Over 30 Incredible Ocean Themed Books, Games and Resources

Before any trip we plan, we always try to find books, educational toys, and games that pertain to the places we are visiting. One of our most favorite places to learn about and visit is the ocean. Whether it is a field trip to an aquarium, a vacation to Florida, or a Hawaiian getaway, we’ve got you covered!

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Our children have always loved all things ocean, ever since they were little. There is definitely no shortage of ocean themed books to choose from in both of our homes! The hard part was trying to decide which ones to share with you, without this post being a mile long.

All we can say is… we tried!

Ocean Books For Kids Along with Games and Resources

Curriculum

Marine Biology Unit Study from The Good And The Beautiful by Jenny Phillips. We recently came across this curriculum and instantly fell in love! It was just enough information during each lesson and we love that there isn’t any prep before each lesson (except for a little cutting and supply gathering). Our children enjoyed the books on the book list and the science experiments. It was the perfect addition to our schooling right before a trip to Florida.

Books

My Little Ocean by Katrin Wiehle. A simple, sweet board book to introduce your little one to life around the ocean. Seagull, Sea and Crab help you explore the salty sea in this lovely book made from recycled materials.

The Sea Book; Meet the Marvelous Creatures Living in Our Oceans by Charlotte Milner. This book’s cover hooked us as soon as we laid eyes on it! We adore sea turtles and knew we would love the artwork before we even turned a page. This enchanting book takes a look at many of the ocean’s creatures, the problems they face (such plastic pollution) and ways you can help improve the variety of life found in the sea.

The Brilliant Deep; Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs by Kate Messner. Brilliant Deep is based on the true story of Ken Nedimeyer, founder of the Coral Restoration Foundation. Ken grew up in Florida and, as a boy, fell in love with the coral reefs found along the shores. Over the years, he began to notice there were less and less coral reefs to explore. Determined to help he came up with a plan to rebuild them. An incredible story of how one person truly can make a difference.

If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams. We agree… sharks can be scary! Even though they might frighten us, they do have a special role in the ocean. Sadly, some species of shark are in danger of extinction because of human activity. What would the ocean look like without sharks? This book takes a look at how different life would be without them.

Who Eats Who? Food Chains and Food Webs by Patricia Lauber. This book is a simple, easy to understand, look at food chains and how humans play a part in them too. Not-so-scary artwork helps explain the concept of animals eating, and being eaten, as part of a food chain. Great book for younger readers.

Ocean: The Definitive Visual Guide by Robert Dinwiddle. This is one of our favorite books! It’s a bigger book- think coffee table book- but it is bursting with beautiful photos and tons of information.

Oceans (Mini Encyclopedia) By Miles Kelly Great. All of our children LOVE this book! It is the perfect sized book to bring along with you to the aquarium. If your children are anything like ours, they always want to look up each creature they see.

The Berenstain Bears Under the Sea by Mike Berenstain. The Berenstain Bears dive under the ocean to discover life below the waves! They will find flying fish, dolphins, sharks, and giant squid while getting an up-close look at undersea plants.

How Deep Is the Ocean? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld. The ocean covers almost 75% of our Earth! How deep is it though? Get ready to find out in this book that takes you to the deepest parts of our oceans. You’ll meet some of the strange, glowing creatures that live there in complete darkness.

The Big Book of the Blue by Yuval Zommer. This book explains how different species of ocean animals are able to breathe and survive underwater. You’ll learn about everything from sea turtles, sharks, whales, seahorses and stingrays, and visit even the deepest parts of the ocean. There is wonderful information about what everyone can do to help save marine life and their ocean home. The artwork is adorable and will have you falling in love with each cute face!

I Wonder Why the Sea Is Salty… and Other Questions About the Oceans by Anita Ganeri. This book is full of answers to all of your child’s questions about the ocean. Well… except, “When can we go to the beach again?!”

