Emile: The Helpful OctopusTomi Ungerer

Price AUD$24.95 Price CAD$24.95 Price USD$18.95 Price T18.95

Emile is an eight-legged hero who has twice as much courage and four times as many legs as most people – except, of course, other octopuses.

When deep-sea diver Captain Samovar is attacked by a ferocious shark, Emile comes to his aid. Grateful to his rescuer, the Captain invites him to stay at his home, where Emile sleeps in a bathtub full of salt water. Emile turns out to be a fantastic octopus: he is a gifted musician (able to play three instruments simultaneously) and a great lifeguard, teaching children to swim and saving people from drowning. One day, Emile and the Captain, who works on a police launch, encounter a suspicious-looking boat in the ocean, with a dangerous group of smugglers on board...

A charming tale of a fearless crime-fighting, eight-legged hero that will delight two-legged readers of all ages.

Age 5-8

Specifications:

  • Format: Hardback
  • Size: 270 × 202 mm (10 5/8 × 8 in)
  • Pages: 32 pp
  • Illustrations: 30 illustrations
  • ISBN: 9780714849737

Tomi Ungerer is one of the world’s most famous and best-loved children’s authors. An illustrator, writer, designer, toy-collector and archivist of human absurdity, his work spans storybooks, poster designs, political campaigns and film. He is a recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen prize for illustration, and the Musée Tomi Ungerer, devoted exclusively to his work, opened in Strasbourg in 2007.

"...One of the great fabulists and weirdoes of children's book illustration."—Wonderland

"This swashbuckling adventure featuring an intrepid octopus brings to mind two 20th-century greats: Jean de Brunhoff's "Babar" and H.A. Rey and Margret Rey's "Curious George"... Witty... Full of drama, ingenuity and friendship, Emile is great fun for readers ages 5-8."—The Wall Street Journal

"A welcome return of this captivating, ever-fresh Ungerer classic…Emile’s many talents and kind green face will surely endear him to a new generation of readers."—Horn Book