Our friend the squid returns with a paint brush. There's very little text in this (and it ends with a cheesy pun), but the pictures are clean and funny, including a giant double fold-out at the end. ( )

Riding on the coattails of I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean!, this book brings back the same enthusiastic giant squid, now with a paintbrush. The other ocean creatures get fed up - "you're making a mess!" - but the squid counters, "You mean...MESS-terpiece!" The final fold-out page reveals the squid's canvas: the side of the whale. ( )

I liked this book for a couple of reasons. The illustrations were vivid and made you feel like you were in the ocean with the rest of the sea creatures. Not only were the illustrations colorful and engaging, but some pages even opened up and threw the pictures in your face! I loved that it kept you excited for what was going to be on the next page. I liked the characters that were included. The main character was an squid, who didn't care when little fish were commenting on his art, and even a shark.. It was ironic when his canvas was a huge whale, bigger than the shark. I liked how the characters were well thought about and realistic in the interactions they share in the ocean. The "big picture" in this book was to not give up on yourself. Even though many sea creatures tried to discourage the squid, in the end he didn't give up and they were surprised by his wonderful masterpiece. ( )

I love this book because it encourages art. The octopus uses his ink to make pictures. The shark tells him that he is making a mess and the octopus ignores him. The best part of this book is not the story but the art. The art was completed in three layers each separated by glass that was pried from the windows of shipwrecked pirate ships.There is a watercolor layer background, then a cut paper background, then a cut paper level, and then finally and ink layer consisting of 100% fresh squid ink. The endpapers are modeled after Joan Miro's Poetess and the whale mural after Pablo Picasso's Guernica.
Ages k-2nd
Genre- Fantasy because the squid is creating art. ( )

In my opinion this is a great book. I think that even thought this book doesn't have a lot of writing in it and has mostly pictures, there is a deeper meaning to this book about the ocean and how amazing it is. I loved the illustrations in the book. The gain squid was drawing all the other animals and the pictures are so detailed and big. This book would be great for a first grade class who is learning about the ocean. The plot is what also makes this book amazing. I love how when the animals ask the squid what he is doing he simply says that he is drawing. I like how the author states that the squid is making a mess, yet at the end after the squid has drawn all the animals he says that he just drew a masterpiece referring to the beauty of the ocean. A great organization on the author's part and a meaningful story. The big idea of this book is to learn about the ocean and how each animal small or big makes the ocean a masterpiece and amazing. The ocean is amazing and this book reminds us of its beauty. ( )