BBC R4 Book of the Week ‘Brilliant’ Guardian ‘Fascinating and often delightful’ The Times What if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter?

A groundbreaking history of the human mind told through our experience of dreams—from the earliest accounts to current scientific findings—and their essential role in the formation of who we are and the world we have made. "A resounding case for the mystery, beauty and cognitive importance of dreams." —The New York Times What is a dream? Why do we dream? How do our bodies and minds use them? These questions are the starting point for this unprecedented study of the role and significance of this phenomenon. An inves­tigation on a grand scale, it encompasses literature, anthropology, religion, and science, articulating the essential place dreams occupy in human culture and how they functioned as the catalyst that compelled us to transform our earthly habitat into a human world. From the earliest cave paintings—where Sidarta Ribeiro locates a key to humankind’s first dreams and how they contributed to our capacity to perceive past and future and our ability to conceive of the existence of souls and spirits—to today’s cutting-edge scientific research, Ribeiro arrives at revolutionary conclusions about the role of dreams in human existence and evolution. He explores the advances that contempo­rary neuroscience, biochemistry, and psychology have made into the connections between sleep, dreams, and learning. He explains what dreams have taught us about the neural basis of memory and the transfor­mation of memory in recall. And he makes clear that the earliest insight into dreams as oracular has been elucidated by contemporary research. Accessible, authoritative, and fascinating, The Oracle of Night gives us a wholly new way to under­stand this most basic of human experiences.

A shaped board book that is perfect for little ones who are exploring their world. Is your child ready to learn good bedtime habits? The light and lively story is encouraging and reassuring. Little Octopus will lend a hand or eight

If you were an octopus, you′d have eight legs to put into pants! Follow one little boy through his day as he playfully considers how mealtime, bath time, nap time, and many other activities would be different if he were a bird, a tiger, or any number of baby animals. Julie Markes′s first picture book is charmingly illustrated by Maggie Smith.

Finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction * New York Times Bestseller * A Huffington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of the Year * One of the Best Books of the Month on Goodreads * Library Journal Best Sci-Tech Book of the Year * An American Library Association Notable Book of the Year “Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus does for the creature what Helen Macdonald’s H Is for Hawk did for raptors.” —New Statesman, UK “One of the best science books of the year.” —Science Friday, NPR Another New York Times bestseller from the author of The Good Good Pig, this “fascinating…touching…informative…entertaining” (The Daily Beast) book explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus—a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature—and the remarkable connections it makes with humans. In pursuit of the wild, solitary, predatory octopus, popular naturalist Sy Montgomery has practiced true immersion journalism. From New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, she has befriended octopuses with strikingly different personalities—gentle Athena, assertive Octavia, curious Kali, and joyful Karma. Each creature shows her cleverness in myriad ways: escaping enclosures like an orangutan; jetting water to bounce balls; and endlessly tricking companions with multiple “sleights of hand” to get food. Scientists have only recently accepted the intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees but now are watching octopuses solve problems and are trying to decipher the meaning of the animal’s color-changing techniques. With her “joyful passion for these intelligent and fascinating creatures” (Library Journal Editors’ Spring Pick), Montgomery chronicles the growing appreciation of this mollusk as she tells a unique love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about the meeting of two very different minds.

"Charmingly silly...features bouncy, rhyming text that will enchant readers." —Kirkus Reviews An octopus falls from the sky one day. It lands on a roof and there it stays. The village’s children quickly make friends with it, even though the adults are wary. But the octopus proves very handy indeed, making a perfect slide, helping out with some painting, and even rescuing a cat stuck in a tree. But just when all the neighbors decide they want an octopus of their very own, it disappears. Where has it gone and will it come back?

A new bedtime classic from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site! It's time for bed and this little octopus is more than happy to volunteer! He's all ready to put his parents to bed! Bath time, putting on pajamas, brushing teeth, and tucking everyone in is a whole new challenge when the kid is in charge (and especially when everyone has eight arms!). From bestselling author Sherri Duskey Rinker and award-winning illustrator Viviane Schwarz comes a romping, rhyming, hilarious tale sure to entertain wiggly bedtime readers everywhere. • Perfect for children who are learning good bedtime, bath time, and toothbrushing habits • Silly and clever rhymes make this a perfect read-aloud book • From the bestselling author of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train Any child who loves Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, I Am Not Sleepy and Will Not Go to Bed, and Llama, Llama, Red Pajama will love How to Put an Octopus to Bed! • Read-aloud book for kids ages 3–5 • Toddler book about brushing teeth • Goodnight books for toddlers Sherri Duskey Rinker is the New York Times bestselling author of the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site series and Steam Train, Dream Train. She lives in Chicago with her photographer husband and two energetic, inquisitive sons. Viviane Schwarz is the author-illustrator of several picture books, including There Are Cats in this Book, There Are No Cats in this Book, and Is There a Dog in this Book? She can usually be found in her studio in London, unless she's outside researching and sketching.