- Non-Fiction
- Ages 6–10
- Science
Octopuses Have Zero Bones
An ingenious counting book that starts at zero and climbs to nine billion, hanging jaw-dropping facts about animals, space and the human body off each number.
- Best for6–10
- FormatNon-fiction
- Length68 pp
- Read aloud~58 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
Tone
- Thought provoking
- Whimsical
- Inspirational
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
This is a counting book quite unlike any other. Instead of stopping at ten, it begins at zero, an octopus has zero bones, and journeys all the way up through the single digits and the powers of ten to nine billion, pinning an astonishing fact about the natural world to every number along the way. From the creatures of the ocean to the reaches of space to the workings of the human body, each spread uses a number as a doorway into wonder, inviting curious children to see the world through the lens of quantity and scale. Anne Richardson, drawing on years at the Exploratorium science museum, pairs her fact-filled text with Andrea Antinori's award-winning, playful illustrations. A browsable, endlessly re-readable book that makes maths and science feel like the same thrilling act of noticing.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Works from about 5 or 6 shared aloud and up to 10 or 11 for independent readers who love facts. Its scope and design give it real crossover appeal for curious adults too.
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- Best fit · 6–10
- Read aloud · 5–9
- Independent · 7–11
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Gift-buying
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Science lovers
- Counting
- Curious kids
- Fact books
- Beautiful picture books
Avoid if
- Wants a story
- Wants fast plot
Particularly good for children who are…
- Interested in science
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A superb cross-curricular bridge between maths and science, sparking questions about number, scale and the natural world.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Every number unlocks a fact that makes you go wow, from the boneless octopus to the sheer size of nine billion, and the playful pictures turn a counting book into a treasure hunt of the strange and amazing.
- Secret skill
- Making a difference
Why parents love it
A genuinely clever non-fiction book that reframes counting as a way of seeing the world, packed with facts adults will learn from too, and illustrated with real warmth and style. Endlessly dippable.
- Educational for adult too
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
About the creators
About the creators.
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Three ways out of this book.
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