Homeschool Friday - The Den That Octopus Built

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

The Den That Octopus Built

By: Randi Sonenshine

Illustrated By: Anne Hunter

Publication: May 21, 2024 by Candlewick Press

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Science & Nature

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--Follow one of the ocean’s most mysterious animals in this warm but candid look at its dramatic life cycle, from the creators of The Nest That Wren Built.

These are the shells she wears like a sheath,
keeping her safe from Tiger Shark’s teeth
when she’s far from the den that Octopus built . . .

The solitary and ingenious octopus is a master of disguise and invention, creating her den out of the objects of the ocean, from shells and rocks to tiny glass shards. Using creative methods of hunting and construction, the octopus prepares for the biggest task of her life: motherhood. With one last, poignant gesture of love, the mother octopus sends her hatchlings on their way, starting a new cycle of life for the tiny offspring who face peril of their own. Offering deeply informative back matter, including an author’s note, a glossary, and fascinating “octo-knowledge” (did you know that octopuses have nine brains, including one in each of their independently operating arms?), this third in a series from author Randi Sonenshine and illustrator Anne Hunter continues the work of gently introducing children to the reality of the animal world.

I got gung-ho when we started homeschooling about wanting to review more children's books that we could use in our school. This shouldn't surprise me, but I don't love reading children's books on the computer. Of course, get the print version and you don't have to deal with that.

The Den That Octopus Built is a cute, rhyming book that follows a female octopus through different challenges or daily events. I was surprised that she dies in the book, but I was reminded of Charlotte's Web where her babies live on after her. The book then follows a hatchling to complete the circle of life. 

The artwork is beautiful. It almost looks like colored pencils and maybe even penwork were used to create the illustrations. I'm no art expert, but I liked the style a lot. 

I had no issues with the story itself. I found it cute and informative. I don't always read the pages at the end of children's books with more information. Since homeschooling, I have been reading these more, but since I am reviewing this book, I wanted to read every page. I was not surprised, but was disappointed, to see references to an old-Earth worldview. Beyond that was a wildly outrageous claim about the evolution of octopuses that claimed they lost their shells and how they evolved into extremely intelligent creatures. Considering I am a Christian, I take a young-Earth worldview and believe that God created the octopus exactly as He wanted it to be... soft-bodied and yet incredibly intelligent from the start. Of course, you can skip/edit these parts when reading to your children if your worldview is similar to mine. Or simply take the opportunity to discuss the differences in worldviews with your children as they organically come up while reading.

The Den That Octopus Built did teach me some things I didn't know about octopuses. I enjoyed the illustrations. The story itself was sweet and informative, but I would need to edit the extra information after the book to either fit our worldview or be prepared to discuss with my children statements made as facts that I don't believe from a creationist, Christian, young-Earth worldview. The Den That Octopus Built gets 3 Stars. Have you read The Den that Octopus Built? What did you think? Let me know!