I’M A DUMBO OCTOPUS! by Anne Lambelet is a fun, fact-filled tour of the world of cephalopods. Led by Grimpy the dumbo octopus, readers are introduced to a variety of cephalopods including squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, and nautiluses. While highlighting what makes each of these creatures special, Grimpy laments that he’s not anywhere near as special as the others around him. The rest of the cephalopods jump in to point out that he’s just as amazing as the rest of the crew. The graphic novel format makes the information engaging and easily accessible for elementary readers. Nonfiction fans will be excited to dive into this one!

The underwater world of cephalopods comes to life with lots to learn, while an adorable character has his own, little adventure to experience along the way.

This book is all about cephalopods, which is much more exciting than a reader might first think. It begins with Grimpy, a cute dumbo octopus, who leaves his darker depths of the ocean to take the reader on a swim, while introducing all sorts of cephalopods along the way. Each one is interesting, and this comes across with excitement as Grimpy happily tells the reader about each and every one. Until he realizes that he's not sure what his special talent is.

This is a cute read and written with the younger end of the middle grade audience in mind. Even stronger chapter book readers will have no problem diving into this read. The adorable dumbo octopus insures a light and enjoyable read. He's cheerful, friendly, and always enthusiastic about each cephalopod he introduces. It's contagious, especially since the variety of creatures is vast. Some change color, others squish through the tiniest space, while others can speed through the water with sudden bursts. I learned more than a few things along the way and was surprised how interesting these creatures are.

Grimpy speaks directly to the reader with a fun tone. The creatures are easy to identify and their specialties are well-illustrated. This is never dry even in the illustrations but lets the life of the ocean come across with energy. While some facts might be familiar, quite a few are eye-opening. And it's easy to understand and sympathize with Grimpy as he notices that none of these talents seem to apply to him. But he has his own surprise for the reader at the end.

It's a great way to introduce readers to sea life, while showing them how exciting it can be. I'm looking forward to seeing where the next books in this series lead.

I read this to my son, he absolutely loved and so did! It was very informative and fun, keeping him very engaged at all times (which is saying something for him). The art style was super cute, while also staying pretty close to what the animals looked like.

This was a great graphic novel introducing young readers to Cephalopods. The glossary was very cool to see at the end and helped connect what we learned. The novel was extremely easy to follow along with and an easy, but interesting read. Thank you to NetGalley, Lerner Publishing Group, and Graphic Universe for the advanced reader copy.

What an utterly charming book for young readers — heck, even this jaded older guy enjoyed it. Lambelet walks, or swims, us through the amazing variety of cephalopod life, using an insecure dumbo octopus (a real species from the genus Grimpoteuthis) as our tour guide. This is a science-based book — it doesn’t shy away from big words like “chromatophores” — but it’s also narrative-driven, colorful (both in art and character), and full of humor. You can’t help but love the doubt-filled narrator (who gains some self-confidence by the end of the book), or the other octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, and nautiluses we meet along the way.

Quite simply this is science comics done right, and it could help any young reader gain an appreciation for the ocean and everything that lives in it. It’s also apparently the first book in an intended series on marine life, although the subject of next title has not yet been announced. Whatever that one covers, you can guarantee we’ll be first in line to read it. (Available March 4.)

I’m a Dumbo Octopus is such a fun and creative book. My kids love ocean creatures and they were hooked the whole time we were reading. I may have to buy my son a physical copy of this one. I saw that this may become a series and I sure hope so. The art was great and the content was educational.

This was such a cool book! This was equal parts cute kids book and cephalopod information gold mine. The illustrations are gorgeous and so vivid. We love the ocean and all of it's unique and interesting inhabitants. I didn't really know about dumbo octopuses or a lot of the other different types until my kids and I opened this book. We love this so much and hope that there are going to be more animal books of this nature in the future. Thank you for introducing us to the dumbo octopus!

Follow Grimpy through the ocean and meet all of his amazing cephalopod friends. Learn about the cool adaptations octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish have to survive and thrive in different parts of the ocean.

With adorable illustrations and accessible language, this book introduces readers to the wonderfully biodiverse group of cephalopods and what makes everyone unique. It's awe inspiring and funny.

This book would be the perfect gift for your local aquarium-obsessed kid, science teacher or graduate student (@my friends).

Ahhhh I loved this graphic novel and I love cephalopods!!!

5/5 <3 Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel for young readers is a humorous introduction to the world of cephalopods. Dumbo Octopus is our guide as we explore all the different types of ocean mollusks. It's very cute and informative.

