The Octopus Who Needed Eight Shoes
It starts with a little idea…
Finn (child)“An octopus in a shoe shop. He’d need eight, wouldn’t he? But they wouldn’t all be the same size. And one goes missing. Maybe someone’s put a flower in it.”
Otto needs eight shoes for his first harbour parade. Whale finds eight good fits. But when one disappears, a trail of sand leads to a very unexpected flowerpot.
Back cover, spine and front cover
Turn with the buttons, swipe across the book, or use your keyboard arrows.
What will your child’s book be about?
Talebrix is designed to turn their spoken ideas into a real personalised book, with their name as the author.
Get first accessJoin the list for first access when pre-orders open. No payment required.
Read the whole story as text
The parade tomorrow
Otto had never joined the harbour parade. The path was sharp with shells, and his soft arms always made him turn back. This year, he meant to reach the bandstand. He peered into Whale’s shoe shop. “I need eight shoes,” he said. “By tomorrow.”
Eight different sizes
Whale measured one arm. Then another. Then another. “Eight arms,” she said. “Eight sizes.” Otto looked at the neat pairs on the shelves. “Can’t you make them match?” “I can make them fit,” said Whale. “That’s more useful.”
A very odd collection
They chose a brown boot, a yellow trainer, a blue shoe and a red one. Next came a green sandal, a purple slipper and a speckled boot. The last shoe was orange, with a little star on its side. Otto lined up his odd collection. For the first time, the parade seemed possible.
Seven
The next morning, Otto came back for his shoes. Whale wrapped seven in paper. “Where’s the orange one?” he asked. Whale checked the bench, the shelves and beneath the stool. Nothing. Outside, the band was practising. The parade would start at noon. Then Otto noticed a trail of damp sand leading out of the shop.
The trail
The sandy marks led to the jetty. Otto followed them slowly, lifting his bare arms over the sharp shells. Behind a crate, something orange caught his eye. There was his shoe. And growing out of it was a tiny yellow flower. Crab stood beside it, looking very small.
A difficult confession
“The sole was split,” Crab whispered. “I thought it was being thrown away. I wanted a pot for my flower.” “Why didn’t you ask?” said Otto. “I was going to. Then I saw you counting, and I got scared.” Otto looked at the flower. He had been scared of the parade for years. “Come with me,” he said. “We’ll ask together.”
The last stitch
Whale found a proper flowerpot. Crab lifted the seedling into it, and Otto wiped the orange shoe clean. Whale pushed her needle through the split sole. Outside, the first bell rang. Otto held the shoe steady. Crab kept the thread straight. Whale pulled the final stitch tight. “There,” she said. “Eight shoes. Eight good fits.”
A knotty problem
Otto put on all eight shoes. Not one matched another. The second bell rang. Now the laces had tangled into one enormous knot. “Don’t pull them all!” cried Crab. Otto stopped. One loop at a time, they loosened the muddle. Then Crab tied the bows. The band struck its first note.
Eight splendid shoes
They reached the bandstand just as the parade began. Otto’s eight different shoes made eight different sounds: clop, squeak, tap, flap! Crab carried his flower beside him. “Are you sure they look all right?” Otto asked. Whale waved from her shop. “They look like yours!” Otto lifted the orange shoe high and took his very first step into the parade.
An illustrated example of the experience we are developing. Talebrix is still in development; this book was not printed by the device.