This is book five of the Lighthouse Family series.  Pandora the cat,  Seabold the dog and 3 adopted mice have created a family characterized by kindness and comfort.  In The Octopus, the mice children Whistler and Lila explore an estuary during the lowest tide of the year, seeing creatures they have never seen before.  They offer friendship to Cleo, a stranded octopus and Cleo in return helps free Lila’s feet from the dry crusted sand as the tide comes in.  The story ends with Cleo bringing his family to share a companionable afternoon with the lighthouse family in the sea cave below the lighthouse cliff.

Short chapters and a peaceful, kind message make this book a good choice for young readers.