This is an odd story about an octopus hosting a dinner party for eight friends from different cultural backgrounds, so he makes a special dinner for each of them. I like the use of different languages and we discussed the various countries the guests would've come from. I also thought the dishes were creatively odd, but fun. And the lift the flap feature of the book is always a hit. I didn't like that he made separate dishes for each guest - we explain to our girls that we make one dinner ea More...

It's a good thing this octopus has eight arms, because he's just invited seven of his friends to dinner, and he's preparing a special dish for each one.

Roger De Muth's quirky illustrations and lift-the-flaps make this a fun interactive book and a great read-aloud, sure to give kids and parents lots of belly laughs.

One small mistake I noticed from this book is that Mr. De Muth gave Chinese name to a character which previously spoke Japanese.

The pop-ups aren't really impressive. Also, I was saddened by the fact that the octopus made specialized dishes for all 8 guests, yet they left him to do the dishes. On the last page they're all watching and smiling creepily while the octopus has a frowny face as he washes the dishes with all those limbs.