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Inky's Amazing Escape

How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home

Illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford

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About The Book

“Montgomery’s expertise and the gorgeous illustrations make this a fine purchase for libraries serving early elementary students.” —School Library Journal

“The mixed-media illustrations make good use of dynamic spreads, color, and texture—perfect for a book on a master of camouflage. Montgomery seamlessly incorporates interesting facts about octopuses into the narrative.” —Booklist

Learn all about Inky the Octopus, an international sensation known for escaping from the New Zealand aquarium in April 2016, in this fascinating picture book from National Book Award nominee and octopus expert Sy Montgomery.

Inky had been at the New Zealand aquarium since 2014 after being taken in by a fisherman who found him at sea. Inky had been getting used to his new environment, but the staff quickly figured out that he had to be kept amused or he would get bored. Then one night in 2016 Inky, about the size of a basketball, decided he’d had enough. He slithered eight feet across the floor and down a drainpipe more than 160 feet long to his home in the sea.

Acclaimed author Sy Montogmery reminds readers that Inky didn’t escape—but instead, like the curious animal he is, wanted to explore the rest of the vast ocean he called his home.

About The Author

Tianne Strombeck

Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, adventurer, and author of more than thirty acclaimed books of nonfiction for adults and children, including The Hummingbirds’ GiftThe Hawk’s Way, the National Book Award finalist The Soul of an Octopus, and most recently, Of Time and Turtles, which was a New York Times bestseller. The recipient of numerous honors, including lifetime achievement awards from the Humane Society and the New England Booksellers Association, she lives in New Hampshire with her husband, writer Howard Mansfield, and a border collie.

About The Illustrator

Photo courtesy of the illustrator

Amy Schimler-Safford started her career in textile and surface design. She now illustrates children’s books and lives on a lake in Georgia with her family and lots of country critters, all of whom provide Amy with a constant source of amusement and inspiration.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (August 25, 2020)
  • Length: 32 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781534480445
  • Ages: 4 - 8

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Awards and Honors

  • Virginia Readers' Choice Award List
  • Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee (MD)
  • Rhode Island Children's Book Award
  • Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year Selection Title
  • Picture This Recommendation List
  • Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award Nominee

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Sy Montgomery

More books from this illustrator: Amy Schimler-Safford