Summer days spent at the beach can be full of new experiences, learning opportunities and fun memories. This beach books for kids will have you feeling those summer vibes of sandy toes and ocean fun. Teach kids about the beach or remember a beloved family trip together with these fun children’s books about the beach!
20 Beach Books For Kids
I always suggest creating a fun atmosphere around every month’s set of books.I highly suggest, if you live near a beach to go and visit the beach a few times. We live near a beach and we do a lot of beach travel adventures (see Beaches Turks And Caicos Tips and Review)
Grab the Under the Sea Animals + Ocean Animals Theme Activities Pack to tie in some learning with the books. I also adore these ocean count and clip cards too.
Board Books
Good Night Beach was written by Adam Gamble and illustrated by Cooper Kelly. This summery addition to the Good Night Our World series takes the reader through a day at the beach from morning to night. The conversational text touches on familiar sights and sounds of the beach.
Llama Llama Sand and Sun: A Touch & Feel Book was written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney. This short board book follows the popular Llama Llama and his friends and family as they visit the beach. The rhyming text is shorter than the full length Llama Llama books, but the illustrations use the same warm and engaging style and adorable characters.
Where Is Baby’s Beach Ball? was written and illustrated by Karen Katz. Follow Baby as she visits the beach and tries to find her beach ball. The bright and colorful illustrations include flaps for kids to open and explore as they learn about different symbols of a day at the beach.
Seashells by the Seashore was written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Robert Noreika. This beautifully illustrated book explores the different types of shells that can be found at the beach. As the rhyming text introduces each new shell, it is added to the illustrated border of the page.
Beach Day was written by Karen Roosa and illustrated by Maggie Smith. This fun book celebrates all the sights and sounds of summer through descriptive rhyming text and brightly colored illustrations.
Beach Baby was written by Laurie Elmquist and illustrated by Elly MacKay. This lyrical book soothes little ones to sleep with reminders of the natural wonders found on the beach. The illustrations are gentle and calming, using an earth tone color scheme and featuring adorable animals.
Penguin on Vacation was written and illustrated by Salina Yoon. When Penguin decides that he is tired of the cold and snowy weather, he takes off on a quest to visit the beach. This story celebrates the fun of a beach vacation, and also shares a sweet story of friendship.
Chu’s Day at the Beach was written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Adam Rex. This adorable story follows the sweet sneezing panda as he heads to the beach with his parents. The illustrations features lots of cute animal characters, and kids will enjoy following Chu’s story.
Picture Books
Hello Ocean was written by Pam Munoz Ryan and illustrated by Mark Astrella. This lyrical book follows a young girl as she explores the beach with all five of her senses. The rhyming text is paired with beautiful, realistic illustrations that will transport the reader right to the beach.
Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach was written and illustrated by James Dean. Join the groovy blue cat as he explores the beach and learns to face his fears. The fun story is paired with whimsical illustrations of the popular cat and his family.
Sea Glass Summer was written by Michelle Houts and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. This beautiful book follows a young boy as he searches for sea glass and dreams of the places that it came from. The story reminds us that we are all connected, and the illustrations are full of incredible details.
How to Code a Sandcastle was written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Sara Palacios. Pearl is a young girl who is determined to build the perfect sandcastle, so she enlists the help of her robot Pascal. The text cleverly introduces coding concepts, and the illustrations are both funny and educational.
Sandy Feet! Whose Feet?: Footprints at the Shore was written by Susan Wood and illustrated by Steliyana Doneva. This brightly colored rhyming book explores the different types of prints left in the sand. The rhyming text is paired with detailed illustrations that show the prints left by birds, animals and humans.
Just Grandma and Me was written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer. This addition to the popular Little Critter series follows Little Critter and his Grandma as they travel to the beach. They spend the day participating in favorite beach activities, which don’t always go as planned. Kids will love the funny illustrations and the sweet family story.
Duck & Goose Go to the Beach was written and illustrated by Tad Hills. Join Duck and Goose as they leave on an adventure and discover the beach. The story highlights the fun relationship between these two characters, and kids will love the adorable illustrations.
At the Beach was written by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by Harlow Rockwell. This easy to read book follows a young girl as she travels to the beach and spends the day playing in the sand. The simple text is accompanied by brightly colored illustrations.
The Sand Castle Contest was written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko. In this silly story, a boy named Matthew is thrilled to participate in the local sand castle building contest. Kids will love the outrageous story and over the top illustrations.
Beach House was written by Deanna Caswell and illustrated by Amy June Bates. Experience the fun of a family beach vacation in this rhyming story. The text is easy to read and has a nice rhythm, and the illustrations are engaging, following the family through all the fun of a beach day.
One White Wishing Stone: A Beach Day Counting Book was written by Doris Gayzagian and illustrated by Kristina Swarner. This beach themed counting book uses simple text and colorful illustrations to explore natural wonders found at the beach. Kids will love to count along and learn about new species and plants.
Biscuit’s First Beach Day was written by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and illustrated by Pat Schories. Join the adorable puppy as he visits the beach with his owner. The text is simple, making it a great book to introduce beach objects and concepts to little ones.
We have a whole blog post dedicated to the book Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae and illustrated by David Wojtowycz. Check it out and grab the free printable clip cards too.
Add in a sensory bin to these beach books for kids to “bring some of the ocean home”!
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