The Great Undersea Search (Usborne) by Kate Needham. This is an “I Spy” type book, but all ocean related. There are pictures in the center of the pages and all along the border, that show you which creature to look for. Each snippet is complete with their correct name and an interesting fact about them. Don’t worry parents, there is an answer key in the back in case you get stuck.

Swimmy by Lio Lionni. Swimmy is a fish who suddenly lives alone after his mom and dad are eaten. Adjusting to his new life is difficult, yet he manages to see beauty around him. What happens when he comes across a group of fish too afraid to swim out into the world? Find out how together they work to overcome their fears. What’s better than a story about teamwork, whose main character is a fish?!? Swimmy was a 1964 Caldecott Honor winner, and once you read it, you will understand why. 

A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle. Follow along as the hermit crab in this story keeps growing out of his shell and must look for a new home each time. The artwork is bright and vibrant, and true Eric Carle style. This book is a great way to talk to kids about growing up, moving to a new home or starting a new school.

Sunken Treasure by Gail Gibbons. This book (based on real events) is all about The Atocha, a Spanish ship, that sunk because of a hurricane that hit while they were near Florida. Sunken Treasure shows the work that goes into finding a sunken ship and also what is done once the ship has been discovered. There are also sections about other famous treasure hunts, like the Mary Rose, The Vasa, The Whydah, and the Titanic (our favorite story). We LOVE Gail Gibbons’ books!! She has a way of going into detail about what is happening, without being textbook boring. We even remember the Reading Rainbow episode that this book was featured on!

One Small Square: Coral Reef by Donald M. Silver. With so much to explore in the ocean, it is hard to know where to start. This book takes a look at coral reef life one little square at a time. It introduces you to several coral reef dwellers and takes a look at some of their behaviors. Bright, realistic artwork brings the ocean to life.

What Lives In A Shell (Let’s Read and Find Out) by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld. Our children are fascinated by seashells and request them anytime someone they know visits the ocean. The shells are all so unique and we often find ourselves wondering what lived inside them. This book is an amazing way to take a look at seashells and the variety of marine life that call them home. The pictures of seashells are very realistic and it is fun to compare them with ones you may have at home.

Seashells, Crabs, and Sea Stars by Christiane Kump Tibbitts. Another great book about the beauty of seashells complete with ideas for activities to further learning. Sea stars and crabs join the fun too!

Sea Turtles by Gail Gibbons. Yes, it’s another Gail Gibbons book! You can’t go wrong! This book talks about the eight different kinds of sea turtles found in the ocean. Sea Turtles shows the differences and similarities between each species and is great for younger readers.

National Geographic Kids: Sharks by Anne Schreiber. An in-depth look at one of the most feared creatures in the sea… the shark. Chock full of facts, you are sure to learn something new with this book. We did! We learned that sharks actually lose more than 10,000 teeth during their lifetime. That is a lot of work (and expense!) for the underwater tooth fairy!

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating. We fell in love with this book on our trip to the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, in Sarasota FL. It was love at first sight too, for Eugenie when she laid eyes on a shark at an aquarium. Eugenie eventually became a top scientist in her field and went on to become the founding director at the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. This is a wonderful book to introduce sharks and to show anything is possible.

My First Book About The Oceans (Dover Coloring Book) by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne. This is the perfect ocean coloring book to keep kids occupied during the “getting there” part of your trip.  

Realistic Sharks Stickers (Dover Little Activity Books) by Jan Sovak. Our kids love these because the stickers are realistic and not cartoons. We love them because they are inexpensive. The booklet includes the bonnethead, bull, zebra, mako, silvertip, great white, great hammerhead, and six other sharks, totaling 13 in all.

Ocean: A Photicular Book by Dan Kainen and Carol Kaufmann. What could possibly be better than a book full of ocean creatures? How about a book where the animals seem to come to life?! A photicular book has images that seem to move, as if being watched on a screen. It is amazing! You truly won’t believe your eyes!

The Underwater Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta. “H” is for Humu humu nuku nuku apua’a, Hawaii’s State Fish and one of our favorites! This fun alphabet book takes you underwater to meet some ocean friends and learn the ABCs.

