The Octopus Scientists (Scientists in the Field)
by Sy Montgomery (Author) Keith Ellenbogen (Illustrator)
With three hearts and blue blood, its gelatinous body unconstrained by jointed limbs or gravity, the octopus seems to be an alien, an inhabitant of another world. It's baggy, boneless body sprouts eight arms covered with thousands of suckers--suckers that can taste as well as feel. The octopus also has the powers of a superhero: it can shape-shift, change color, squirt ink, pour itself through the tiniest of openings, or jet away through the sea faster than a swimmer can follow.
But most intriguing of all, octopuses--classed as mollusks, like clams--are remarkably intelligent with quirky personalities. This book, an inquiry into the mind of an intelligent invertebrate, is also a foray into our own unexplored planet. These thinking, feeling creatures can help readers experience and understand our world (and perhaps even life itself) in a new way.
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School Library Journal
Gr 6-9—Searching for octopuses along the coast of Moorea in French Polynesia might sound like a dream assignment. However, these elusive mollusks are master of deceptive camouflage: boneless wonders that can ooze into impossibly small spaces and that tend to change their locations abruptly, leaving merely a tidy stack of emptied shells from past meals. Montgomery and Ellenbogen join psychologist Jennifer Mather and her team as they methodically explore Moorea's fringing reefs, recording finds of octopus dens and middens on geographic grids, meeting octopods here and there that peer curiously from their hiding places. Interspersed with this logical, systematic investigation is a series of fascinating asides: discussions of the Centre de Researches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement de Polynesie Francaise, of the intelligence of these evasive creatures and their amazing capability to change the color and texture of their skin, and of the coral habitats they select as dwelling places. Through sharply crafted text, Montgomery shares her enthusiasm with readers, and Ellenbogen's vibrant color photos allow a crystalline window into a very special environment. This glimpse into an alien world and mind combines biology and psychology: an exciting pairing. VERDICT Another enticing entry in a series devoted to highlighting enthusiastic scientists hard at work in the fields they love.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
* "Chapters of action, with smoothly integrated explanatory background, are interspersed with informative passages about octopuses, the field station, and coral reefs...Amazing photographs reveal the octopuses' remarkable shape-changing abilities and help readers visualize this experience. Science in the field at its best."
—Kirkus, starred review
* "Endlessly fascinating."
—Booklist, starred review
"Montgomery describes all aspects of life in the field, including the personalities and quirks of the scientists and the joys of working in a beautiful tropical locale. Abundant stunningly clear underwater photographs highlight the colorful details of a range of marine species."
—Horn Book Magazine
* "Through sharply crafted text, Montgomery shares her enthusiasm with readers, and Ellenbogen's vibrant color photos allow a crystalline window into a very special environment...Another enticing entry in a series devoted to highlighting enthusiastic scientists hard at work in the fields they love."
—School Library Journal, starred review
"The reliably informative and entertaining Montgomery is off on another Scientists in the Field adventure."
—Bulletin
JNF003150 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Marine Life
JNF002000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Adventure & Adventurers
JNF051050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Biology
JNF051170 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Discoveries
Octopuses
French Polynesia
Moorea
Mather, Jennifer A
