Looking for ocean books for your preschool theme? Check out our favorites!
We are a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links. Click HERE to read our full disclosure.
BOOK LIST: OCEAN BOOKS
One great theme to use in your preschool classroom or at home with your little ones is OCEAN.
Preschoolers love this theme since they’re endlessly fascinated by the ocean and all its creatures! Plus I love that you can teach this theme any time of the year…it’s not tied to one specific season or holiday.
Keep reading to check out some of our favorite ocean books for preschool that you’ll definitely want to read to your little ones…plus I’ve included a freebie and a snack idea to make these books come alive!
Looking for Ocean activities to go along with these books? Check these out!
OCEAN BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOL
Humphrey the Lost Whale: This is a true story about a beached whale and the humans that helped him! You can’t help but root for this whale as he journeys back to the ocean. (This one is super long and should be read over different periods.)
Whale, Quail, Snail: When Whales Fly: This is a tale about being true to yourself no matter what. It’s also a fun story about never giving up and trying new things!
Wish for a Fish: Climb aboard the Cat in the Hat’s S.S. Undersea Glubber for a journey through the sea! Along the way, you’ll learn about whales, sharks, and the food chain, just to name a few. This is a great way to teach facts through a fiction-like book.
Deep Sea Dive: Learning about the ocean has never been more fun for your little one! Hop on the Magic School Bus and have fun…just watch out for the water pressure! (This book will most likely be too long to read in one sitting, so keep that in mind.)
Peanut Butter & Jelly (A Narwhal and Jelly Book): We absolutely love Narwhal and Jelly books, and this is the third book in this early graphic novel series. Narwhal is a happy-go-lucky narwhal, while Jelly is a no-nonsense jellyfish. The two might not have a lot in common, but they do both love waffles, parties and adventures!
Only One You: With fish that look like painted rocks, gorgeous ocean images, and stellar advice, this book is a must read! Your little one will love it…and the grown ups will love the message!!
You Be You: Everybody has a unique quality, and that’s the message this book conveys! Wonderful adjectives meld with gorgeous illustrations and real world ocean pictures, making a delightful story that will leave your little ones feeling warm and fuzzy inside. (This one is by the same author & illustrator as Only One You: Linda Kranz.)
Little Fish’s Ocean: Little Fish explores the ocean with fun pop-up scenes along the way! These scenes teach facts about the ocean in an easy-to-understand way. Lucy Cousins has penned a delightful read!
Aqualicious: When Pinkalicious finds a merminnie, her day turns out truly Aqualicious! Your little one will love Victoria Kann’s mermaid story twist, especially if they are fans of the Pinkalicious series.
Ocean! Waves for All!: The Ocean tells you all about itself, from its history to its world records! (With some help from Stacey McAnulty and David Litchfeild) This book will entertain your little one — and you!
Hooray for Fish!: Little Fish returns in this amazing book where he tells us all about FISH! And his favorite? His mommy fish! This book, written and illustrated in Lucy Cousins’ signature style, is perfect for your youngest learners since the illustrations are big and vibrant while there are only a few words on each page.
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea: A boy ventures into the sea to find treasure for his mama. This book encourages imagination and fun!
Mister Seahorse: A story about the best ocean dads and their ways of caring for eggs! With hidden animals and more, it’s an informative and fun story with classic Eric Carle illustrations.
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean: A funny story about a boastful squid who brags about being the biggest thing in the ocean…until he gets eaten by a whale! Make sure you read to the end….it’s impossible not to laugh at how it turns out!
Ocean: Jam-packed with little peek through holes, informative rhymes, and gorgeous illustrations, this book will keep your little one captivated for its entire duration! It’s fun and informative, a definite must-read!
OCEAN BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOL
Swimmy: This story can be a little sad at first, but Swimmy quickly turns things around with a solution for the problem! It also describes some of the ocean’s wonders.
There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish: A cute, fun, read-aloud, which is a twist on the classic “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.” Your little one is guaranteed to laugh while reading this book!
The Pout-Pout Fish: This is the first book in the “Pout-Pout” fish book series all about Mr. Fish. This one is a great reminder that we all have bad days. It’ll turn any frown upside down!
The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark: If your little one is scared of the dark, then this is the book for them! Mr. Fish is back in this fun series and learns how to be brave when facing his fears. It also teaches your children to be kind and help others. *If you love this book, check out these activities we’ve paired with it to bring it to life!*
Hello Ocean: This beautiful book has wonderful illustrations that truly enhance the content of the storyline. This is also a wonderful book for teaching similes and senses!
In the Sea: Amazing illustrations are the perfect companion to these little poems about sea animals! It’s very informative and fun to read.
