An octopus has three hearts, blue blood, and roughly two-thirds of its neurons in its arms rather than its head — so each arm can taste, decide, and go rummaging while the rest of the animal is busy elsewhere. Children work out very quickly what that means: here is a creature that solves problems, recognizes faces, unscrews jars, and can pour its whole body through a gap the size of its own eye. That is why octopuses have taken over the picture-book shelf in the past decade. Half of these books are about being clever enough to get out of something; the other half discovered that eight arms are inherently funny — excellent for hugging, unbeatable at hide-and-seek, hopeless at wearing pants.
Bookroo’s collection of 66 books about octopuses leans hard toward picture books, and our editors chose twelve that hold up to a second and third reading. You will find the true story behind the aquarium escape every child eventually hears about, nonfiction for the reader who wants suckers counted and species named, a kitchen-table family story, and the quiet ones for a child who has recognized something of themselves in an animal that prefers its own cave. Start with the shortlist, then browse by age — board books for the youngest hands, picture books for the three-to-eight stretch where this subject genuinely lives, and a smaller shelf of longer reads for eight and up.
The true account of an aquarium octopus who slipped out through the lid of his tank one night, crossed the floor, and found a drainpipe to the sea.
An octopus drops out of the sky onto a village roof, and the grown-ups want it gone long before the children do.
A cumulative rhyme follows a den built from shells and salvage, and the mother who guards it long past the point of sense.
A browsable field guide to the species, the camouflage, the ink, and the arms — one bold infographic spread at a time.
Four short stories about two undersea friends who disagree about knitting, fortune-telling, and what counts as a good idea.
Can you find your octopus and get him to school before he hides again?
A story about building a story, in which the ukulele-playing octopus who wants to go to space keeps needing more parts.
Discover the octopus's secrets, from regrowing arms to its 1,920 suction cups.
A grandmother is grabbed by a giant octopus in her own kitchen, and the rescue turns out to have two very different endings.
The reef gets loud, so one octopus swims off alone to a quiet cave — and finds out how long alone stays good.
A count from one to ten in which every number carries a real fact — three hearts, eight arms, and the reason for the ink.
Fourteen animals parade past, and exactly one of them is definitely not what the page insists it is.
Chunky, chewable, and built for eight-armed pointing — hide-and-seek pages, wiggly bedtime octopuses, and first ocean words — ages 0–4.
Toddlers mimic animal moves, fostering focus and stress relief.
An overwhelmed octopus learns it's okay to feel and express emotions.
Can Touchy the Octopus learn to look without touching?
A villain plans to flood the town. Can heroes stop her?
Discover bedtime joy with Little Octopus's comforting routine.
Explore the ocean with Baby Octopus in this interactive finger puppet adventure for little ones.
Read-alouds where the octopus drives the plot: escapes and disguises, an unwanted pet with too many arms, and the first day of school with a creature who would rather hide — ages 3–8.
An octopus plots a daring escape from an aquarium to the open sea. Can he succeed?
A hungry octopus must outsmart predators in a thrilling ocean adventure.
An octopus plans a daring escape from captivity.
An octopus seeks the perfect pants in a sea of options.
Octopus's quirky bedtime help leads to unexpected surprises.
An octopus's tickling causes chaos, leading to a surprising discovery of hidden talents.
A boy's quest for an octopus pet faces family resistance.
Arlo's octopus drawing disaster leads to a surprising discovery.
A mermaid and an octopus find friendship by embracing their uniqueness.
An octopus tries to be the perfect pet, but can he win over his owner?
An octopus's daring escape from a chef leads to a heartwarming return home.
Can Cowboy and Octopus bridge their quirky differences to become friends?
A shorter shelf — early chapter series and undersea mysteries for readers who would rather meet an octopus in a novel than a picture book — ages 6–12.
A dumbo octopus discovers his unique strengths among extraordinary cephalopods.
A magical creature escapes, causing school chaos.
An octopus plots a daring escape from an aquarium.
A sea dragon's prediction puts Simon's friend in danger. Can he save her?
A hamster-led crew faces sea monsters and shape-shifters in a mysterious underwater world.
A swamp monster threatens the museum. Can Sherlock Bones solve the mystery?
