Here’s a list of ten beach and ocean books for children! These books are listed in no particular order, and this post does contain affiliate links, which means…if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small percentage of the sales at no extra cost to you, but as always, the opinions I share are my own! You may also enjoy this post about Shel Silverstein’s Books and Poetry and this list of Picture Books About Kisses!

Ten Beach and Ocean Books

Out of the Ocean by Debra Frasier

Through a conversation between a mother and her child, the reader learns that the world offers beauty in various forms and searching for the obvious treasures in life are sometimes the hardest to appreciate. This book contains a glossary of terms, photography, and collage illustrations. (My three-year-old loves this one.)

Swimmy by Leo Lionni

Traveling through the ocean on his own, Swimmy, a unique and fast fish, discovers various creatures under the sea. When he learns that other fish are too scared of large fish to come out and explore the world, he applies some problem solving skills to keep them safe while bringing them out of the shadows. (This is one of my faves.)

Under the Sea, an Usborne Lift and Look Book by Jessica Greenwell, Illustrated by Peter Scott, and Design and Digital Imaging by Ruth Russell, Keith Furnival, and Matt Durber 

Readers search for Little Fish while learning about other sea animals. The colorful artwork and search and see flaps keep youngsters engaged from start to finish. (This one is always a favorite around here.)

Clownfish’s Adventure by Catherine Prentice and Photography by Steve Parish 
When a shy clownfish and an outgoing clownfish embark on an adventure together, one feels fright and the other experiences exhileration as they come across things in the open sea…but is it who you think? (This one was sent to us by a few of our friends from Down Under.)

Rainbow Fish Discovers The Deep Sea by Marcus Pfister

Not only are the Rainbow Fish books oceanic delights of their own, but this one is especially fitting for this list. When Rainbow Fish’s sparkly scale falls into the darkness below, he has an excuse to feed his curiosity about what’s down there. Just as he feels scared, he makes a new friend and together they come across several creatures he’s never encountered before as they search for his scale. Readers can learn about the animals right along with him!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

Truth be told, this book isn’t entirely about the ocean…or fish. But, readers of all ages will become engrossed in the imagination of Dr. Seuss. Like many of his books, the absurd characters and language creation are simply entertaining. Fish are the first to appear and readers are encouraged to find the funny things in life as they read.

Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On by Lois Ehlert

A counting book made on a wish, the reader can count from 1-10 while learning adjectives used to describe different groups of fish. While readers enjoy the main storyline, they can discover a harder-to-find story running simultaneously through the pages, practicing plus one math, you know…6+1=7, for example.

Who’s Hiding? At the Beach (a lift-the-flap-book) from Barron’s Educational Series

A board book ideal for the youngest of readers was the ultimate favorite for my one-year-old. However, Big Brother tried to regain control of it every chance he could. In this book, Children search behind the flaps of various oceanic items for different groups of sea creatures. Readers can count the animals as they read and find themselves in the mirror at the end!

Does a Sea Cow Say Moo? by Terry Webb Harshman and Illustrated by George McClements 

When an alien arrives on the beach, a young boy teaches him the differences between the homophones on land and the in the ocean. The silly pictures paired with the question and answer rhymes throughout the story help young readers learn the differences for themselves. This book contains a fact sheet on some of the terms mentioned in the story and was my favorite new-to-me find.

Mr. Seahorse by Eric Carle

Passing by various sea creatures camouflaged by their surrounding environment, Mr. Seahorse greets other animal fathers of the ocean and applauds their efforts to care for their eggs and offspring. We love the plastic camouflaged pages throughout the book and seeing it again brings back memories of getting it signed by Eric Carle this summer.

What are some of your favorite beach and ocean books?