Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Curriculum Topic Booklists > Geography Topic Booklists > Seaside Topic

Seaside Topic

icon - seaside

Best Children’s Books about the Seaside

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside, oh I do like to be beside the sea! The UK has one of the longest coastlines in the whole of Europe and every home in the UK lies 80 miles or less from the coast. That might be why the seaside has become such a popular topic in primary schools, especially in KS1 and EYFS!

From sandcastles and seahorses to rockpools and riptides, there’s plenty to learn about with a seaside theme and we’ve put together a list of recommended children’s books to help you to dig deeper into the seaside topic.

SAVE 20% with Peters

Visit our booklists on Amazon

Support independent bookshops

Picturebooks about seasides and coasts

Ronda Armitage
 & David Armitage
Picturebook

A classic picture book featuring the story of the lighthouse keeper Mr. Grinling and his attempts to receive his lunch before it is eaten by the pesky seagulls. First published forty years ago, The Lighthouse Keeper series is a popular choice to go alongside a seaside topic. This text is rich in vocabulary and a good option for Talk for Writing.

Julia Donaldson
 & Lydia Monks
Picturebook
Join everyone's favourite crime-busting ladybird on a trip to the seaside! With a cast of wonderful sea creatures, including a magical mermaid, and plenty of beach fun, What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside is a brilliant rhyming adventure from the bestselling picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks. A big hit for storytime in KS1 and EYFS.
Benji Davies
Picturebook
Noi lives by the sea with his fisherman father and life there can feel pretty lonely sometimes. When Noi discovers a little whale washed up on the beach, he takes it home to care for it in his bath tub. But there are two problems; the first is that keeping it a secret from his dad will be tougher than he thinks and the second is that whales really belong in the depths of the sea. This engaging and empathetic picture book is a great choice for KS1.
Kes Gray
 & Garry Parsons
Picturebook
A popular choice with EYFS and KS1, this is the story of a little boy who asks for a bucket for his birthday. Billy fills his bucket with water and his parents fail to believe him when he says that it contains wonderful creatures from the ocean. That is, until Dad decides to borrow the bucket to wash his car!
David Wiesner
Picturebook

This award-winning wordless picture book offers endless opportunities for discussion and creative writing. A beach-combing young boy finds a washed-up camera on the shore, and when the film is developed it reveals a fantastic new world of creatures from the ocean. Incredible illustrations that speak for themselves. Read our blog for inspiration from one talented teacher who brought a Flotsam literacy unit to life.


Michael Morpurgo
 & Michael Foreman
Picturebook

A longer illustrated story from Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Michael Foreman, all about a boy from a cornish fishing village who helps a beached dolphin find its way back into the sea. This heartwarming story tells of the special bond between children and animals, which is characterised by unconditional love and loyalty. Poignant at times and magical at others, we love this beautifully rich story of a friendship between a boy and a dolphin, which never fails to captivate KS1 audiences at storytime.

Paula White
Picturebook

This sublime picture book is written and illustrated by Paula White, set in the beach village that once stood where she grew up in Lowestoft, a port with a rich fishing heritage, on the East Coast of Suffolk. The village housed the working community along with the Scottish fisher girls and men, who followed the fish along the east coast, arriving to help pack and preserve the catch.

Accompanying a lyrical text, the atmospheric illustrations in pen and ink, using a muted palette of blue and grey, with yellow highlights, depicts a traditional way of life. The young boy at the heart of the story takes the reader on a walk around the wooden buildings and small shops, introducing the grown-ups of the village going about their work, including the fishermen, the blacksmith and the boat-builders. The boy’s father is the baker, but the boy wants to be a fisherman when he grows up, braving the stormy seas, catching the fish to feed the community and provide an income for the village. While helping out in the bakery, the boy’s father explains that without his bread, buns and biscuits, many of the others wouldn’t be able to do their jobs.

The bread is used by the café to make bacon butties for the boat builders, the fresh, hot buns warm the fingers of Scottish girls as they pack the barrels while the fisherman out at sea dunk their savoury biscuits in hot broth to stave off cold and hunger. The baker is proud of his place in the community and the boy realises that everyone has their part to play.

Suffused with warmth and nostalgia, this evocation of bygone times should help to inspire discussion and exploration of community, local and family history. Paula White dedicates the book to her grandfather, who, she explains, was a baker but sometimes felt guilty for not being a fisherman. It also includes his recipe for hot coconut buns.

