave the flaps closed and it's all about Ramsey and the octopus.
Is It Any Good?
This funny adventure is visually rich and full of imagination, and gives readers a glimpse of Latino storytelling traditions through the eyes of a young boy. The back-and-forth between Ramsey and his grandma will be familiar to many families, as will his dislike of eating foods grown-ups love. Octopus Stew is a great read-aloud book, with lots of "blop" and "kerchunk" sound effects as things with the octopus go incredibly wrong. The Spanish words and phrases throughout the book will be fun for native speakers and a chance to learn for others. And the octopus stew recipe at the end of the book could lead adventurous cooks to the kitchen.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Octopus Stew reminds them of their own family's food. What traditional food does your family eat that it seems like only the adults enjoy?
How does your family share stories?
What makes a story a "tall tale"? What other books have you read that seem like tall tales?
Book Details
- Author: Eric Velásquez
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Cooking and Baking , Magic and Fantasy , Superheroes , Adventures , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models , Ocean Creatures
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Holiday House
- Publication date: September 17, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Paperback, Hardback
- Last updated: September 11, 2020
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Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Books with Latino Characters
Bilingual Books (English/Spanish)
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