Let’s dive into some of the best ocean books for kids that will spark their curiosity and inspire them to become ocean lovers!
The ocean is a vast and mysterious wonder that covers more than 70% of our planet. It not only holds secrets that captivate our imagination but also plays an essential role in our lives. Ocean books and education about underwater wildlife can be key in conveying these facts to our children.
As we become more aware of the impact that humans have on the oceans, it is vital to teach children why it is important to protect our oceans and sea life for future generations. One way to engage and educate our young ones is through vividly illustrated ocean books!.
Related: 18 Splendid Boat Crafts for Kids to Make
This list contains some unique ocean creatures, fictional stories, and activity books to reveal an underwater world for all ages! We listed them from youngest to oldest. Which book do you think will pique your child’s interest the most?
Ocean Books for Kids!
We handpicked books for all ages to enjoy the wonders of sharks through facts and exciting stories! If you are ocean fans, you don’t want to miss these engaging books for kids! Some even have interactive features which make them even more fun to read and experience! We know you’ll love to dive into these ocean books!
Under the Sea (Board Book)
These colorful, chunky picture-word books are perfect for little hands and will stand up to lots of play! 2+
That's Not My Narwhal
Babies and toddlers will love touching the textured patches as they meet lots of adorable narwhals. The bright pictures and textures to touch are designed to help develop sensory and language awareness.
Baby’s Very First Slide and See Under the Sea
Introduce babies to the ocean with this interactive board book! These slide and see books give babies the cause & effect action with no way to hurt the book! Slide the mechanism back and forth to make the undersea creatures move and swim! Ages 0+!
Colorful World: Sea
In each of the four Colorful World board books, on each of their pages, there is a collection of things, and a different puzzle to solve (and something to learn about nature at the same time). Find out what is different, what is missing, and more! For ages 1+
Animal Magic in the Ocean
Through the magic of Venetian window technology, appealing illustrations of some of the remarkable ocean animals like the puffer fish and the octopus help show off their fascinating characteristics for ages 2+!
Little Lift and Look Under the Sea
Follow a little turtle as it explores a coral reef and discover all kinds of sweet creatures that live under the sea. Meet a sleepy shark, a big octopus, some colorful seahorses, and much more.
Water Wonders: In the Ocean
There are so many colorful creatures in this ocean book for kids! Will anyone want to play with Little Fish? Children can use water to reveal the colors and text in this book as they learn ocean vocabulary and find out who ends up playing with little fish! Stand it up and spread the pages to dry and the colors and text disappear again like magic! 3+
First Sticker Book Under the Sea
This book has simple text and underwater scenes for little hands to fill with stickers. It’s just like they are apart of creating their own book! They’ll also learn lots of vocabulary too! Ages 3+
Peek Inside a Fairy Tale: The Little Mermaid
Journey into these fairy tales, peeking through the trees, lifting flaps to see what's beneath things, and watch the story unfold with each turn of the page. 4+
1001 Things to Spot in the Sea
Count along with the sea animals in this engaging seek and find book from Usborne! Brimming with detailed images this charming picture book provides hours of puzzle-solving fun. Readers will delight in discovering the secrets of the sea. For ages 4+
Lift-the-Flap Sharks
Sharks aren’t just scary fish with pointy teeth. Lift the flaps in this richly illustrated book to meet gentle giants, fierce hunters, beady-eyed baby sharks and the weird, weedy wobbegong. 4+
Big Book of Sea Creatures
Open the huge fold-out heavy duty pages to discover all kinds of extraordinary sea creatures, from the leatherback sea turtle and great white shark to the biggest animal on earth--the mighty blue whale. These books make children’s eyes grow wide and facts more engaging with GIANT fold outs! For ages 4+.
Little Children's Under the Sea Activity Book
This colorful activity book is brimming with fun puzzles to keep little children entertained for hours. There are things to spot, ocean animals to match, tropical fish to color, lots of drawing and doodling activities, spot-the-difference puzzles, and much more.
Ocean Sticker Facts
Probe the depths to discover all about life in the world's oceans. This book is bursting with fun and facts including turtles, maps, sharks, and more! There are lots more brightly colored books in this series which contain 100 stickers to help make learning fun! For ages 6+
1001 Things to Spot in the Sea Sticker Book
Interactive sticker book full of busy, detailed illustrations. Items to spot within the main picture are shown in the border as silhouettes and each has a corresponding sticker which children can find, match and add in the correct place. With over a thousand things for children to find, count and talk about. 6+
Fingerprint activities: under the sea
Colorful books full of pictures to fingerprint and with their own inkpad of seven bright colors to paint with. The colorful inkpad allows children to make fingerprint pictures quickly and easily wherever they are, with no need for brushes. Inks are non-toxic. 6+
Lift-the-Flap Looking After Our Ocean
Once teeming with plants and animals, our ocean is no longer in good shape. It's warming up and becoming a dumping ground for plastic waste, but it doesn't have to be that way! There are all sorts of clever things that we can do to make life in the ocean healthy again. This book is FILLED with flaps to help make learning about caring for our oceans exciting! For ages 6+
Usborne Beginner Reference: Under the Sea
These are hardcover beginner reference books for kids! They are an amazing value at only $4.99! What lives at the bottom of the sea? What does a shark really eat? How does a sea horse swim? In this book for ages 6+ you’ll find the answers and lots more about the fascinating things which live under the sea for ages.
