Octobo’s Big City Adventure | Dedicated Review

Review of Octobo’s Big City Adventure
Sponsored* | All opinions are our own
The Children’s Book Review

What to Expect: Interactive, I-Spy, Rhyming Text, Edutainment

Take a fun trip through the city with, Octobo, a friendly one-eyed monster and your new learning buddy. Our youngest readers will come away with a fun urban experience and the encouragement to tap into their creative side while also picking up some new reading and writing skills.

Welcome to the city, Octobo! “Octobo, with your one big eye, what can you identify?” On the left-side page, readers will see a city scene through the eyes of Octobo. On the right-side page, readers will see the scene as it actually is and are encouraged to use their imagination just as Octobo does. For Octobo, the clouds above the tall pointy buildings look like a frowning giant and a train appears as a snake. Readers will be able to join Octobo as he travels underground, eats at a restaurant, checks out some street art, and plants some seeds in a city garden, all while making new friends along the way. Octobo’s adventures will inspire young readers to stop and notice all the wonders!

We found Octobo’s Big City Adventure to be highly engaging, entertaining, and educational—it is a solid addition to the edutainment category. This book captures the wonder of a child experiencing something for the first time and teaches kids who may be familiar with the city landscape to stop and notice. The entertaining directives to guess what’s inside items such as a brown paper bag or a briefcase or a present, provide excellent opportunities for curiosity, imagination, and vocabulary expansion. The experience is further enhanced by the six dry-erase Discovery Cards that come with the book. These cards help readers identify highlighted objects found on the books’ pages, label the items, imagine, and draw. Kids who are ready to write can even practice labeling their drawings directly on the cards with a dry erase marker (not included). The final page is an integral part of the story as a reflective mirror puts the reader directly in the scene with Octobo and all their new friends.

To further enhance this artfully illustrated book, there is a QR code on the back that can be scanned for an audiobook to use alongside the physical book. Here readers will also discover a much bigger suite of edutaining activity kits and Octobo accessories, including a soft robot version of Octobo (purchased separately) that teaches the alphabet, spelling, and the foundations for STEM education.

If you’re looking for an interactive experience that inspires creativity and allows for learning and practicing new vocabulary words, Octobo’s Big City Adventure is a surefire pick that will immerse young readers in storytelling and both creative and critical thinking. Highly Recommended!

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Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored*, non-biased review of Octobo’s Big City Adventure by Thinker-Tinker. Learn more about getting a book review …