Children's stories set at the beach

Roland Harvey
Picturebook
This is a series of fictional postcards from a child on a seaside holiday. The pictures are incredibly detailed and children will spend hours poring over them. This book works well as a great stimulus for writing.
Nathan Bryon
 & Dapo Adeola
Picturebook
Join Rocket as she sets sail on a brand new mission - to save a Caribbean beach from plastic pollution! When Rocket goes on holiday to visit her grandparents, she's shocked by the pollution that's spoiling their island home and putting the local sea life at risk. Can she think of a way to save the day and bring the community together?
Fiona Lumbers
Picturebook
Clem is an explorer, a collector and a protector of the seas. Treasure hunting on her beloved beach, she stumbles across Crab, his claw stuck in a plastic bag. Crab will be much safer and happier in the city with Clem, but doesn't he belong on the beach? A stunningly illustrated timely tale of cleaning up our beaches, with the message that every small action helps.
Julia Donaldson
 & Lydia Monks
Picturebook
A seaside favourite from the stellar picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, When Crab finds a new shell, he doesn't want to share it with anyone - especially not a blobby purple anemone and a tickly bristleworm. But life in the rock pool proves tougher than Crab thinks and he soon finds he needs his new housemates. With brilliant rhythmic verse, bright and distinctive illustrations, this is a firm storytime favourite.
Paula Bowles
Picturebook
Tiny Crab is a tidy crab, and a crab who LOVES his beach. So, when he invites a few friends to come and join his favourite place, he knows they will look after it, too . . . won’t they? But what if they don’t? And, worse, what if LOTS of friends arrive then leave rubbish EVERYWHERE, which Tiny Crab is forced to tidy up. Maybe even the smallest voices need to make themselves heard.

Short story and poetry collections about the seaside

Mairi Hedderwick
Short story collection
Follow the adventures of young Katie Morag, who lives on the Scottish Island Of Struay. These endearing stories, which have now been turned into a popular CBBC series, will help children learn about the ups and downs of coastal life on a small island.
Nicola Davies
 & Emily Sutton
Poetry

Poetry meets science and art in this beautiful picture book anthology of sea-themed poems. Each double page spread explores a different aspect of the sea, from pebbles and sandcastles to whales and puffins to lighthouses and sailors. Each new aspect is drawn out in beautifully poetic language that makes the reader reflect with awe at the natural and man-made wonders of the sea, the pleasure it provides and the unanswered questions it holds.

Non-fiction books about the seaside

Moira Butterfield
 & Jesus Verona
Non-fiction
Discover a world of wonder on a seaside stroll with this beautiful picture book from the National Trust. Chasing waves and having fun, water sparkling in the sun . . . Look what I found! A curly seashell. Inside it shines bright, like a pearl. Set off on an adventure to find treasure, from swirly sea shells to mysterious mermaid's purses, then learn more about each object with richly-illustrated and informative nature notes. Packed full of fascinating facts alongside a gentle rhyming narrative and encouraging children to get outside and explore their surroundings, this is a nature treasure hunt series for the whole family to enjoy.
Harriet Evans & Hannah Bailey
Non-fiction

Above and Below is a non-fiction book with flaps that take the reader on a journey through watery habitats of sea and shore.

From the moment we opened the book, we were instantly hooked by the beautiful and intricate illustrations by Nic Jones. Furthermore, the choice of colour found on each page adds to the element of the coastal theme and helps the reader to really envisage any of the animals or plants from each habitat. Every page offers something slightly different, and the illustrations alone could easily inspire an art project or a piece of writing.

The author, Harriet Evans, has filled each page with lots of interesting, memorable and informative facts that will engage the reader straight away. Each page has a paragraph which explains about each shoreline place, from coral reefs to river beds. The choice of language also means that the book is very accessible for primary classrooms, with just the right amount of new, challenging and subject specific vocabulary to stretch more confident and independent readers.

The use of flaps in the book add a real element of fun to each page. When lifted, they reveal the surprise of further illustrations and information.

Clare Hibbert
Non-fiction
An introduction to the history and geography of life beside the seaside. This non-fiction book compares what it would have been like to go on holiday to the seaside in the past with modern seaside holidays today. Readers are encouraged to explore what has changed and what has stayed the same, including the places we stay, beach activities and the clothes we wear.
Charlotte Guillain
 & Jo Empson
Non-fiction
From the Look Closer series, this richly illustrated concertina book takes you on a journey through the deep dark waters, all the way down to the seabed, before floating back up to the surface. A follow-up to The Street Beneath My Feet , The Skies Above My Eyes and The World Around Me, this visually stunning book ventures to the very bottom of the sea on a journey of discovery. Through the waves and into the deep, you'll spot all kinds of weird and wonderful marine creatures, explore the seabed and discover the impact humans have had on the underwater world. As you dive below the surface, past sea otters playing in fields of giant kelp, you will see sea lions and shoals of mackerel playing in the shallows, before passing orcas hunting in pods in the deeper water. As well as animals, discover the technology which is used under the sea , from scuba breathing apparatus to oil pipelines and deep sea submarines. As you reach the very bottom of the sea, the 'twilight zone' where very little light can filter through, you will meet the mysterious creatures of the deep such as Lanternfish and the luminous swell shark. This book is part of the Look Closer series , a set of concertina books which help teach us about the mysteries which can be found in the world around us.

SAVE 20% with Peters

Visit our booklists on Amazon

Support independent bookshops

Booklists you might also like...

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

review

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Any other comments

Any other comments