ARLO DRAWS AN OCTOPUS by Lori Mortensen. Illus by Rob Sayegh, Jr.  New York:  Abrams Books, 2021.  32p.  ISBN 978-1419742019 hc. $16.99     PreS - Gr. 1     E PIC

Inspired by something the readers don't know about, Arlo came home one day ready to draw an octopus.  He concentrated on each part of the octopus, but the completed drawing wasn't what he envisioned.  Feel discouraged, he bumped into an octopus who was drawing a picture of a boy.  As it turns out, Arlo and the octopus were more accepting of each other's drawings than their own.  What could possibly happen when they started drawing elephants together?  Sayegh's two-page illustrations stand out against a light background, leaving plenty of space for a few easy-to-read sentences on each spread. He makes Arlo's crayon drawings come to life.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI