Book of the month: Also an Octopus

Even the most totally awesome  story starts with a little bit of nothing, so ... why not an octopus who wants to fly in a spaceship? This tentacle-tastic new picture book from Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Benji Davies, the illustrator of The Storm Whale and Grandad's Island, will have your imaginations soaring!

Also an Octopus is a story about ... how to build a story! First, a story needs a character. So why not a ukulele-playing octopus? And since this is a story, the octopus has to want something – maybe it dreams of travelling to faraway galaxies in a purple spaceship. But every character needs an obstacle to overcome, and when the octopus sets out to build its own spaceship out of glue, umbrellas, glitter and waffles ... well, he doesn't have much luck. Could there be another character that could help? This funny, smart and warm-hearted story is all about storytelling, perfect for imaginative little readers, who love to make up stories of all of their own.

WIN an Octopus Ukulele!

Join Octopus on a stupendous ukulele-playing adventure of your own by wrapping your tentacles around an Octopus ukulele! We’ve teamed up with our friends at Octopus Ukulele to offer your little sea urchins some very special prizes, including an Octopus Ukulele! Octopus Ukuleles are the best beginner instruments around and come in lots of different colours (you’ll be pleased to hear that these ukes are not constructed out of waffles - they’ve been designed by proper ukulele scientists!) Mind you, our tentacled friend must have been involved somehow, as some of the Octopus ukuleles are made from glitter!

One lucky winner will win their very own Octopus Ukulele plus a signed copy of the Also an Octopus, a poster and a limited edition print, and five runners up will get a copy of the book and a poster. To enter, just answer this question:

In Also and Octopus, what does Octopus want to build?

a) A spaceship

b) A ukulele

c) A waffle maker

Email your answer along with your name and address to competitions@walker.co.uk with ‘Octopus Ukulele' in the subject line for your chance to win. Competition closes on 31st January 2017. Terms and conditions apply.

Also an Octopus is out now in hardback and paperback, you can pick up a copy at your local bookshop. Join in the fun and download our free Also an Octopus activity sheets!