Commotion in the Ocean: A book with cute ocean animal poems and even cuter illustrations! Facts are to be learned and fun is to be had when you read this book!
Fancy Nancy: Peanut Butter and Jellyfish: When Nancy goes to the aquarium, she overcomes her fear of jellyfish! Like all the Fancy Nancy books, this introduces cool words and even cooler facts!
Whale, Quail, Snail: A Whale of a Tea Party: This book is a cute friendship tale! It’s slightly long, but a fun read!
My Ocean is Blue: This book is about a girl describing her ocean. You can learn a lot of great adjectives while marveling at the illustrator’s unique art style!
The Snail and the Whale: The author/illustrator team who brought us Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo (two of my all-time favorites!) have written this cute story about a friendship between a snail and a whale! Perfect for read alouds, it encourages kindness and teamwork!
A House for Hermit Crab: This Eric Carle book has wonderful illustrations and cool creatures! Kids will love this hermit crab’s creativity as he decorates his house from month to month. Eventually he outgrows his shell and must find a new house.
I Wish I Were a Humpback Whale: A boy wishes he was a humpback whale, with illustrations of whales on almost every page! They also incorporated cool humpback whale facts in it.
Otter: Hello Sea Friends: This is a cute story about an otter visiting an aquarium…even though most otters are IN aquariums! Guaranteed to make your little one laugh!
OCEAN BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOL
Jellyfish: A big book with big text, Jellyfish has it all. From stunning pictures to crazy cool facts with a Japanese myth in the mix, this is a great book that doubles as an awesome read aloud!
Sea Turtles: This is an informative book with interesting facts, but it’s not an ideal read aloud. Fantastic diagrams are the perfect companion to the amazing pictures!
Orcas: In the same series as Sea Turtles, this book is informative, but it’s not ideal for a read aloud. However, it features stunning pictures of orcas and lovely diagrams that are understandable to all.
Coral Reefs: A wonderful book, Coral Reefs gives children insights into the diverse world of a coral reef! Unlike other nonfiction books, this book engages with your child and makes it perfect for a read aloud!
Whales: With large real life pictures of whales, diagrams, and more, this book is the perfect start for a lifelong interest in whales! With only a few words on each page, Whales is perfect for a read aloud or for a child to explore on their own.
Ocean Animals from Head to Toe: With cool facts, amazing pictures, and more, this book is perfect for an informative read aloud! It gives new facts about species your little one might be familiar with (such as the seahorse), but it also teaches about other species they might not have heard of yet (like the trumpetfish).
Seals: Chock full of easy-to-read text and wonderful pictures that show new insights into the world of seals, this book is a must read! Whether read aloud, or a book for kids to read on their own, Seals is a delightful tale!
My Little Book Of Sharks: Chock-full of amazing facts on sharks, it makes a better reference book than read aloud. But that doesn’t make it any less of a fun read!
My Little Book Of Ocean Life: This book would make a better reference book about the sea rather than a read aloud. However, it is truly “Packed Full Of Cool Photos And Fascinating Facts!” as the cover says!
OCEAN SNACK
Want to pair one of your ocean preschool books with a fun snack? Try these delicious Fish Bowl Crackers! Your preschooler is sure to enjoy making (and eating!) this quick yummy snack. All you need are circle crackers, blue frosting, and goldfish! Click here to check out how this snack can be used when teaching math!
NUMBER CARDS 0-20 OCEAN FREEBIE
If you’re looking for a great ocean freebie for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten kiddos, try these number cards from 0-20. These cards allow you to incorporate math into your ocean theme!
You can use these cards to count the goldfish from the Fish Bowl snack, the number of fish on the page of a book, the number of tentacles an octopus has, etc. So many possibilities!
This activity (along with all of our freebies!) can be downloaded from the Free Activity Library. If you’re already a member of our email community, you can click HERE to head to the Free Activity Library, enter your password (it’s on your most current email from me), and download your copy!
If you’d like to join our email community & receive the password as my way of saying THANK YOU for joining, you can click HERE to subscribe. Once you enter your information, the password will be emailed to you within minutes.
OCEAN MATH & LITERACY PRINTABLES
I hope this book list helped you fill-in your ocean lesson plans for your preschool classroom or homeschool. If you want an entire pack of printable math & literacy centers for this theme, check out my Under The Sea Preschool Activity Pack.
SHARE YOUR FAVORITES
Do you have any favorite ocean books for preschool? I’d love to hear them and add them to our list! Comment below or find me on Instagram [@littleslovelearningblog].
love these books? pin them for later!
Looking for other book lists for preschool and kindergarten? Click HERE to check them out!
Happy Learning!
