Sarah Collins' "Don't Touch That, Oscar!" is a delightful and engaging children's picture book that teaches valuable lessons about boundaries, respect, and personal space. Through a relatable story and vibrant illustrations, this book successfully captures the attention of young readers while imparting important messages.

The illustrations in "Don't Touch That, Oscar!" are vibrant, colorful, and full of life. They effectively bring the forest and its inhabitants to life, making it easy for children to immerse themselves in Oscar's world. The facial expressions of the characters beautifully depict their emotions, helping young readers connect with the story on an emotional level.

One of the strengths of this book is its simplicity. The language used is accessible for young readers, and the story flows smoothly, holding their attention from beginning to end. The repetitive nature of the phrase "Don't touch that, Oscar!" also encourages children to actively participate in the reading experience.

Moreover, the book provides a positive resolution to Oscar's behavior. As Oscar learns from his mistakes, he begins to understand the importance of respecting others' boundaries and personal space. This serves as an excellent example for young readers and prompts important discussions about empathy and consideration for others.

Oscar the octopus finds out that they are having a party for the last day of school. His teacher asks him not to touch anything until the party starts. Luckily, Oscar’s friends help him be patience and not to touch anything until the party.
A cute story about keeping control of your body and being patience.

Oscar is a super cute character. I loved the overarching theme of acceptance. Children will relate to his failed attempts at overcoming the wiggles and keeping his eight legs from causing chaos, but rejoice in the fact that he finds his special niche in the end.
Overall this story is sweet and fun to read aloud to the kiddos, but I do think the story could be clarified a bit. Also, switching some colour combos on certain pages would improve accessibility (some of the white text on the teal background is hard to read).

This is a cute book for kids who like aquatic themed. If your kid is into octopuses this is definitely the book for them!

This is a Cute Children’s Book about Patience. Oscar is an Octopus who loves to touch everything and that makes things harder when you have 8 arms. His school is about to have a party, but it’s very important to not Touch Anything. Oscar can’t seem to Stop himself. His friends try to help by holding his arms, but he shakes them off.

Then the Big Beautiful Cake comes Out with all the Decorations, Streamers, and Party Items. Oscar hits them and oh no….think this will be a disaster. However, Oliver learns he can Juggle and this saves the day!

A book is about trying to listen, getting help from friends, and finding unknown talents that can be very helpful.

The illustrations by Ezequiel Decarli were done really well and brought out the book.

Would Recommend this book for Young Children, probably 3-6 Years Old.

Thank you NetGalley, Lois Hoffman, and BooksGoSocial for granting me a copy of this book. I always leave a review of a book I read. A

Cute children’s book about following rules and being patient. Oscar the octopus can not contain himself and his classmates help him stay calm and follow the rules until the party begins.

This was a sweet, colourful and well illustrated book.
Oscar is a clumsy octopus who just wants to join in!
Who can resist a party?!
It was a clever ending with Oscar able to juggle everything and save the day!
I'd say it's aged at 4+

It is tough to manage the temptation, and not to touch anything, when you are waiting for a special treat - like when the class party is soon to begin! It's even tougher when you have 8 arms that you have to keep away from things...

So when Oscar the octopus is trying to follow his teacher's instructions not to touch things before the party begins, his friend Carlton the crab and his other classmates try to distract him.

But you know what the upside is of having eight arms? It allows you to juggle all kinds of stuff. Children will enjoy this happy little story about anticipation, temptation and learning both self-control and self-acceptance with Oscar and his friends.