Top 16 Children's Books About The Beach Updated 04 /2024

A great way to show your kids what an amazing world the ocean has to offer is to read them great picture books about it. If you can go to the beach, reading books about the beach for kids like these before and after can help your kids get more out of their time there.

Beach by Elisha Cooper

Take a seat at the beach and let your day go by. That's what this book is like! A woman spreads a towel on the sand, a girl covers her friend in the sand, and a group of seagulls watch from above. It starts out empty in the early morning. The book is like a collection of small stories all in one place. Clouds roll by and make different shapes. There's a page about that. As time goes on, people leave and the beach is quiet again. This book is great. I like the water-colors and how the story progresses from a quiet morning to a full day at the beach and back to quiet again. You don't have to read every single word in this story. Each picture tells a little story on its own. It was a good review by Carrie Anne.

Stella, Star of the Sea by Mary Louise Gay

She and Sam are at the beach today. As she grows up, Stella has been to the beach once before and knows all of the best things to do there. Stella has a lot of fun taking charge of her surroundings. She dives into the water, picks up shells, and digs a tunnel to China without hesitation. Sam, on the other hand, has never been to the beach and asks if the water is cold or if sea monsters live under the waves. After he's been taught by Stella and sees how much fun she's having in the water, he too relaxes and joins her in the water. As a first-timer, Sam asks a lot of questions about the beach. The relationship between big sister and little brother between Stella and Sam is great and feels very real. It was a good review by Carrie Anne.

One White Wishing Stone by Doris K. Gayzagian

The book is lovely. It looks like an impressionist painting, and the soft beach colors used by illustrator Kristina Swarner make me feel calm and pretty. This is more than just a counting book. There is a story about a little girl who goes to the beach and finds a lot of things. When she gets home, she will use them. You can almost forget how much you don't like having sand in your car after going to the beach. It's so well-done that almost makes you forget.

Miranda’s Beach Day by Holly Keller

When Miranda and her mom go to the beach on a warm and sunny day, they enjoy the water, the animals, and the sand. This is what they did: Hermit crabs, waves, and seagulls are all sounds that Miranda can hear and see on a beach. She can feel the hot sand under her toes and the water swirl around her. She can taste the salty sand that sticks to her face, and she can see the small Hermit crab crawl across the sand. They loved this book because it took them to the beach from their living room. In this book, the illustrations are warm, muted water-colorings that make the whole book feel like it's on the beach. It was a good review by Carrie Anne.

The Seaside Switch by Kathleen V. Kudlinski 

You can find out about tides and sea creatures in this book. During my younger years, I was fascinated by a tide pool and all the crabs moving around. This book shows that, too. It's about how the tide changes during the day and brings different animals with it. The book is too long for most two-year-olds, but my son had a lot of fun pointing out all the animals in the book.

The Sandcastle Contest by Robert Munsch

First, I didn't like this book very much. I still don't like this book as much as I used to, but I'm going to change some of what I said. In the movie, the main character has a tantrum when no one believes him about making everything from sand. This was a good way for my kids to learn about how things work. People talk about anger and deep breaths. They also talk about what happens when we're mad and how to fix things when we're angry. As a parent, I think this book could be a good way to talk about anger and frustration with your child without feeling like you are giving a speech.

Otto Goes to the Beach by Todd Parr.

I love this book, and so do my kids. He is a dog who goes to the beach, but no one else wants to do the same things as he does. Even the fish swim in the opposite direction. After Otto was very sad, he found a new friend and all of his sorrow was forgotten. I love Todd Parr's books because of the crazy bright colors, the cute simple drawings, and the messages they send. I also love that they are so simple. Exactly like his other books, this one had a great message about not giving up on finding a friend who likes the same things you do.

Beach Party! by Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback

"Head to Toe" by Eric Carle comes to mind when I think of this story. That's a compliment. Toddlers will love this big board book because it teaches them about how things move and how to avoid certain animals at the beach, which is a lot of fun. How do you want to walk today? Then you see how each animal moves. If you were having circle time, this would be a good book to read. Kids could get up and move around like the animals in the book.

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Melanie Watt 

I laughed out loud while I was reading it. If a book has a great story mixed in with a lot of weird humor, I love it. People who read this book will notice that there is a blurb on the inside flap that says "This story is not for pirates." It makes me laugh. The squirrel in this story is the most anxious one you'll ever meet. As he tries to make his own beach, he ends up at a busy one. It's the little things that make this book so great. The small jokes and the main story will keep even the youngest of readers laughing and having a good time. It was a lot of fun, but it also had a good message about how to deal with fear.

What Lives in a Shell? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

I love the Let's-Read-And-Find-Out series of science books. This is one of my favorite books in the series. This book is a little long for toddlers, but it's great for preschoolers because it's easy to break into parts and it's easy to read. The book starts with snails, then talks about turtles, and finally talks about seashells and coral. As with the other books in the series, this one breaks down facts to a preschooler's level but doesn't lose any of the important parts. To find a nonfiction book for your child, you must check out this series. They are hands down my favorite nonfiction for young kids.

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