The tale of an octopus family who meets their grandrelative, it received mixed reviews alongside criticism over Greenseid's art and style.

[4] A year prior to release, Gale Research's Something About the Author series listed it as a work in progress from its Los Angeles-born illustrator, Diane Greenseid.

Writing for the School Library Journal, Patricia Manning felt that the "cheerful" rhymes and "pleasant production" were at odds with the octopus designs, which resembled "a flotilla of pink, eight-tailed tadpoles.

Of the text, the PW team said: "Roberts's verse is attuned to the needs of a young audience, with plenty of bounce and onomatopoeia.... [Furthermore, the] story line is familiar but well-wrought".

[1] The Horn Book Guide was less enthusiastic, stating, "An unattractive blocky design and bright but boring cartoon artwork illustrate the unsubstantial rhyming text.