Can you believe it? It’s April! And it’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!

I have the most incredibly beautiful and touching book to share with you today!

Releasing from Two Lions on April 22 – Earth Day – it is a story of kindness and environmental stewardship, and I think this is the first time I have ever reviewed a completely wordless picture book on PPBF – a true PICTURE book.

The story is as clear as if it were written, but told in breathtakingly beautiful art with lots of details for small listeners/participants to discover.

Are you ready?

Title: The Octopus

Created and Illustrated By: Guojing

ISBN#: 978-1662521508

Publisher: Two Lions, April 22, 2026, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7 (though I know some 2 year olds who will LOVE to look at this!)

Themes/Topics: wordless picture book, kindness, environmental stewwardship

Opening:

illustration copyright Guojing 2026, Two Lions Publishing

Brief Synopsis: A little girl and her mom take a trip to the beach, where the little girl encounters a baby octopus that needs her help. A magical adventure filled with wonder opens her eyes to new knowledge about what she can do to make the world a better place.

illustration copyright Guojing 2026, Two Lions Publishing

Links To Resources: back matter includes a note from the author about the inspiration for the book as well as some Octopus Fun Facts; Earth Day Education Resource Library – activities that can be adapted for kids of all ages to help them take care of our earth.

illustration copyright Guojing 2026, Two Lions Publishing

illustration copyright Guojing 2026, Two Lions Publishing

Why I Like This Book: I LOVE this book! From page one it just pulls you in with it’s luscious, mostly pastel illustrations rendered in digital media with the soft look of watercolor or colored pencil. Without a single word, the story unfolds clearly. On a trip to the beach, a little girl discovers a baby octopus trapped in a plastic six-pack soda ring. She sets it free and returns it to the ocean, but a kind of magical spark has lit between them through their eye contact and the sea shell she wears around her neck, and they are able to go on a magical adventure together. The octopus takes her down into the ocean where she sees the whole, beautiful underwater world, some of this part illustrated in jewel tones. While there, she witnesses how other sea creatures are threatened by trash. When she returns to the beach, she takes all the items she found and puts them in the recycling bin where they belong. The characters’ faces and body language are so expressive, and the changes of perspective that show how big the little girl’s feet look compared to the tiny baby octopus, even though she herself is very little, how big her face must look to the octopus the clear side of the container she scoops it up in, how small they both are in the great wide ocean, are so beautifully drawn. You have to see it. Some of the most beautiful pictures including two of my favorites are toward the end, but since the book isn’t even out yet I can’t share them here! A story of kinship, kindness, and environmental stewardship within the beauty of a day at the beach, this is a book that belongs on every shelf!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊

illustration copyright Guojing 2026, Two Lions Publishing

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates!