The ocean is an incredible place full of fascinating creatures, and we are learning more about it all the time. This list of new children’s books about oceans are full of fascinating facts, beautiful illustrations, and fun stories, perfect for introducing oceans and ocean life to young kids.

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Hello Clownfish

Written by Hannah Rogge and illustrated by Emily Dove

This shaped board book joins two clownfish as they swim among the coral reefs. The simple text introduces the reader to creatures around the coral reef. Young children will enjoy popping the little fish on ribbons out of the front cover and swimming them throughout the book.

Oceans of Love

Written by Janet Lawler and illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown

Join an oceanful of mothers and babies as they share their love with one another. Each two page spread features a different mom and child pairing, from hermit crabs to sting rays to dolphins. The ending offers a sweet reminder of a mothers love for all creatures, featuring a human mother and daughter pair.

Mako & Tiger: Two Not-So-Friendly Sharks

Written by Scott Rothman and illustrated by Mika Song

This picture book follows the relationship between a tiger shark and a mako shark. They are both hungry and fighting over the same fish, and so they don’t get along. But when one of them is in trouble, can they get over their disagreement? This is a cute book about friendship featuring two different types of sharks that kids will enjoy.

Related Post: Wanted: Pet Shark

Could You Ever Dive with Dolphins!?

Written by Sandra Markle and illustrated by Vanessa Morales

This brightly colored book asks kids to imagine what life would be like living alongside bottlenose dolphins. The conversational text is stuffed with interesting facts about dolphins, while the illustrations blend photographs of real dolphins with cute illustrations of kids living alongside them. There are fact bubbles on every page as well providing more information about dolphins.

Out of the Blue: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric Seas

Written by Elizabeth Shreeve and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon

Have you wondered where the first animals came from? This book dives into how the first animals evolved out of the ocean during prehistoric times. The text is full of information, walking readers through the many changes and time frames. The illustrations are very detailed as well, full of lots of captions and facts.

Soren’s Seventh Song

Written by Dave Eggers and illustrated by Mark Hoffman

In this book, readers are introduced to the songs of humpback whales through a sweet story. The beginning of the book shares factual information about humpback whales and their singing. It then delves into a fictional story about a whale named Soren who wanted to make the humpback whale songs more interesting. Kids will enjoy the interesting story, and the way the author blends factual information into it.

Can’t Get Enough Shark Stuff

Written by Kelly Hargrave and Andrea Silen

This fact filled book from National Geographic Kids teaches kids all about sharks. The colorful pages include articles, games, jokes, and quizzes. The illustrations include large photographs and cute illustrations that kids will love to peruse. Kids will love the interactive nature of the book and all of the amazing photographs within.

Check out these printable shark bookmarks for kids!

Over and Under the Waves

Written by Kate Messner and illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

Join a mother and daughter as they kayak in the ocean and explore all of the creatures that exist above and below the ocean surface. The text touches on facts about the creatures while also telling a calming story. The illustrations show the mother and child interacting with some creatures on the surface, as well as creatures interacting with one another under the surface. The back of the book includes additional information about the creatures featured in the book.

Yoshi: Sea Turtle Genius

Written by Lynne Cox and illustrated by Richard Jones

This book details the amazing true story of Yoshi, a sea turtle who swam 23,000 miles to return to the beach where she was hatched. The beautiful illustrations highlight the incredible odds that Yoshi faced on her journey. The back of the book contains a note from the author, who is a record breaking long distance swimmer herself.

Related Post: Saving the Day with Nani the Brave Sea Turtle

Mother of Sharks

Written by Melissa Cristina Marquez and illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz

This beautifully illustrated book introduces readers to the life and work of Melissa Cristina Marquez. She is a world renowned shark scientist who became known as the Mother of Sharks. The text blends fact and fiction, following Marquez as she follows a crab as a child and dives into a tide pool. While on her journey, she encounters the Mother of Sharks, eventually learning a big secret about her. The beautiful illustrations are bursting with colors and highlight the sea life that Marquez encounters. In the back of the book, readers can find a letter from the author, a glossary, and more information.

A Shell is Cozy

Written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long

Seashells are beautiful, but they are also fascinating! This book shares all about seashells and the role they play in the ocean. The text includes poetic text, as well as lots of factual paragraphs and captioned illustrations. Kids will love exploring all of the detailed illustrations of the many types of shells featured.

Do You Know? Oceans and Marine Life

Written by Stephanie Babin

This early reader nonfiction book teaches kids about the ocean and marine life through easy to read text and cute cartoon illustrations. The book includes lots of nonfiction text features, including a table of contents, sidebars, captions, and an index. Kids will love exploring the pages, and all the facts and vocabulary to find.

Search for a Giant Squid

Written by Amy Seto Forrester & Andy Chou Musser

This follow your own adventure book starts out by introducing kids to giant squids, and all the preparations needed to go on an ocean expedition. Once the research ship sets sail, readers can make decisions and change the direction of the story by turning to different pages. The back of the book includes a note from the authors, as well as a glossary, a list of the animals featured in the book, and a bibliography.

Earth’s Aquarium

Written by Alexander Kaufman and illustrated by Mariana Rodrigues

This large nonfiction book provides factual information about 15 real water worlds. Each four page spread features information about different habitats in the ocean, as well as large illustrations of creatures that live there. In the back of the book, readers can find an index of all the creatures and habitats found in the book.

Else B. in the Sea

Written by Jeanne Walker Harvey and illustrated by Melodie Stacey

In this picture book biography, readers are introduced to the work of Else Bostelmann. She was a classically trained artist who was hired in the 1930s to paint deep sea creatures found by William Beebe. The text shares some of the amazing ways she went about painting these creatures, and the detailed illustrations follows her on her underwater adventures. The back of the book includes an author’s note sharing even more information about Bostelmann’s life and work, and includes images of some of her paintings.

Save the… Blue Whales

Written by Christine Taylor-Butler

This informative chapter book introduces readers to blue whales, the largest creatures to ever live on planet Earth. The book is divided up into 4 chapters, teaching the reader about blue whales, their plight, and how humans can help save them. The back of the book includes more facts about blue whales, as well as tips on how readers can help.

What are your favorite new children’s books about oceans? Share them in the comments below!

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