Love, Agnes: Postcards from an Octopus by Irene Latham, illustrated by Thea Baker. PICTURE BOOK. Millbrook Press (Lerner), 2018. $19. 9781512439939
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
On the ocean floor, an octopus finds a postcard from a kid on shore accusing her of being a monster. The octopus writes back, explaining its anatomy to the kid. Then the octopus gets a postcard from another octopus accusing her of stealing her house. The octopus replies that she will leave the house she found. After a few postcards, the kid on land and the octopus come to an understanding.
It took a minute to figure out that the postcards were from a variety of people and creatures, not just one. It seems like the postcards with the kid are the anchor and provide the education about an octopus, so I’m not sure why the other postcards are there. The other postcards aren’t just unnecessary, the are unnecessarily cruel, each attacking the octopus in some way. My kids liked the book, but both commented on how mean everyone in it was.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
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