The sea is full of interesting animals, and among them the octopus has some of the most fascinating traits. Its tentacles, with which it can handle objects, its good eyes, and its comparatively high-grade intelligence make it stand out from its less developed relatives such as snails and slugs. This book tells the life story of the small, harmless octopus of the Atlantic shores—its tactics in eluding enemies, its feeding habits, its selection of shells and other receptacles as homes, and its mating. 

This varied life is simply and unsentimentally told for young children to read themselves. Its authors, a well-known marine naturalist and his wife, have observed octopuses in the sea and their own salt-water aquariums for many years.

From the dust jacket