Octopuses are awfully cool. They're super intelligent and more complex than we realize. I liked the conceit of using post cards to share facts about octopuses but I'd have preferred a single back and forth conversation rather than postcards with a variety of characters.

This "circle of life" story will evoke both laughter and tears. Readers who love to learn about marine life will especially appreciate the underwater scenes and glimpses of creatures like crabs, sea urchins, and seahorses. As this story moves from letter to letter, more about Agnes and her humor and love of life are revealed. Key aspects of an octopus life such as shelter, food, and reproduction are covered briefly as part of the story. The mixed media illustrations are vibrant and large enough for a group reading. The story does not omit the death of female octopuses after they lay eyes, making this an opportunity for discussion between children and their caregivers. Educators could consider extending this book into a letter writing activity for classrooms and homes and a "More about Octopuses" page rounds out this wonderful book.

Did not get a chance to review this on my blog and will just give a quick two cents here.... Beautiful illustrations, but the story is a bit muddled. Lots of facts on an octopus life cycle though so might buy it as a classroom addition. Just a bit uneven in the story for me.

Absolutely adored the illustrations in this picture book - the attention to detail was fantastic (right down to the barnacles on the pier). I'd love a print or two of some of these pages! The story, however, was a bit more of a jumble of octopus-related facts and snarky messages between a human boy, Agnes the octopus, another octopus(?) and some crabs. I just wasn't sure where this story was headed while I was reading it. Is it supposed to teach the reader about octopodes? Be a funny back-and-forth between sea creatures? Teach the reader to be nicer to their siblings? I'm not sure. But it was worth a read for the pictures!

The art in this book is beautiful. I love the colors. The story is funny while hitting some sweet notes and teaching a little bit along the way. I laughed several times at the contents of the postcards, sometimes snarky, being sent here and there under the sea. Good extra info about octopuses at the end of the book. Enjoyable read.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Agnes is a giant Pacific octopus. One day, she stumbles upon a postcard from a little boy, calling her a monster. Upset, Agnes writes him back in order to set things straight. This kicks off a series of correspondence between Agnes and the creatures around her.
Love, Agnes is a cute book. In the course of reading it, young readers learn a lot about the fascinating life of a giant Pacific Octopus. The illustrations are bright and engaging and the story is very cute.

Now I get why my boyfriend likes octopuses so much! Agnes is fascinating. I enjoyed getting facts and story mixed in together; each was balanced perfectly and never felt heavy handed or forced. And the illustrations made me want to dive right in! Would definitely recommend to octopus lovers of all ages.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a weird little story. I liked all the info about octopuses but the postcards were random. I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Agnes is a giant Pacific octopus. One day she discovers a random postcard on the ocean floor and decides to respond to it. Pen in tentacle she becomes quite a prolific corresponder. She writes postcards to other seafaring animals and to the human that was responsible for the original postcard that she found.

The postcards introduce the young reader to the lifecycle of the Agnes. She imparts information about her life and her feelings through her series of her writings. This is a fun and ingenious way to be educated about this (according to the dictionary) - cephalopod mollusk with eight sucker-bearing arms, a soft saclike body, strong beaklike jaws, and no internal shell. Now that's a great definition for you.

I love the illusrations. They are expressive and vibrant pulling the reader into the story and enriching the text greatly. The author has cleverly included further information for exploration of this species citing websites and books that readily available for that purpose. I like the book a lot and would definitely recommend it.

'Love, Agnes' is a beautifully illustrated picture book that teaches about the octopus life cycle through a series of postcards between Agnes and other characters. There is added information in the back for further reading, websites, and more details about octopuses (the scientists' preferred term for more than one octopus). I will definitely purchase this for my elementary school library.

This book takes place below a peer and features Agnes the octopus, a boy named Andrew, and other sea faring friends. The illustrations by Thea Baker are vibrant and three-dimensional, unlike most children's books. They catch the eye and bring detail to the underwater world that is filled with more than just blues. You'll find yourself staring at the illustrations long after you have read the text.

I really liked this book. It not only touches upon the difficulty for children to express their emotions, but it also is educational in nature. It teaches children about feelings as well as the life-cycle of an octopus. It even ends with pages filled with octopus facts and additional resources for those children that find themselves wanting to know more about Agnes the cephalopod. I cannot wait to read this book with my son and pass on my love of octopuses (not octopi) to him!

If you or your child have a love of octopuses, sea life, or stories that explain complex emotions and the life-cycle, then this book is for you!

The only negative I have for this book is that at one point the octopus "jetted superfast", which I thought was redundant.

The illustrations alone make this book worth sharing. The story of Agnes the Octopus, told through a series of postcards, will mak you laugh and cry. You’ll learn something as well. I’ll be giving copies to friends and family for sure.

This book depicts the life cycle of an octopus in a fun way. With postcards from humans, crabs, other octopi, Agnes shares her story of what they eat, where they live, how many eggs they have, taking care of the eggs and finally her death after they hatch. The postcards were fun, but my grandson was most interested in the eggs and the babies. Perhaps because his mom is pregnant right now. There is a lot of information at the back of the book, but it seems to be too detailed and difficult for the children the story is aimed at. The illustrations are large, colourful and detailed and tell the story as well as the text. We enjoyed reading this book together and I can see it being a hit in primary classrooms.

This comes across as a book with two purposes that create a mixed message. On the one hand, it lends itself towards being an ecology book about the octopus life cycle. On the other hand, there is an element of child development and conflict management that feels misplaced. Additionally, the postcards themselves teach poor communication (defensiveness etc) to children. Had it been a purely ecological study, it would have been beautiful. The artwork is well done and lends itself perfectly to the book. But the mix in of her letters with the human boy simply felt out of place and wrong with the rest of the book.

This was a clever way to learn about octopi. The octopus facts were very interesting and the postcards were fun. I hope to see future books like this!

4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed.

I could care less about the info bits in the back of the book about octopi. What i adore is the post cards back and forth from Agness the Octopuss to everyone. To the superior octopi, to the little boy above the ocean. This book is full of heart, and just plane fun. I bet it will get more kids interested in post cards.

The concept of this book is interesting with writing postcards back and forth, but I felt it fell short. We learned a little about octopuses, but the facts were still lacking. The illustrations were done well and the facts in the back of the book added a lot to the book.