Leo and Cruz

New · Book Two

Eight Arms Ashore is here.

Today the ship is in port, and it is Cruz’s very first time on land. Twelve new I Spy spreads to search, rhymes to read aloud, and 30 pages of 8-Arm Challenges after the hunt.

Buy Book Two on Amazon
Ages 3–612 I Spy Spreads30 Pages of 8-Arm Challenges
Leo and Cruz arrive at the harbor in Eight Arms Ashore
Amazon Boats and Ships New Releases list showing Eight Arms Aboard at number 1

#1 New Release on Amazon

Eight Arms Aboard went to #1.

The first Leo and Cruz adventure was the #1 New Release in Children’s Boats & Ships Books on Amazon, September 2026.

See the Book on Amazon

Meet the Crew

Meet Leo, Cruz, and Hatch.

Leo, a young blond boy in a green Hawaiian shirt and blue flip-flops
The Explorer

Leo

Leo has been cruising since he was eight months old. He hunts for cruising ducks, checks the hallways for his vacuum-cleaner friends, and notices the little things adults might walk right past.

Cruz, a small coral-peach octopus wearing a navy captain’s cap
The Secret Keeper

Cruz

Cruz has eight chunky arms, and she uses all of them to hide things. She’s lived aboard the ship her whole life and knows it better than the crew does. Look closely—she may be hiding where you least expect her.

Hatch, a navy ship vacuum cleaner with a porthole face and a gold anchor
The Crew Guide

Hatch

Hatch is inspired by the ship’s vacuum cleaner Leo called his friend and still visits every voyage.

Inside the Adventure

Every book. Three ways to play.

Read the story, search every scene, then keep the fun going with Cruz’s 8-Arm Challenges.

1

Follow the Story

Sail with Leo and Cruz as an unlikely friendship unfolds, aboard the ship in Book One and ashore in Book Two.

2

Search Every Scene

Explore 12 full-color I Spy spreads, each with eight things to find, usually including a duck.

3

Take the Challenges

Continue the adventure with 30 pages of activities in every book, most of them number work.

12I Spy spreads per book
30challenge pages per book

Book One mixes counting with halves, multiplication, comparisons, patterns, telling time, a word search, a secret decoder, spot-the-difference and coloring. Book Two heads into the market with price tags and counting coins, plus a maze, a code to crack, shadow matching and more.

The Real Story Behind the Story

Inspired by family cruises and one very observant little boy.

Rebecca Cotogno has been cruising with her grandson Leo since he was eight months old. On board, families hide little rubber ducks for kids to discover. Leo loved searching for them, which led to Cruz becoming the character behind the hiding. Along the way, his imagination turned the ship’s vacuum cleaner into Hatch, while his love of numbers and counting became the foundation for Cruz’s 8-Arm Challenges.

Book Two · New

Eight Arms Ashore

A Seek-and-Find Cruise Adventure by Rebecca Cotogno.

$19.99
Ages
3–6
Pages
65
Format
8.5 × 11 in
Cover
Paperback
Buy on Amazon

Book One

Eight Arms Aboard

A Seek-and-Find Story of Friendship at Sea by Rebecca Cotogno.

$19.99
Ages
3–6
Pages
65
Format
8.5 × 11 in · Premium color
Cover
Glossy paperback
Buy on Amazon

$19.99 is the current list price for each book. Amazon controls final price, availability, shipping, and checkout.

Leo and Cruz Seek and Find Adventures

The adventure is just beginning.

Book One set sail. Book Two goes ashore. The next stop is Eight Arms Overboard.

Eight Arms AboardBook 1 · At sea · Out now
Eight Arms AshoreBook 2 · Into port · New
Eight Arms OverboardBook 3 · At the reef
Eight Arms IslandBook 4 · Up the trail
Eight Arms HomeBook 5 · Home again
Shop the Books

A Small Look Inside

Preview Eight Arms Aboard

Front cover of Eight Arms Aboard
Front cover
Cabin seek-and-find spread from Eight Arms Aboard
Cabin — a full seek-and-find spread with the findable objects shown.
Elevator interior scene preview
Another interior glimpse, shown without the search prompt.
Duck Pattern Match activity page from Cruz’s 8-Arm Challenges
Duck Pattern Match — an activity-page sample from Cruz’s 8-Arm Challenges.
Back cover of Eight Arms Aboard
Back cover
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A Small Look Inside

Preview Eight Arms Ashore

Front cover of Eight Arms Ashore
Front cover
Leo and Cruz arriving at the harbor, the opening scene of Eight Arms Ashore
The harbor, where the day ashore begins. What’s hidden here is for the book.
Leo at the busy fish quay in Eight Arms Ashore
The fish quay, a glimpse of one page.
Price Tags activity page from Cruz’s 8-Arm Challenges
Price Tags, an activity page from Cruz’s 8-Arm Challenges.
Back cover of Eight Arms Ashore
Back cover
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