Giant Squid

I love this book because it introduces our beloved children (6-10 years old) to one of the most mysterious and elusive creatures on Earth: the giant squid. Just think about it: until 2006, no humans had even seen one of these animals alive!

I study dolphins and whales, and sperm whales hunt these creatures in the cold and dark depths of the oceans. But while even kids know something about sperm whales, giant squid remains a mystery to most of us. How do they hunt? What do they eat? How do they breed? Award-winning author Candace Fleming and illustrator Eric… show more.

One look at the cover of this visually stunning, expertly crafted nonfiction picture book sparks the notion that the elusive giant squid has much more to teach us than what meets the eye.

Next, this opening line from the prologue plunges the reader into the squid’s mysterious world so the rest of the book can fulfill the cover’s promise:

"Down, down in the depths of the sunless sea, deep, deep in the cold, cold dark, creatures, strange and fearsome, lurk."

I was hooked from the get-go, and I know Fleming and Rohmann’s innovative pairing of poetic expository text with darkly… show more.

Immersed in the pages of Giant Squid, I feel pulled out of my usual world, allowed to explore the life of an animal I will probably never get to meet in person. I love the way this deep dive takes me up close and personal, yet maintains an aura of mystery—a curl of tentacle here, a glimpse of eyeball there. I also appreciate the balance of accurate scientific information with the basic questions that remind us that there is so much about this animal, and, by extension, the natural world as a whole, that we still do not know. 

My love for the ocean and its creature make this one of my favorite picture books about wildlife for the younger set. The author’s lyrical, almost poetic description of the mysterious giant squid, living in the dark depths of the ocean is a joy to read, and the dark-ocean illustrations give the book an eerie feel not seen in most sea-inspired books. It received a Robert E. Sibert Honor award.