Children's Beach Books

By Cindy Bilbao

To me nothing sparks the imagination like a good book! In past issues, we’ve tempted you with lists of book titles about beachcombing, mermaids, and pirates. I hope you’ve had a chance to read one of the recommendations and have become inspired and entertained by your selection.

Now we want to ignite a spark in the youngsters with book recommendations about things they may not yet know about. We’ve included titles about beachcombing and exploring, conservation, and beach vacations and a few teach about creatures found at the beach both real and imaginary. Many were recommended by our readers, and some are our favorites. There’s enough here to keep the little one’s imagination fired up for quite a while. At least until your next beach get-away!

Beach House

Deanna Caswell (Author), Amy June Bates (Illustrator)
Artistically illustrated in soft watercolors, this is a happy book that tells the story of a family’s overnight get-away to the beach. Ages 3-5 years.

Clam-I-Am!: All About the Beach, Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library

Tish Rabe (Author), Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator)
At the seaside talk show for the Fish Channel, special guests include the Cat in the Hat and Thing One and Thing Two. Mentions of oceanic things like sea glass, tides, driftwood, and dunes make this a fun book for kids. Includes a small glossary of beach-related words. Ages 4-8 years.

How to Catch a Mermaid

Adam Wallace (Author), Andy Elkerton (Illustrator)
This book is part of the “How to Catch” series about friends who are trying to catch a mermaid but end up getting saved by her. Vibrant, colorful illustrations. Ages 4-10 years.

What Lives in a Shell? Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1

Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld (Author), Helen K. Davie (Illustrator)
A fascinating exploration of the types of creatures that live in a shell. Features marine vocabulary and illustrations of many types of shells. Ages 4-6 years.

Backpack Explorer: Beach Walk

Editors of Storey Publishing
Little beachcombers are encouraged to search for their own discoveries. This is a hands-on field guide that enables readers to discover and identify shells, rocks, crustaceans, shorebirds, and seaweed. Ages 4-8 years.

Horseshoe Crabs and Shorebirds: The Story of a Foodweb

Victoria Crenson and Annie Cannon
A book about horseshoe crabs and their place in the circle-of-life on the beach. Ages 7-9 years.

The Jellyfish Monster

Bryan Kwasnik (Author), Jackie Hahn (Illustrator)
Billy is at the beach when he discovers a mysterious creature who takes him on an underwater adventure. Ages 4-8 years.

Ocean One: Only One Ocean….Only One Chance

Eileen Clancy Biegel (Author), Sue Lynn Cotton (Illustrator)
A story that introduces kids to environmental science as the main character Edward learns the impacts of plastics on the ocean. Set in the Hawaiian Islands. Ages 8-12 years.

Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore

Jim Arnosky
Entices young explorers to find and identify seaside treasures with an eye towards respecting nature. Perfect for the East Coast of USA. Ages 7-10 years.

Seaside Treasures: A Guidebook For Little Beachcombers

Sarah Grindler
An essential sea glass hunting guide for kids with beautiful illustrations. Ages 4-8 years.

Sea Glass Summer

Heidi Jardine Stoddart
Molly’s family moves away from the beach she and her Gram beachcomb together, but she may yet have another summer of treasure hunting to come. Ages 3-7 years.

Sea Glass and the Lighthouse

Kelly Brooks-Bay (Author), Lindsay Weirich (Illustrator)
Two friends are searching for sea glass on a Maine Island when they discover a mysterious crate. They try to decide whether to open it and what to do about it. A fun coastal adventure. Ages 5-10 years.

Sea Glass Summer

Michelle Houts (Author), Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)
Thomas visits his grandmother’s seaside cottage for the summer. A special gift of a magnifying glass inspires him to explore treasures on the beach. When he discovers sea glass, he is fascinated and dreams every night about what the pieces of glass could have once been. Ages 4-8 years.

The Sea Glass Treasure

Shelly Peters (Author), Anna Murfield (Illustrator)
A story that encourages children to embrace life’s turns when it’s different than what they have expected, as the reader follows the journey of a glass fishing float in the ocean. Ages 4-8 years.

The Story of the Sea Glass

Anne Wescott Dodd (Author), Mary Beth Owens (Illustrator)
Nicole goes with her grandmother to an island in Maine where she grew up. It’s there that they find a piece of red sea glass, which reminds Nana of a red vase she broke by accident as a child. A charming story. Includes instructions for making sun-catchers. Ages 4-10 and up.

The Mermaid

Jan Brett (Author, Illustrator)
An aquatic adventure of a mermaid intrigued by a beautiful seashell house she discovers. Curious, she enters and sees breakfast on the table, much like the land-dwelling Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Ages 4-8 years.

A Whale of a Tale

Debbie Dadey (Author), Tatevik Avakyan (Illustrator)
Book Three in the Mermaid Tales Series. Third graders are taking a class trip to the surface of the ocean and also visit a pod of humpback whales but Kiki is a bit nervous about it until friends old and new help her find her courage. Ages 6-9 years.

A House For Hermit Crab

Eric Carle (Author, Illustrator)
Hermit Crab seeks the perfect home and helps children learn to tolerate and appreciate change. Illustrated in his trade-mark collage art this book is a work of art. Ages 5-7 years.

