Cowboy & Octopus
By Jon Scieszka
The Story
A bacon-loving cowboy and a knock-knock-joke-loving octopus strike up an odd-couple friendship, told through a handful of short, funny stories about their mismatched tastes and habits.
Why It's Special
For the kid who's convinced the weirdest pairings make the best friends, this one proves opposites can share a plate of beans without any trouble at all.
- Big idea: Friendship doesn't need matching tastes — it just needs two people willing to stick around.
- Vibes: Deadpan, funny, a little offbeat, warm underneath the jokes.
Perfect For Kids Who
- enjoy absurd, funny pairings
- like to tell and retell knock-knock jokes
- are working on appreciating differences in friends
- respond well to short, separate mini-stories rather than one long plot
Ask Your Little Reader
- Story & problem-solving: Cowboy and Octopus like such different foods — what do you think they could eat together?
- Feelings & empathy: How do you think Octopus felt when Cowboy didn't get his knock-knock jokes?
- Real-life connection: Do you have a friend who likes really different things than you do?
- Imagination: If you were friends with an octopus, what's one thing you'd want to teach each other?
- Art & illustration: What do you notice about how Cowboy and Octopus look in the pictures — what makes their style feel old-fashioned and funny?
