THE OCTOPUS

A child befriends a small octopus while visiting the beach.

Clad in a white sundress, the dark-haired, light-skinned young protagonist walks along the sand hand in hand with a parent. The child spots a tiny octopus, made infinitely cuter by an expressive humanlike face gracing its bright red mantle. The octopus is tangled in a plastic six-pack ring, and the child extracts it before placing it in a small bowl. Seeing how unhappy the creature is to be caged, the youngster quickly returns it to the water. The tiny tentacled swimmer in turn rewards the child, shrinking the youngster down and giving the little one the power to breathe underwater. In quiet bliss, the pair swim down deep together, admiring colorful fish and coral, a cave of sparkly shells, and a friendly sea turtle, whom they helpfully disentangle from a plastic bag. Upon returning to shore, the child dutifully recycles the pieces of litter encountered on their journey. Guojing thoughtfully smooths the sharpest edges of her skillful, wordless societal critique; the result is an accessible tale, just right for young readers. The messages come through clearly: Throwing one’s trash away can make a difference, one small person can do their part, and the earth is a beautiful thing worth protecting. Luminous, lovely images of the octopus’ underwater world reinforce this message with radiant sweetness.

A hopeful, happy parable of ecological stewardship.