The Jolly Mon

Jimmy Buffett, Savannah Jane Buffett (Authors), Lambert Davis (Illustrator)
A singing fisherman named Jolly Mon gets captured by pirates but is rescued by a special dolphin. Fun, adventurous book with beautiful illustrations. Ages 4-7 years.

Classic Starts: Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson (Author), Lucy Corvino (Illustrator)
This is an abridged version with the same main story as the classic as Jim Hawkins searches for treasure aboard a pirate ship. Danger and adventure make this story unforgettable. Ages 7 and up.

Classic Starts: Robinson Crusoe

Deanna McFadden (Adapter), Daniel Defoe (Author), Jamel Akib (Illustrator)
An abridged version of the original story. Young Robinson dreams of a life of adventure. Bound for Africa, and against his parents’ wishes, he ends up on a deserted island after a terrible storm. He survives on the island for the next 25 years. Ages 7-9 years.

Juno’s Island Adventure

Marianne Pasqual, Maureen Tacito (Authors)
Follow Juno as the shell explores Sanibel Island and has lots of fun.

The Legend Of The Cape May Diamond (Myths, Legends, Fairy and Folktales

Trinka Hakes Noble (Author), E.B. Lewis (Illustrator)
Quartz rock fragments tumble in the Delaware River where they become smooth and shiny, and sometimes beachcombers can find them on a beautiful Delaware Bay Beach where they are famously called Cape May Diamonds. The author offers a tale that explains the origins of the unique treasure. Ages 7-10 years.

The Legend Of Sea Glass (Myths, Legends, Fairy and Folktales)

Trinka Hakes Noble (Author), Doris Ettlinger (Illustrator)
A legend that explains the origin of sea glass, attributing it to the tears of mermaids. Ages 6-9 years.

The Legend of Mermaids Tears

Paula Newman (Author) and Becky Bumble (Illustrator)
This five-book series aimed at young readers is a fantasy, but follows the birth and growth of the coastal town of Seaham, England, known for its colorful sea glass. Great for both young children and adult fans of sea glass.

Beach

Elisha Cooper
A fun day at the beach is brought to life with poetic text about collecting shells, building sandcastles, running from the waves. Ages 3-5 years.

Good Night Beach

Adam Gamble (Author), Cooper Kelly (Illustrator)
This board book introduces stories of exploration to little ones. Build sandcastles, look at tidal pools, go snorkeling-this book is perfect for young adventurers. Other titles in this series also recommended: Good Night Ocean, Good Night Seashore, Good Night Summer. Ages 2-3 years.

Grandma Summer

Harley Jessup
Ben visits the old family summer house with his family and makes discoveries on the beach and within the house. Ages 3-8 years.

Hum and Swish

Matt Myers
Jamie is enjoying a beautiful day at the beach enjoying making her art project in the sand. She is enjoying a little time to herself and is focused on her project. She meets a like-minded friend that is happy to work quietly with her. A charming story. Ages 4-8 years.

The Big Book Of The Blue

Yuval Zommer
Oversize pages with gorgeous artwork features creatures from the sea. Explanations about how animals breath and survive underwater, shows the various habitats, and teaches about specific creatures, such as whales, turtles, seahorses etc. Ages 3-5 years.

I Sea

Mary T. McCarthy (Author), Kirsti Scott (Photographer)
Hunt for beach treasures hidden in the photographs of rainbow waves and beach finds. Ages 3+ years.

Mermaid Dreams

Kate Pugsley
A little girl goes on a magical underwater adventure filled with other mermaids and silly sea creatures. Story is about making new friends. Ages 3-7 years.

My Ocean Is Blue

Darren Lefeuf (Author), Ashley Barron (Illustrator)
A girl with a physical disability is enjoying and actively participating in a day at the beach. Filled with rhythmic style words about sensory details. Beautiful, colorful paper collage illustrations. Ages 3-7 years.

Save The Ocean

Bethany Stahl
This beautiful book teaches about plastic pollution as a mermaid learns that what she thinks are jellyfish are really plastic bags. Ages 3-10 years.

The Book of Selkie: A Paper Doll Book

Briana Corr Scott
Sometimes known as “seal folk,” the legendary selkie lives in the North Atlantic and likes to remain very private. But when selkies get restless they take on their seal forms and swim out to sea. In this book, you can find out what they eat, where they live, and how they spend time when on dry land. This magical book features a paper doll, clothes, and a seal.

Miss Colfax’s Light

Aimee Bissonette and Eileen Ryan Ewen
This is a true story about Harriet Colfax, who was the keeper of Michigan City Lighthouse during a time when there were very few female lightkeepers. The story highlights her struggle against severe storms and biting cold weather, and her determination to accomplish her sometimes seemingly impossible responsibilities. Young readers ages 6-9 years old will find it fascinating and very interesting. A true learning experience!

My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother And Me: These Are The Things We Found By The Sea

Natalie Meisner and Mathilde Cinq-Mars
A charming children’s story based on her own two-mom, two-son family growing up in Nova Scotia, Canada, finding many interesting treasures on the beach and the people they meet along the way. Filled with beautiful atmospheric illustrations, this book captures the magic of family togetherness.

Are we missing any of your favorites?

There are always great new books coming out for young readers—and classics from long ago—that people have in their libraries. If we didn’t list one of your favorites, let us know at bit.ly/kidsbeachbooks. We will keep the list updated to include popular suggestions and provide links to find the books online.

Happy reading!