Squid reads! Well, not just any squid. Specifically these are children's books about the giant squid, one of the most mysterious creatures on Earth. Mythologized as the infamous Kraken, the giant squid is a very real, yet very elusive, creature of the deep. Because it is both so mysterious and such an unusual animal it is the subject of fascination for many authors and illustrators.
If you have a young reader interested in ocean life, mysteries, and/or mythology, I have three books perfect for them:
Giant Squid by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Because there is still so little known about the giant squid there is only so much information written about them in books. In this non-fiction picture book, Candace Fleming finds a creative way to incorporate these minimal facts with prose, surrounding them with Eric Rohmann’s striking and eerie illustrations.
Follow the giant squid as it swims deep in the ocean, as it hunts for prey, as it escapes from danger. The artwork hints at the creature, waiting until the last few pages to reveal the animal in all its glorious strangeness. The words are as sparse as the animal’s real-life appearances, lending it further mystery.
Giant Squid is a beautiful book with just enough facts to inform. But where it really succeeds is in how it conveys the squid’s unique existence through words and pictures, an elusive creature even in a space dedicated entirely to it.
Here There be Monsters: The Legendary Kraken and the Giant Squid by HP Newquist
Did you know the mythological Kraken is a very real sea creature? Born from the tales of sailors, legend spread of a creature of immense size with tentacles long enough to wrap around the hull of a ship. But, unlike other sea monsters of myth, the tales of the Kraken remained consistent with every new sighting. And then, in the 19th century, the remains of the creatures began washing ashore, providing evidence that they were not sea monsters at all, but instead an unknown species of animal we now call the Giant Squid.
In Here There be Monsters HP Newquist traces the history of the earliest reported sightings and the ancient myths they informed. Newquist then takes readers through the first discoveries of physical evidence, and on through today, when the giant squid was finally observed on camera in the sea. There are lots of photos, illustrations, graphs, and maps, as well as ample text (spaced evenly for young readers). Inquisitive kids (and adults) will find Here There be Monsters a fun and informative read about one of the most mysterious creatures on Earth.
Who Would Win? Whale vs. Giant Squid by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster
If you work in a public or school library, I’m certain you know this series. The Who Would Win? books are very popular with young readers right now. Each entry in the series is full of interesting trivia about wildlife along with a premise that capitalizes on the morbid interests that seem to naturally arise from a curious mind. Whale (more specifically “Sperm Whale”) vs. Giant Squid is an especially fun book because the creatures it profiles are large and mysterious real-life “monsters from the deep.”
The book begins with comparative facts about each creature, such as their unique biology, their connections to other animals, their diets, and even how they swim. At the end of the book, a scenario is offered of a hypothetical encounter between a giant squid and a sperm whale. The scenario plays out as the creatures engage in battle, ending in an informed outcome based on the descriptions from the first half of the book. I won’t spoil who wins, but kids will have a fun time studying and formulating an outcome before arriving at that final page where the victor is revealed.
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