Review: The Octonauts and the Only Lonely Monster by Meomi

We recently received a copy of a new children's book, just released in October, to review. It is called The Octonauts and the Only Lonely Monster by Meomi, and as the publisher describes it, this book is like Hello Kitty meeting Star Trek under the sea! I must say, I was intrigued.

The book, geared at ages 4-8, is a tale about a large sea creature that looks like a monster, but is really just lonely and looking for others like it. So the Octonauts search all the oceans looking for others like the monster. It's a tale about how it's okay to be unique and different as we all are in one way or another. I really like this theme as I'm sure every child feels different and strange for one reason or another at some point. I really don't want Andy to grow up feeling like a weirdo because he is a little different than everyone else, so I think a book like this would be great to read to him early on in his life so he knows it's the uniqueness that makes us all special.

The book is beautifully illustrated. The characters do remind me a bit of Hello Kitty, but they are different enough than that character and each other. The world under the sea looks fun and inviting, and it was great to see how the rest of the ocean looked. There are Russian walruses, Asian whales, and tons of other foreign sea creatures. And as they go west or south the direction of the pages flips, so you will have to flip the book to see the pictures right side up. I think children would get a kick out of that.

The author Meomi specializes in critter design. However, this means much more than just books. You can buy these cute characters on buttons, magnets, stationary, knit cozies, on t-shirts at Baby Wit (whom we wrote about recently), and tons more. With all these products you can tie into the book, your child can really immerse himself in the Octonauts if they love the characters as much as we think they might.

There are also more Octonaut adventures to come (hopefully one in October 2007), and I for one cannot wait to read them. I think these will quickly become favorites in your household as they have fun characters and show such an adventurous and stunning world under the sea that one cannot help but want to learn more about.

November 20, 2006

Review: The Octonauts and the Only Lonely Monster by Meomi