It"s a good thing you're not an octopus! If you were an octopus, you would have eight legs to put into your pants! Follow one little boy through his day as he playfully considers how mealtime, bath time, nap time, and many other activities would be different if he were a bird, a tiger, or any number of baby animals. At the end of the day he realizes that the best thing of all is to be himself! Julie Markes's first picture book is charmingly illustrated by Maggie Smith. "You don't like to get dressed in the morning? It's a good thing you're not an octopus. If you were an octopus, you would have eight legs to put in your pants!" The world of small children is filled with day-in, day-out challenges and tiresome activities. If someone's not telling you to get dressed, they're making you eat lunch, climb into the car seat, or take a nap. However, young humans should count their blessings. Baby birds have to eat worms for lunch. Tigers may not ever have to climb into a bathtub, but that's because their mothers are always licking them clean! And imagine being a shark when it comes time to brush your teeth--all 200 of them. Julie Markes hits her mark with this clever picture book, which will probably make at least a few human children appreciate their relatively simple daily routines (at least when compared to shoeless caterpillars). Maggie Smith's playful, detailed illustrations bring every character to life, with continually changing expressions even on the faces of the protagonist's many stuffed animals. Smith's artistic humor, combined with Markes's wise, wonderful text, will make this a favorite among kids and their parents, who may even want to expand and personalize the game for their own daily skirmishes. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter PreSchool-A delightful romp with a little boy who is reluctant to do those daily activities that are part of a preschooler's learning experience. As readers follow him and his stuffed frog through the day, comparisons to various animals are drawn. As he struggles to get dressed, the narrative reads, "If you were an octopus, you would have eight legs to put in your pants!" The accompanying illustration shows an exasperated octopus looking troubled at his attempt to accomplish this feat. Other comparisons include a caterpillar trying to put on 16 shoes, a shark brushing 200 teeth, and a bear having to nap all winter long. All conclude with the refrain, "It's a good thing you're not a-." In the end, the preschooler's challenges are summed up with "It's a good thing you're you!" Just enough science information for preschoolers to absorb is presented simply and entertainingly and Smith's watercolor illustrations in bright, bold colors are whimsical and charming. The ridiculousness of the animals in the boy's situation will not be lost on this age group and will prompt laughter all around. Patti Gonzales, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. Ages 3-5. Like many young children, the little boy in this picture book has evidently protested against taking a nap, riding in his car seat, brushing his teeth, and so on. The sensible text answers his complaints through comparison. "You don't like to get dressed in the morning? / It's a good thing you're not an octopus. / If you were an octopus, you would have eight legs to put in your pants." The three accompanying illustrations show a pajama-clad child as his mother hands him his clothes, an octopus in the wild, and the same octopus looking a bit worried as he sits beside the child and attempts to put on many-legged pants. Children will enjoy the visual humor, which juxtaposes the familiar and the bizarre to achieve the silliness that preschoolers best appreciate. Warm, rich colors brighten the line-and-watercolor illustrations. Fun to read aloud. Carolyn Phelan Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “Warm, rich colors. Fun to read aloud.” - ALA Booklist “Science information…presented simply and entertainingly.” - School Library Journal It"s a good thing you're not an octopus! If you were an octopus, you would have eight legs to put into your pants! Follow one little boy through his day as he playfully considers how mealtime, bath time, nap time, and many other activities would be different if he were a bird, a tiger, or any number of baby animals. At the end of the day he realizes that the best thing of all is to be himself! Julie Markes's first picture book is charmingly illustrated by Maggie Smith. Julie Markes lives with her husband, Eric Schine, and their two sons, Charlie and Nicholas, in Brooklyn, New York. Her books include Thanks For Thanksgiving ; I Can't Talk Yet, But When I Do ... ; Good Thing You're Not An Octopus! ; Sidewalk 123 ; and Sidewalk . Maggie Smith has written and illustrated many picture books including My Blue Bunny, Bubbit and Beach Day . An accomplished sewist and owner of the Etsy shop Maggierama, she lives in Massachusett