First Big Book of the Ocean (National Geographic Kids) by Catherine D. Hughes.  National Geographic does it again! Explore everything from puffins to Chinstrap penguins. This book is full of fun-facts and stunning photos of some of the ocean’s most familiar faces. Great book for beginning readers.

Night of the Moonjellies by Mark Shasha. After a busy day helping his grandparents work at their burger joint, Mark and his Gram sail out to sea at night in search of moonjellies. Will they find them? We love this book because it shares the beauty and calm of the ocean at night and spending time with grandparents.

Ocean Pollution

Image Credit: Upcycle Hawaii (used with permission).

Meet the Artist~ Mattie Mae Larson, Upcycle Hawaii. Read our blog post about this incredible Big Island artist and business owner who is on the front lines of the plastic pollution problem affecting our oceans. Mattie Mae regularly visits beaches along the coastline of the Island of Hawai’i which are heavily impacted by marine debris and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Don’t miss Our Visit with Upcycle Hawaii to One the Most Plastic Polluted Beaches in the World.

Mattie Mae uses materials she recovers during her beach clean-ups to create unique wearable art. Be sure to help support her mission and check out Upcycle Hawaii’s online shop where you can purchase some of the beautiful items she creates. She also writes a blog which helps shed light on her work against plastic pollution and post-consumer waste.

Fun and Games

Safari LTD TOOBS

We are big fans of the Safari LTD TOOBS, especially Trisha’s youngest. He loves to match them to corresponding three-part cards, popular in the Montessori world. They are very realistic looking, and each one has the proper name on the bottom of each piece.

Safari TOOB Ocean Set includes a sea lion, eagle ray, starfish, turtle, penguin, octopus, humpback whale, sperm whale, moray eel, hammerhead shark, tiger shark, and a dolphin.

Safari TOOB Coral Reef Set includes a parrot fish, clown trigger fish, angel fish, blue tang, octopus, starfish, scuba diver, seahorse, coral, cowry shell, clown anemone fish, and a treasure chest.

Safari Ltd TOOB Endangered Species Marine Life  contains a blue whale, whale shark, marine iguana, hawksbill turtle, Galapagos penguin, sea lion, spotted eagle ray, sawfish, Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, and a hammerhead shark.

Safari Ltd. TOOB Baby Sea Life  includes a harp seal pup, beluga whale calf, penguin baby, bottlenose dolphin calf, killer whale calf, hammerhead shark baby, manatee baby, sea turtle baby, walrus baby, sea lion baby, and a sea otter baby.

Safari Ltd Sharks TOOB includes a gray shark, leopard shark, great white shark, whale shark and thresher shark, spotted eagle ray, blue shark, mako shark, tiger shark, and a hammerhead shark.

Games and Puzzles

Ocean Bingo  The whole family will love this gorgeous game of Bingo, which features 64 of the ocean’s most fantastic creatures.

Professor Noggin’s Life In The Ocean Card Game A trivia game for kids all about the ocean. There are different levels of difficulty for the questions. This game is perfect for tossing in a backpack or carry-on when travelling.

Ravensburger Beautiful Ocean Puzzle  Our children love this brand of puzzles because the pieces fit together perfectly! They are colorful and full of details.

Melissa and Doug Ocean Magnetic Puzzle Can’t forget about the younger siblings! Trisha’s youngest enjoys going fishing while his sisters tackle the larger puzzle. This is a wooden puzzle with perfect sized pieces.

Read about our visits to some of our favorite aquariums and other ocean experiences:

• Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg, TN
• SEA LIFE Aquarium, Auburn Hills, MI
• Maui Ocean Center, Maalea, HI
• Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, Sarasota, FL
• Happy Paddler Kayak Coastal Island Tour, Anna Maria Island, FL
• Best Snorkeling in Maui ~ Molokini & Turtle Arches Snorkel Cruise with Pacific Whale Foundation