In the water and on the beach

These recommended resources will help pre-K teachers and parents looking for information on oceans and beaches. For questions or more suggestions, call our children‘s librarians at 217/403–2030.

In the Water

Stories (Fiction)

  • Atlantic (Easy Picturebook/E/Kar) by G. Brian Karas
  • Big Al (Easy Picturebook/E/Cle) by Andrew Clements
  • Carl Caught a Flying Fish (Easy Picturebook/E/Oma) by Kevin O‘Malley
  • Dory Story (Easy Picturebook/E/Pal) by Jerry Pallota
  • Fish Wish (Easy Picturebook/E/Pal) by Jerry Pallotta
  • A House for Hermit Crab (Easy Picturebook/E/Car) by Eric Carle
  • Just My Dad and Me (Easy Picturebook/E/Kom) by Leah Komaiko
  • Little Fish, Lost (Easy Picturebook/E/Van) by Nancy Van Laan
  • Minas and the Fish (Easy Picturebook/E/Pas) by Olga Pastuchiv
  • Mister Seahorse (Easy Picturebook/E/Car) by Eric Carle
  • Ocean Whisper (Easy Picturebook/E/Roc) by Dennis Rockhill
  • Secret Seahorse (Easy Picturebook/E/Bla) by Stella Blackstone
  • Swimmy (Easy Picturebook/E/Lio) by Leo Lionni
  • Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! (Easy Picturebook/E/Say) by April Pulley Sayre
  • The Twelve Days of Summer (Easy Picturebook/E/Odo) by Elizabeth Lee O‘Donnell
  • Whale Song (Easy Picturebook/E/Joh) by Tony Johnston

Nonfiction

  • Dive! A Book of Deep Sea Creatures (Juvenile Nonfiction/J591.777/Ber) by Melvin Berger
  • Down in the Sea: Jellyfish (Juvenile Nonfiction/J593.7/Kit) by Patricia Kite
  • Down in the Sea: Octopus (Juvenile Nonfiction/J594.56/Kit) by Patricia Kite
  • Down in the Sea: Sea Slug (Juvenile Nonfiction/J594.36/Kit) by Patricia Kite
  • Fishy Tales (Juvenile Nonfiction/J591.7789/Fis) reading consultant Linda Gambrell
  • Into the Sea (Juvenile Nonfiction/J597.92/Gui) by Brenda Z. Guiberson
  • Is This a House for Hermit Crab? (Juvenile Nonfiction/J595.3/McD) by Megan McDonald
  • Life in an Ocean (Juvenile Nonfiction/J578.77/Lin) by Carol K. Lindeen
  • Oceans and Seas (Juvenile Nonfiction/J551.46/Dav) by Nicola Davies
  • The Sea (Juvenile Nonfiction/J551.46/Lle) by Claire Llewellyn
  • Sea Anemones (Juvenile Nonfiction/J593.6/Sto) by Lynn M. Stone
  • Sea Stars (Juvenile Nonfiction/J593.93/Sch) by Lola M. Schaefer
  • Somewhere in the Ocean (Juvenile Nonfiction/J/591.77/War) by Jennifer Ward
  • Spiny Sea Stars (Juvenile Nonfiction/J593.93/Zuc) by Christine Zuchora-Walske
  • Starfish (Juvenile Nonfiction/J593.93/Hur) by Edith Thatcher Hurd
  • Under the Sea (Juvenile Nonfiction/J577.7/Smi) by Alastair Smith
  • Whales (Juvenile Nonfiction/J599.5/Rob) by Claire Robinson

On the Beach

Stories - Fiction

  • Beach Ball (Easy Picturebook/E/Sis) by Peter Sis
  • A Beach Day (Easy Picturebook/E/Flo) by Douglas Florian
  • Beach Day (Easy Picturebook/E/Roo) by Karen Roosa
  • Ebb and Flo and the Greedy Gulls (Easy Picturebook/E/Sim) by Jane Simmons
  • A Gift From the Sea (Easy Picturebook/E/Ban) by Kate Banks
  • Gotcha Louie! (Easy Picturebook/E/Her) bu H.M. Ehrlich
  • The Long Weekend (Easy Picturebook/E/Har) by Troon Harrison
  • Louie's Goose (Easy Picturebook/E/Her) bu H.M. Ehrlich
  • I Saw the Sea and the Sea Saw Me (Easy Picturebook/E/Cas) by Megan Montague Cash
  • Out of the Ocean (Easy Picturebook/E/pb/F) by Debra Frasier
  • Sand (Easy Picturebook/E/PB/K) by Virginia King
  • Sunny Day (Easy Picturebook/E/Hen) by Claire Henley

Nonfiction

  • Along a Rocky Shore (Juvenile Nonfiction/J591.9094/Rin) by Judith E. Rinard
  • Along the Seashore (Juvenile Nonfiction/J578.7699/The) by Rod Theodorou
  • Come to the Ocean's Edge (Juvenile Nonfiction/J577.7/Pri) by Laurence Pringle
  • A Day at Seagull Beach (Juvenile Nonfiction/J577.699/Wal) by Karen Wallace
  • On the Beach (Juvenile Nonfiction/J577.699/Smi) by Alastair Smith
  • Where Land Meets Sea (Juvenile Nonfiction/J551.457/Fow) by Allan Fowler

Teacher Resources

  • Adventures Under the Sea Kit (Juvenile Multimedia Kits/J578.77/Adv)
  • Awesome Ocean Science! (Juvenile Nonfiction/J551.46/Lit) by Cindy L. Littlefield
  • Oceans and Art Activities (Juvenile Nonfiction/J551.46/Sac) by Janet Sacks

Videos/DVDs

  • Blue's Safari (Juvenile Videos/J591/Blues)
  • Elmo's World: The Great Outdoors (Juvenile DVDs & Videos/J791.45/Elmo)
  • Finding Nemo (Juvenile DVDs & Videos/J791.433/Finding)
  • Fish (Juvenile Videos/J597/Fish)
  • Follow That Fish (Juvenile Videos/J372.4/Follow)
  • Magic School Bus Gets Eaten (Juvenile Videos/J/574.53/Magic)
  • One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (Juvenile Videos/J813/One)
  • Rainbow Fish (Juvenile DVDs & Videos/J649.5/Rainbow)
  • Rainbow Fish: Everyone is Special (Juvenile Videos/J649.5/Rainbow)
  • Rainbow Fish: Fish Tales (Juvenile Videos/J649.5/Rainbow)
  • Rainbow Fish: School of Fish (Juvenile Videos/J649.5/Rainbow)
  • Rainbow Fish: The Three Fishkateers (Juvenile DVDs/J649.5/Rainbow)
  • Wiggle Bay (Juvenile DVDs/J782.42/Wiggles)
  • Wish Upon a Starfish: Ariel's Songs and Stories (Juvenile DVDs & Videos/J791.433/Wish)

Fingerplays, Crafts & Activities

Fingerplays

Crafts & Activities

  • A to Z Kids Stuff — Art, science, dramatic play activities for ocean themes
  • Pre-K Pages — A list of books, six craft activities, and a couple of songs related to ocean themes
  • First School — Activities with a fish theme

Coloring Pages