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Octopuses One To Ten

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Dive into this fascinating counting journey through the amazing and mysterious world of octopuses.

Everyone knows octopuses have eight arms. But did you know that they have three hearts and nine brains? This intriguing exploration of octopuses goes through numbers one to ten, with a snappy rhyme and fascinating octopus facts for each number. The book also includes octopus crafts and activities for more learning fun!

Paperback

First published September 27, 2016

2 people are currently reading
73 people want to read

About the author

Ellen Jackson

88 books18 followers

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5 stars
86 (43%)
4 stars
80 (40%)
3 stars
26 (13%)
2 stars
2 (1%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Anne.
471 reviews
August 10, 2023
Excellent. Includes crafts and treats.
Profile Image for India.
Author 11 books125 followers
October 8, 2017
Happy World Octopus Day!

I bought this book a few months ago (on Independent Bookstore Day) for my daughter and my niece, butalso for myself because I'm obsessed with these weird, beautiful, alien creatures. We picked this up today to read together learned that October 8 is World Octopus Day! I thought that was a funny little coincidence. Anyway, this is a cute little book with 10 interesting facts accompanied by illustrations that (I thought) were beautiful. At the end of the book, they also introduce you to 10 different species of octopuses just to give you an idea of how varied they can be. I thought the book was super cute and was a fun way to teach the kids about octopuses.

My niece said that her favorite part of the book was learning about the different kinds of octopuses at the end of the book. She thought it was really interesting because she didn't know that octopuses were poisonous, that they could look so different, or that some of them grew to be so big. Her two favorites were the mimic and the wolfi.

My daughter said that she thought that some of the most interesting things to discover were that octopuses can lose an arm and regrow it, they have blue-green colored blood, they have nine brains, they can disguise themselves, and that they can change color depending on their mood. She also said she didn't realize how big they could grow or that they live for such a short amount of time.

Both the girls said it was a 5-star book and that they loved it. I really enjoy any opportunity to discuss anything with these cute girls. The fact that it was about my favorite animal made it all the more fun!
Profile Image for Liesl.
1,947 reviews
May 22, 2018
A magnificent book that expertly meshes the numbers 1 through 10, wonderful illustrations and fascinating facts about octopuses. Fun and educational on multiple levels! My son and I now have been spurred to learn even more about octopuses, which are truly incredible creatures.
Profile Image for Mary Eve.
588 reviews3 followers
March 22, 2023
Has anyone streamed the beautiful 2020 documentary MY OCTOPUS TEACHER? It was nominated in 2021 for Best Documentary (Feature) and won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. Since watching (Netflix), I've developed an endearing love for these fascinating creatures. Introduce your child to the wonders of the sea. Octopuses One to Ten is a winner.
Profile Image for Abigail.
8,038 reviews267 followers
August 18, 2025
Author Ellen Jackson and illustrator Robin Page team up in this informative and beautiful counting book about octopuses (or octopodes, as they're known in my house). The main text is in rhyme, and describes different things about octopuses, from their three hearts to their six arms, their five years to their nine brains, while each two-page spread also has a longer aside with more detailed information about that topic. Number ten is actually quite extensive, covering ten different kinds of octopuses worldwide, including the: Giant Pacific Octopus, Seven-Arm Octopus, Blanket Octopus, Common Octopus, Mimic Octopus, Dumbo Octopus, Blue-Ringed Octopus, Larger Pacific Striped Octopus, Veined Octopus, and Octopus Wolfi. The book closes with some octopus craft and recipe ideas...

As a confirmed lover of all things octopode, I expected to find Octopuses One to Ten delightful, and I was not disappointed! I appreciate these kind of dual-narrative picture books, with a simple text that can be appreciated by younger children and a more complex, information-packed one from which older children can derive benefit. This allows the book to be enjoyed by a wider range of age groups, and makes it both entertaining and educational. I also appreciate books which include related crafting and recipe ideas at the rear, and the ones presented here seemed fun and easily doable. The subject itself is fascinating, and I learned a number of things I hadn't known before. Some of the octopus species profiled were known to me—the Giant Pacific Octopus, Common Octopus, Blue-Ringed Octopus (which is VERY poisonous)—but some were not, so that was also fun. Finally, the accompanying artwork, done in Adobe Photoshop, was very appealing. All in all, a lovely little book, one I would recommend to young octopus fans, and those seeking titles for them.
Profile Image for mg.
701 reviews
December 19, 2016
This is a standard information book that can appeal to a wide array of audiences: there are rhyming couplets for each of the numbers which are easy to read to younger audiences for small facts about octopuses. There are also more detailed paragraphs for older kids, or kids who are eager for more information. What's great about this book is, you can read a rhyming couplet, then read the more in-depth paragraph or not, and the book still flows. Often times, the rhyme follows on the second page, so the reader will have to determine whether to keep the flow of the rhyme scheme going by turning the page, then turning back, or to instead keep the audience's attention by reading the spread, then reading the rhyme again before turning the page. *Akward* Not in this book, though.

