Learning with humor

Darren Farrell with his four-year-old son Jonah / Courtesy of Penguin Group Korea

Children’s author discusses new book, inspiring children to read

By Kim Young-jin

Artwork from “Thank You, Octopus” by Darren Farrell

For parents, there are many benefits to reading each day with your children. It’s a time to wind down, relax and learn.

Of course, it’s helpful to have those books that children ask for night after night. Whether they light up the imagination or prompt incessant giggling, these works make it exciting to read.

For Seoul-based author Darren Farrell, getting kids jazzed about books is all in the details. His soon-to-be-released “Thank You, Octopus” is packed with hilarious drawings and “inside jokes” that will keep children and parents laughing.

Released by Dial Books next week, the story, appropriate for ages three and up, is about a boy and an octopus who live on a tug boat in New York’s Hudson River.

The playful mollusk offers to help his friend as he prepares for bed but each time, the creature surprises him with a playful twist.

The octopus offers to help him take a bath ­ in a bathtub full of noodles. He assists in brushing the boy’s teeth ­ with paintbrushes.

The pattern is great for learners because of the rhythmic repetition of the phrases, “Thank you, Octopus” and “No thank you, Octopus.”

It’s the second book by Farrell ­ an American who moved to Korea with his wife, a teacher at an international school ― following his well-received “Doug-Dennis and the Flyaway Fib” in 2010.

Unlike the first offering, the book was drawn with pencils, giving it a softer look. Though he has no formal training, Farrell, who previously worked in advertising, creates rich, vibrant images.

But the charm is in the humor.

The pictures often foreshadow what will happen on the next page. For instance, before the octopus offers to brush the boy’s teeth, canisters of paintbrushes are seen on the floor. On repeat reads, children will feel like they have inside knowledge of what’s going to happen next.

We spoke to Farrell about the book and engaging young readers.

Q:

This is your second book. Were there lessons you learned from Flyaway Fib that you applied to Octopus?

A:

I wanted to make a book that could appeal to younger readers, but still be funny enough for older readers and even parents. So with Octopus I worked very hard to keep the language as simple and spare as possible and to build in a bit of rhythm.

I also worked incredibly hard on were the backgrounds. Compared with Doug-Dennis, these backgrounds are incredibly detailed. I spent hours and hours making each tiny little square window in each building, making the curvy waves.

Finally, I gave a considerable amount of thought to the story details in this book. If an octopus and a boy are friends, well then, how would they meet? Why are they friends?

This is why I decided to set the book on a tugboat. I can imagine the boy hauling in Octopus up one day, tangled in a net ­ and from there they both became good friends.

The book feels like it’s designed to foster positive "reading time.” What kind of devices do you use to create that environment?

Octopus lets parents share a giggle with their child as the octopus and boy jump into the gross bathtub full of egg salad, for instance, or brush their teeth with paintbrushes.

The rhythm helps to build expectations as the book progresses. The child is going to know that something crazy will happen when they turn the page, but they won't quite know what. I have also hidden hints about what will happen next. These little hidden details make for a more engaging reading time.

Would you say the book has a moral? Is that important?

It does not have a moral in the classic sense. But it is a story about friendship and getting ready for bed. These are both important topics for young children as they learn how to be kind and understanding with their play and schoolmates.

And it is fun for them to think about their bedtime routine in a new way. Do we brush our teeth with paintbrushes? Of course not! When we break down the routine and re-imagine it helps to reinforce why we do things the way we do.

Any advice for parents on how to use this and other books to create quality time?

It is so important to make books special. To make a special time each day to sit down and read books with your child.

My wife and I sit down with (their son) Jonah each day and read with him. We read and giggle and wonder about what the characters are thinking and doing. Reading really opens up a child to the world and vice-versa.

“Thank You, Octopus” is available from Dial Books on May 1. It can be found at Kyobo bookstores and What the Book in Itaewon.