I'm a Dumbo Octopus! A Graphic Guide to Cephalopods

by Anne Lambelet

Genres: Children's, Graphic Novels
Pages: 72
Rating:

Synopsis:

Meet Grimpy! He’s a dumbo octopus, and he’s taking us on a tour of the whole cephalopod class—underwater creatures such as cuttlefish, nautiluses, octopuses, and squids.

Grimpy knows all about what makes these many-armed marvels so special, like how the coconut octopus uses tools or the cuttlefish talks with color! It seems like every creature has a special ability—except him. When Grimpy gets stuck on everything a dumbo octopus can’t do, the other cephalopods show him why it’s great to be a dumbo.

Anne Lambelet’s I’m A Dumbo Octopus! A Graphic Guide to Cephalopods is definitely aimed at kids, but it looked cute and fun, and I wanted a break, so I gave it a shot! And it’s pretty fun: it has a bit of a story, so it isn’t just a narration of facts, with Grimpy the Grimpoteuthis (a dumbo octopus) narrating and telling the reader how cool all the different kinds of cephalopod are.

I did actually learn some things (like a clear articulation of the difference between tentacles and arms), and get a much better idea of the many different kinds of octopodes and other cephalopods that live out there.

The story has a tiny bit of a sad note as Grimpy tries out all the things he’s describing the other cephalopods doing, and discovers he can’t do any of it… but at the end, the other cephalopods gang up and explain to Grimpy why he’s cool too.

Cute and educational, definitely recommended. I’m bad at gauging what ages might be interested, but if you’ve got a kid interested in cephalopods, it’s worth checking out.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)