This was cute-- maybe a little too cute? But overall a quick, engaging, and informative read that I think readers will enjoy if they like learning through graphics

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as a biology enthusiast. It skillfully combined informative content with a lighthearted narrative, making it both entertaining and educational. The storyline, which revolved around a Dumbo octopus struggling with feelings of inadequacy, was relatable and heartwarming. I appreciated how the author wove together fun facts about squid biology with meaningful discussions about self-acceptance. I eagerly await the author's next publication, as I found this book to be a truly engaging read.
Thank you to Lerner Publishing, Graphic Universe and NetGalley for this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Super cute illustrated guide to various types of Cephalopods.

The illustrations are a adorable, a bit simplistic, but it works.
There is a bit of humor, which at times I found a bit unoriginal as it doesn't entirely add to the guide. I suppose it's there for levity, but since there isn't really and plot of many characters, I found it more distracting. The one character there is is the narrator Dumbo octopus, but I also wasn't the biggest fan of the "story" that comes up towards the end, of the little Dumbo being sad it doesn't have anything special like all the other cephalopods.
Again, I didn't think that added much - there was too little of a story for that to really feel charming. Instead, integrating more plot, or other characters could have made it work, or to leave it out entirely.

The cephalopod facts were cool and interesting, though I almost wanted more. However, the way it is is definitely also child friendly, as this is also a children's book.

The one flaw I found, my personal problems with the "story" aside, was that at one point 1 foot gets labelled as 30cm, and at another point as 30.5cm. I appreciated that all measures were given in two units (cm vs foot, miles vs meters), but I hope these inconsistencies will be fixed in the final version.

Very cute and very well-designed graphic nonfiction for younger readers! The voice and the information is perfect for primary students with an interest in marine biology but who might not be ready for something as complex as Science Comics just yet.

This is a great graphic novel about the Dumbo octopus. One thing I want to mention is the use of octopuses. I was going to give a point off due to the perceived use of octopuses, but come to find out octopi is not used anymore as it is not the English preferred use of octopuses. I just learned that today and is a useful bit of information. I love the graphic pictures and the information was fun and playful. I never realize how many cephalopods there were and how they differ in appearance.
Grimpy is the narrator of this story and he is looking for what makes him special amongst all his friends, who are also like him. Saddened that he does not have special features, his friends remind him what makes him even more special. He doesn’t have to hide, or change colors or curl up into spiky balls so predators don’t get him. He live and can survive in the deepest part of the ocean.
The informative nature of the book is wonderful. It doesn’t dumb down information, but is reader friendly for all ages. The illustrations are fun and sweet at the same time
I, personally, have learned so many new things and can’t wait to share with my speech students, especially those that like water creatures. I think I will have them make their own cephalopod and share its story with the classmates.

Thank you to Lerner Publishing, Graphic Universe and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This graphic nonfiction book explores the cephalopod family which includes squid, nautilus, cuttlefish, and octopus. It is narrated by Grimpy the Dumbo Octopus. There are a lot of facts in this short book, many of which I was unaware, like the Dumbo octopus lives 4 ½ miles deep in the ocean. Did you know that octopuses have arms, not tentacles? The information is presented in a very approachable and colorful manner. I would recommend this for grades 3 and up
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#ImADumboOctopus #NetGalley

My kids (and I!) thoroughly enjoyed this book. Formatted like a graphic novel, the book is narrated by the *cutest* dumbo octopus, Grimpy. Kids learn about different cephalopods in a really interactive and engaging way. Along the way, Grimpy learns that while he may not have some of the flashy, cool traits of other cephalopods, he is perfectly suited to his own environment and exactly how he is meant to be. I highly recommend this book for kids and families.

Thank you to Lerner Publishing Group for gifting my family with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

netgalley ARC.
This was great! I love the depth diagram spread and the inclusion of “real-life” Grimpy.

I would like to give a huge thank you to Lerner Publishing Group, Graphic Universe ™ and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am the parent of a 9 year old child, and we love reading together. This book is a fantastic addition to any reading session - for both adults and children! It was adorably illustrated, the information was put together in a way that was fun, easy to understand, and not overwhelming! There were several times that I, the 33-year-old parent, laughed out loud. My coworker is already tired of me quoting, "Together we'll take on the briny deep arm in arm in arm in arm in arm..." (not really, she's also a parent and we are cackling together).

This book is so good that I've already sent a request to my local library, as well as sent it to several other parents I know to suggest they read this to their kiddos soon after release!

The only issue I had with the book (the reason it's 4.75, not 5 stars) is that poor Grimpy was too hard on himself. I totally understand not being able to see your own special aspects, and I was super happy when the rest of the cephalopods got together to tell Grimpy all of his amazing facts at the end.

Overall, I loved the time spent reading this book!

Way to make something terrifying adorable. Soooo much information packed into this. It will be great for kids who have special interests.

This is adorable! It's just the right depth of fact, with as much fun as you'd expect. I did have an initial negative reaction to the way the narrator speaks about himself, but it was turned around wonderfully at the end. The art is beautiful, and there are plenty of pages of it and of all kinds of cephalopods!