Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always

A friendship book a la George and Martha, but perhaps as they are Octopus & Squid (& lack names?), they don't seem to have the same heft. That said, the stories are charming, the limited palette illustrations are expressive (especially the asides from the starfish & hermit crabs), and I will buy & recommend it for my library. I must also note that there is particular appeal in these stories for those of us who knit.

Oh. Wow. Relatively traditional stories of friends, but instead of bunnies, kittens, or even Frog & Toad, these are sea creatures.

The art is wonderful - it looks simple, but there's no way that most of us could include that much enchanting detail and still keep it clean enough for my old eyes. Love the urchins, anemones, etc. Love the commentary by the minnows. Love the color palette and the design. Esp. love the lobster, from which we learn the word 'muse.' Not sure what the other poses signify, but one was wonderfully evocative of the classic movie Singing in the Rain."

This is a book to buy, as the child will probably want to have it read over & over again, and adult won't mind because the pictures are so enchanting."

Four short stories about squid and octopus let you see how much they have in common. The stories all have different mini morals but they aren't overly preachy, four toned illustrations were gorgeous. Make sure to check out the other fish and what they say and do.

Four short stories about squid and octopus let you see how much they have in common. The stories all have different mini morals but they aren't overly preachy, four toned illustrations were gorgeous. Make sure to check out the other fish and what they say and do.

A friendship book a la George and Martha, but perhaps as they are Octopus & Squid (& lack names?), they don't seem to have the same heft. That said, the stories are charming, the limited palette illustrations are expressive (especially the asides from the starfish & hermit crabs), and I will buy & recommend it for my library. I must also note that there is particular appeal in these stories for those of us who knit.

Squid and Octopus are friends, but even friends can have differences. Children will relate to how they work through their differences and make compromises so that both are happy. Lovely whimsical vignettes with cute illustrations of their adventures in the sea.

Squid and Octopus Friends for Always by Tao Nyeu is an early reader about a pair of cephalopod friends. Like the Frog and Toad books, this one has four short stories: The Quarrel, The Dream, The Hat, and The Fortune Cookie.

My favorite of the set is the Hat. Octopus finds a fisherman's boot and declares it's a hat. All the other sea friends come up with ideas for what it really is. Squid, though, finds the other book and also declares it's a hat. From then on, the boots are hats.

The illustrations are adorable. They're done in primarily pastel shades of green and blue with some grays. Stylistically they remind me of a blend between Arnold Lobel's books and Meomi's Octonauts series.