Over the past few weeks we have been learning all about the ocean! Here is a collection of 40 children’s books about ocean animals that includes both fiction and nonfiction selections!
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I love providing book sets related to current themes we’re studying or topics the kids are showing an interest in. Over the last few weeks we’ve been learning all about the ocean. We played with our rocky shore small world and went on a scavenger hunt at the beach!
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In addition to doing lots of fun ocean activities, we’ve also been reading all kinds of ocean and sea life themed books. Here is a collection of ocean animal books for you to use as a resource for your own ocean unit. The collection includes both fiction and nonfiction to help aid children in making connections between texts, to themselves, and to the world around them! (This post contains affiliate links.)
40 Children’s Books about Ocean Animals
Tide Pools
In One Tidepool: Crabs, Snails, and Salty Tails by Anthony D. Fredericks
Ocean Soup: A Book of Tide Pool Poems by Stephen R. Swinburne
Seashells, Crabs and Sea Stars: Take-Along Guide by Christiane Kump Tibbitts
Crabs
A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
Crab Moon by Ruth Horowitz
Grasper: A Young Crab’s Discovery by Owen Paul Lewis
Is This a House for Hermit Crab? by Megan Mcdonald
Sea Otters
What if There Were No Sea Otters? by Suzanne Slade
A Lot of Otters by Barbara Helen Berger
Sea Turtles
National Geographic Readers: Sea Turtles by Laura Marsh
Sea Turtles by Gail Gibbons
One Tiny Turtle: Read and Wonder by Nicola Davies
I’ll Follow the Moon by Stephanie Lisa Tara
Dolphins
Dolphins by Sylvia M. James
National Geographic Readers: Dolphins
Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again by Craig Hatkoff
Eight Dolphins of Katrina: A True Tale of Survival by Janet Wyman Coleman
Whales
Whales by Gail Gibbons
National Geographic Readers: Great Migrations Whales
The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano
Humphrey the Lost Whale by Wendy Tokuda
The Wild Whale Watch (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book) by Eva Moore
The Whales by Cynthia Rylant
Pedro’s Whale by Paula Kluth Ph.D
Sharks
National Geographic Kids Everything Sharks
Hark! A Shark! All About Sharks (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library)
The Everything Kids’ Shark Book
The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Will Grace
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton
Little Shark: Finger Puppet Book
Octopus
An Octopus is Amazing by Patricia Lauber
Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always by Tao Nyeu
My Octopus Arms by Keith Baker
General Sea Life
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of the Ocean
National Geographic Readers: Weird Sea Creatures by Laura Marsh
Oceans: Dolphins, Sharks, Penguins and More! by Johnna Rizzo
A Swim Through the Sea by Kristin Joy Pratt
Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae
Do you have a favorite ocean themed book that didn’t make our list?
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A section on coral reefs, Gail Gibbons has a great book, My son who is marine science obsessed found a gem a second hand called Rainbows Landing (he was three, now nine and still LOVES) Life in a coral reef, Eric Carle’s Mr. Seahorse and for whales you must read Big Blue, Shelley Gill. I so need to learn how to make these book lists. I have tons! Thanks for sharing I love to add.
Oh, how could I forget Mr. Seahorse?! Love it! And coral reefs is a GREAT suggestion- I can’t wait to check out your suggestions. Thank you so much for adding to the list!
Whale book – Following Papa’s Song by Gianna Morino (2014). A baby whale makes his first migration. Beautiful illustrations!
Great to see Commotion in the Ocean, that’s a real favourite here 🙂
We also love The Storm Whale by Benji Davies and Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies and Nick Maland.
1000 Things Under the Sea and Oceanpedia are both great books!