helped a kid check this out at the library, and knew I needed to check it out myself! squids and octopuses are a fav of mine. love the vintage feel of the book! I'd point to that as the biggest draw at this point. the illustrations are great in a vintage way, and the story is a decent adventure. the gun fight is not something you see in many kids picture books these days! i'd read this to slightly older kids, kindergarten+