Oceans Shine-a-Light, a Flashlight Book!
Shine a flashlight behind the page to reveal the secret image and facts about ocean life! This book will captivate even the most reluctant of readers. Dive beneath the waves to explore the underwater habitats and features of each of Earth’s five oceans. This book is for ages 6+
Build Your Own Sea Creatures
Journey to the depths of the ocean and meet some of its deadliest, strangest, and most incredible animals with this awesome sticker book. From polar seas to tropical reefs, you'll meet humpback whales, hammerhead sharks, lionfish, and many more. Complete them using the stickers, and read the descriptions to find out fascinating facts about each one. This sticker book is for ages 6+!
Little Stickers Seashore
This beautifully illustrated book is packed with things you’d expect to find along a seashore; from familiar shells, crabs, and seaweed to more unusual creatures and plants. Children can use the stickers to bring each page to life. Themes include a sandy beach, crabs and starfish in rockpools, sea birds, seals, puffins, sea otters, and turtles.
Look Inside Seas and Oceans
Open the flaps of this book and dive into the watery world beneath the waves. Explore coasts, coral reefs, and mangrove forests, and find out what lives in the deepest, darkest part of the ocean. Ages 7+
Sharks
What do sharks like to eat? Which shark glows in the dark? And why do some sharks never stop swimming? You’ll find out the answers and lots more fun facts in this shark-infested book.
See Inside Oceans
SPLASH! Dive down and go on an incredible journey deep into our oceans. With over 90 flaps to lift, discover the mind-boggling array of animals and plants that live there, and find out why, without the oceans, life on Earth wouldn’t even exist. 7+
Extreme Planet: The Deep
Are you brave enough to delve into the chilling darkness of... THE DEEP? With no light, no heat and miles of sea above you, it might be the strangest place on Earth. So, suit up and dive deep down beneath the sunlit surface where you'll discover disturbing and unusual creatures, explore ancient shipwrecks and visit the deepest place on the whole planet, all in this weird and wonderful flap book. Ages 7+
Bear Grylls Adventures: Sea Challenge
In this survival series from Bear Grylls, you’re given a magical compass and suddenly you’re no longer at outdoor camp but in an amazing place in the world – with Bear Grylls as your guide! In Sea Challenge, Chloe’s sure a bit of garbage doesn’t matter. Then she’s magically washed up onto a remote surf-swept beach. She and Bear Grylls must survive quicksand and dangerous tides, and watch out for marine dangers… Will Chloe discover that you need to respect nature or suffer the consequences?
100 Things to Know About Oceans
Did you know there are more pieces of plastic in the ocean than stars in the galaxy? What sound does an iceberg make as it melts? Which is faster - a tsunami or a bullet train? Find the answers to these and many more questions in a book that explores the history, science, environment and art of our planet's seas and oceans. These books are like Graphic novels, but break info down into bite-sized chunks, making it an accessible introduction for anyone who wants to find out about these fascinating subjects. Ages 9+
Extreme Adventures: Killer Whale
Sam Fox is an expert at getting himself into (and out of) the most extreme situations. After an emergency landing in Antarctica, Sam Fox and his younger brother are stranded on a wobbly ice floe. Just when it seems things couldn’t get any worse, a massive creature emerges from the deep. A creature with huge jaws, and rows and rows of teeth … and then there are the pirates … Not only that, real survival facts and strategies are referenced for your outdoor enthusiasts. We know your older children will enjoy this artic ocean adventure! For ages 11+.
Pocket Book: Ocean Animals
This pocket book features more than 100 amazing ocean animals. Loaded with cool profiles, color photographs, and bite-sized facts, the latest additions to the series are the perfect package: Don’t go exploring without them! The Pocket Book series helps young naturalists to identify and understand members of the animal kingdom. For all ages!
To make it easy for you to shop these ocean books, you can see more by clicking here to view the full list in our book shop! Click the check box next to the books you want to add to your cart and then scroll down and find the ‘add to cart’ button on the left.
Ocean Activities for Kids
In addition to these amazing ocean books for kids, here are some activities, free printables and other ocean themed fun!
- Fun Ocean Facts Coloring Pages
- Make a Ocean Themed Sensory Bin Inspired by the Sea
- Ocean Coloring Pages {Free Printable}
- Ocean Play Dough
- Under the Sea Coloring Pages to Print & Color
Do you have a favorite Ocean Book? What is your favorite thing about the Ocean?
More Ocean Fun for Kids:
Free Ocean Animals Printable Mazes for Kids
14 Ways to Bring The Ocean Inside
Make an Ocean-Themed Sensory Bin, Inspired by the Sea!
Easy DIY Sensory Bag with Ocean Theme
Mermaid crafts kids love
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