Also, three hearts? Nine brains?? C'mon, this book is FASCINATING (even for those weirded out by octopuses)!!

I look forward to reading this book with a variety of audiences.
Profile Image for Theresa Worona.
45 reviews
March 7, 2018
i liked how this book had easy, rhyming facts to catch the readers attention! underneath the rhyming fact, there was a more in depth, scientific explanation of what the above statement said which i thought was interesting to have both that way the reader could go more in depth if needed. the pictures were average in the book, there was nothing too crazy about them. there was not a lot of color and the backgrounds were mainly white. the pictures did not catch my attention, rather i was more focused on the text. i found myself reading very intently as i was intrigued by the information given which i think is an awesome thing to have in a nonfiction book.
Profile Image for Kiri.
13 reviews6 followers
August 1, 2019
Could be adapted for storytime with a slightly older group, especially by cutting down to the counting structure and skipping the more informative and detailed bits. Lots of good information in here about octopi. Would even work for a book report for a younger kid, particularly with some assistance from an older sibling or parent. Fun, cut-out illustrations, rhyming, and my favourite ocean creatures.
Profile Image for Jessie.
2,542 reviews33 followers
December 30, 2021
Not a counting book so much as using the numbers to motivate octopus facts. The facts for 1-9 are single facts about octopi, and then for 10, there is detail on 10 different species. (This includes some fun drawings to show the scale relative to a person or to a hand, depending on what's most appropriate.)

There is usually the main fact, with the number larger and written out (so an English word, not a numeral), and then more detail in smaller print.
482 reviews2 followers
October 30, 2017
That is interesting enough by itself, but what I really like is that when readers are exploring the ten types of octopuses listed in #10, there are extra pictures that show the size of each one in relation to the size of a person.

For the full review: https://twobookwormsblog.wordpress.co...
Profile Image for Marissa Myers.
55 reviews
October 14, 2022
One of my favorite animals is an octopus, so when I saw this book at the library I had to read it. It's a cute book with 10 facts about octopuses. It also shows different species of octopuses and how big they are in comparison with the human body, which I thought was super neat. It also has some crafts you can try at home at the very end!
Profile Image for Megan.
943 reviews
January 26, 2023
Fun facts about Octopuses for kids. I got it because I thought it would be a counting book - but it's mostly a book about octopuses (they have 3 hearts, they have 9 brains, etc). M is into sea creatures right now, so this was right up her alley, even though some of the info is intended for an older kid.
100 reviews
October 11, 2018
This book has a fact about octopuses for numbers 1-10. Each number rhymes, but off to the side theres some more information about that one fact. At the end, there 10 different kinds of octopuses listed. This is a very informational book and I would recommend it for younger children.
Profile Image for Alix Kopf.
47 reviews
September 8, 2020
Copyright Date: 2016
Genre: Concept Book
Theme: Informational, Rhyming
My favorite part about this book is how it was informational but also interesting because of the rhyming in the book. I will use this book in my classroom to teach children about counting, octopuses, and rhyming.
Profile Image for Jo Oehrlein.
6,361 reviews9 followers
February 1, 2022
Uses the numbers one to ten to give facts about Octopuses.
Can be read quicker by reading just the big text, but there are more fun details to backup the main text on each page.

Not really a counting book because you can't always count the thing on each page.
96 reviews1 follower
September 25, 2018
This book goes through the parts of an octopus from one to ten. It goes from the three hearts that the octopus has to the eight tentacles. This book is really good for younger students. The illustrations are very well thought out and will help visual learners.
Profile Image for Barbara Lovejoy.
2,563 reviews32 followers
October 21, 2023
I learned so many amazing and interesting facts about octopuses. Robin Pages's illustrations are great.
Profile Image for Maybee Library.
451 reviews3 followers
March 9, 2020
This book is outstanding. I got this book for my daughter who is almost three and obsessed with octopuses. I thought she would lose interest, but she LOVED it. We learned so many facts about octopuses that I never knew and she shares them with everyone now. Definitely a good read, for educational purposes and enjoyment. Adults and children will love it.
Profile Image for Emily Foley.
40 reviews
December 8, 2021
This is the book that I chose for my Outstanding Science Trade Books for K-12 Award. I loves how the book followed a natural rhythm and was very poetic. This made it easy to follow along with. Additionally, it was very informational, and gave many different facts about octopi that were interesting even for me to learn (ex: an octopus only uses two of its "legs" to stroll, and they have three hearts). I think that this book is awesome for kids of any age, as many kids seem to be fascinated by amazing sea creatures such as octopi, and this book is very fun and engaging, while also being informational.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

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