'The Octonauts & the Only Lonely Monster' by Meomi
Eight friendly critters embark on a global adventure to help a friendless sea monster
By Mengly Taing
Published: October 29th, 2006 | 2:38pm
Critter lovers, young and old alike, will fall in love with Meomi's new book series based on the voyages of their popular gang of explorers, the Octonauts.
Meet Captain Barnacles Bear, Lieutenant Kwazii Kitten, Nurse Peso Penguin, Dr. Shellington, Sauci Dog, Tweak Bunny, Professor Inkling, and yes, Turnip the Vegimal! In this first chapter, the Octonauts encounter a large, lonely monster that confuses their undersea base as another of its kind. Seeing the monster sad and all alone, the valiant crew decides to visit the four corners of the sea in search of a companion for their new friend.
This message of friendship and love has always been the passionate mission behind Meomi founders Vicki Wong, 30, and Michael Murphy, 36, who have spent the last four years creating thousand of unique critters together. Despite living in two different cities, Wong, who lives in Vancouver, and Murphy, who lives in Los Angeles, formed the illustration and design house in 2002, just two years after they first met in Denmark and discovered their mutual love for all things furry and cute.
Wong owes having busy parents and a bedroom full of stuffed critters for sparking a creative nature early in her life. As a child, Wong said she often escaped inside her picture books and comics and created imaginary worlds for herself.
"We decided we would draw our own wonderful make believe world to which we can escape," Wong said of her and partner Murphy's lovely obsession with drawing critters. "All the critters are very much inspired by real ones."
For the six-month task of creating their first book, Wong says she was inspired by one too many trips to the Vancouver Aquarium, hours spent watching the Blue Planet marathon, and drinking too much miso soup.
"We hope that our readers will like our underwater world and appreciate the real underwater world and its critters as much as we do," Wong said.
The colorful tale features 36 pages of vibrant and sophisticated images including four murals that bring this underwater world to life. Be sure to look out for critters speaking in a range of languages representative of the different parts of the world and Wong's favorite sea unicorns — Arctic Narwhals! Fans also may not have to wait too long for their next adventure. Wong and Murphy have already begun working on their follow-up, which finds the Octonauts traveling into darker waters in the Sea of Shade.
So no matter your age or your shoe size, there's no escaping the fact that despite our many differences, everyone is always in need of a friend. The Octonauts & the Only Lonely Monster is sure to charm its way to the inner child in all of us.
The Octonauts & the Only Lonely Monster is currently available in a variety of bookstores, museum shops, aquariums, and art stores. For a complete listing, check out octonauts.com/book
Immedium, 36 pages, List Price: $15.95
Issue #35
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