Inky's amazing escape : how a very smart octopus found his way home /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Montgomery's expertise and the gorgeous illustrations make this a fine purchase for libraries serving early elementary students." -- School Library Journal

"The mixed-media illustrations make good use of dynamic spreads, color, and texture--perfect for a book on a master of camouflage. Montgomery seamlessly incorporates interesting facts about octopuses into the narrative." -- Booklist

Learn all about Inky the Octopus, an international sensation known for escaping from the New Zealand aquarium in April 2016, in this fascinating picture book from National Book Award nominee and octopus expert Sy Montgomery.

Inky had been at the New Zealand aquarium since 2014 after being taken in by a fisherman who found him at sea. Inky had been getting used to his new environment, but the staff quickly figured out that he had to be kept amused or he would get bored. Then one night in 2016 Inky, about the size of a basketball, decided he'd had enough. He slithered eight feet across the floor and down a drainpipe more than 160 feet long to his home in the sea.

Acclaimed author Sy Montogmery reminds readers that Inky didn't escape--but instead, like the curious animal he is, wanted to explore the rest of the vast ocean he called his home.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

In 2016, an octopus named Inky made global news by escaping from New Zealand's National Aquarium. This story recounts that event and imagines Inky's pre- and postaquarium life in the wild. "Each octopus set out on a journey alone. They're born ready to explore," Montgomery (How to Be a Good Creature) writes in her direct, deeply respectful prose. At birth, Inky is "the size of a grain of rice," and his considerable intellect and ultrapliable body stand him in good stead as he grows until, baseball-size and bitten, he's scooped up in a fisherman's net and taken to an aquarium. Life in captivity means crab snacks, toys (he plays with Lego blocks and Mr. Potato Head), and tickles from his trainer. But his innate curiosity wins out, and one night, Inky slips out of his tank and slides into a floor drain that leads back to the ocean. Textured mixed-media collages by Schimler-Safford (Hidden City) playfully evoke underwater scenes with brilliant hues. Inky regards the world with eager, lightly anthropomorphized googly eyes, but he's never over-romanticized and emerges as a wily, winning personality. A final spread offers more octopus facts for eager learners. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Montgomery (2015's The Octopus Scientists and The Soul of an Octopus) has channeled her considerable octopus knowledge into a narrative nonfiction picture book based on an incident at a New Zealand aquarium. After a lobsterman took a young injured octopus to a nearby aquarium, it healed and grew, eventually finding its way back to the Pacific Ocean. Montgomery uses age-appropriate language to convey an impressive amount of information. The text is accessible and makes use of relatable comparisons to everyday items such as grains of rice and soccer balls. No background knowledge of octopuses is assumed, but two terms, beak and jet are used without explanation; readers may be able to infer their meanings from the text. Inky is assigned thoughts and feelings, although as the text explains, changes in the octopus's skin color can indicate emotions. Schimler-Safford's engaging mixed-media collages in realistic colors, some reminiscent of Eric Carle, fill the page and beautifully complement the narrative-readers will want to closely inspect all the details. Back matter includes an endnote describing other octopus escapes, "Eight Fun Octopus Facts" (which are a simplified version of the "Octet of Octo Facts" in The Octopus Scientists), a short bibliography, and links to news stories about Inky's escape. VERDICT Montgomery's expertise and the gorgeous illustrations make this a fine purchase for libraries serving early elementary students.-Judy Poyer, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Acclaimed nature writer Montgomery has written about octopuses for adults and middle-graders (The Octopus Scientists?, 2015). Now she brings the curious cephalopod to the pre- and primary-school sets. Inky achieved worldwide fame after escaping from New Zealand's National Aquarium via a floor drain. Montgomery tells Inky's story by imagining his life as a young hatchling in the Pacific Ocean, noting the food he would eat, how he'd use his suckers (to grip and taste!), and his driving desire to explore. Drama enters in the form of a moray eel, which injures Inky, who then hides in a lobster trap. Luckily, the fisherman who finds Inky takes him to the aquarium, and the rest is history. The mixed-media illustrations make good use of dynamic spreads, color, and texture perfect for a book on a master of camouflage. Montgomery seamlessly incorporates interesting facts about octopuses into the narrative, such as octopuses' tendency to change color to match their mood. An author's note provides more information on Inky, observations about octopuses in captivity, and fun facts.--Julia Smith Copyright 2018 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Inky, an octopus, began his life in the Pacific Ocean, but was caught in a lobster trap and transferred to a New Zealand aquarium. Life there is seemingly blissful, filled with playful activities, friendships with aquarium keepers, and admiring onlookers. Yet when presented with a loose tank cover, Inky takes the opportunity to squeeze himself through the gap, into a drainpipe on the floor, and then out into the Pacific, where he (presumably) lives today. Montgomery (who also wrote The Octopus Scientists, rev. 7/15, for older readers, for the Scientists in the Field series) weaves detailed science into Inkys life story, helping readers to understand octopus birth and growth, the dangers faced in daily life in the open ocean, and the curiosity and emotions expressed by octopuses. Schimler-Saffords brightly colored illustrations effectively capture the beautiful blues of Inkys aquatic environments, show his sinuous flexibility, and hint at his intelligence. A detailed endnote provides additional information on the real Inky as well as several other octopus escapes; 8 Fun Octopus Facts outline some of the remarkable abilities of the species. A brief list of suggested reading is also appended. danielle j. ford (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Inky the octopus escapes again.The author of The Soul of an Octopus (2015, for adults) provides a picture-book example of octopus intelligence in this latest account of the escape of an octopus named Inky from the New Zealand National Aquarium. Her well-paced narrative begins with his hatching in the wild, from an egg "the size of a grain of rice." The writer weaves in plenty of informational details about octopuses' physical characteristics and habits while she spins the likely story of his injury (two tentacles partially bitten off by a moray eel), accidental capture, and subsequent life in a public aquarium. The smooth prose invites children's appreciation for this remarkable species, which even enjoy playing with familiar toys. A reassuring endnote explains that the octopus was "probably very happy in his tank at the aquarium." But, like readers and listeners, he was curious, "eager to discover what else is out there." Colorful, digitally finished illustrations created using various paints, oil pastel, and collage give a reasonable impression of the octopus's world, but Inky's popping eyes lack the characteristic, usually rectangular slit, and he's shown as female. A New Zealand street scene has cars driving on the wrong side of the road. Montgomery's imagined story is informed by her extensive knowledge and rings true; sadly, the illustrations are less convincing. Still, this is the most plausible of many recent iterations of this great escape. (endnote, fun facts, further resources) (Informational picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Sy Montgomery was born on February 7, 1958 in Frankfurt, Germany. She is a 1979 graduate of Syracuse University, a triple major with dual degrees in Magazine Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and in French Language and Literature and in Psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Keene State College in 2004, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Franklin Pierce University and also from Southern New Hampshire University in 2011.

Montgomery is a naturalist. She is an author, and scriptwriter. Her most popular book, The Good Good Pig, is a memoir of her life with her pig, Christopher Hogwood. The book became listed on the New York Times bestseller list in 2015. How to be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals was published in September 2018. Her other notable titles include Journey of the Pink Dolphins, Spell of the Tiger, and Search for the Golden Moon Bear.

(Bowker Author Biography)