‘Octopants’ Book Review by Emma Davis

30th August 2018

Author: Suzy Senior

Published by: Little Tiger

This book has all the ingredients to be a big hit with children.  A loveable octopus and the cheeky subject of pants combine to create the most wonderfully silly book, bringing smiles and giggles aplenty.

Octopants is narrated by an octopus who is little embarrassed about his state of undress.  He is on a mission to find pants, scouring his underground home, but the shopkeepers just laugh at him, saying “the problem seems to be your legs – you’ve just got six too many.”  Seeing the hoards of fish and other sea creatures wearing underpants makes him feel sad and left out… but all is not lost.  Help comes from the ‘Under-Sea Emporium’ where all sizes, shapes and requirements are catered for.  There’s bobble hats for barnacles, evening wear for eels, onesies for urchins and slipper socks for seals!  Just imagine the joy on the face of the octopus!  Octopants ends with a tremendous twist which will bring a big smile to the faces of adults and children.  It really is superb.

There’s so much to love about this book.  The rhyming verse flows easily, making this perfect for reading aloud, whether as a bedtime story or as a class book for Early Years.  Children will soon become familiar with the text, filling in gaps as the reader pauses.  The colourful, detailed illustrations pop from the pages, providing a wealth of things to look at.  Even after reading several times, you’ll still be spotting things you hadn’t seen before.

Octopants is a fabulous book for linking to the Early Years curriculum. With opportunities for counting, exploring patterns, size and colour as well as developing descriptive language, it’s going to have real appeal within a Nursery or Reception class… or even beyond.  Even my teenagers had a giggle!

This book was an absolute joy to read and review – thank you to Little Tiger for sending me a copy.