For the first few years of our daughters’ lives, we didn’t live anywhere close to the beach. We made the occasional two-hour trip to Corpus Christi from San Antonio, but it certainly didn’t happen frequently. During most of their early childhood, the majority of what they knew about sand and waves came from beach books we borrowed from the library!
When we moved to Iowa, we ended up just a few miles away from a beach on a lake. While it’s not quite the ocean, our daughters have been able to experience the fun of dripping wet sand off their fingers, collecting shells and cool rocks, listening to the waves crash on the shore, and dipping their toes into the cold water.
This summer, we plan on spending a lot of our break out on the beach, trying some fun beach-themed STEM projects. I know my youngest daughter, a non-fiction lover, will want to learn more about the tides and erosion and WHY everything happens the way it does. My older daughter will probably ask to learn more about the wildlife that lives in and near the lake, so we’ll be heading to the library for more beach books to satisfy their interests.
Here is a list of the best beach books we have found over the years. Most are great for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers!
Beach Books for Kids
(Just a reminder that Rolling Prairie Readers uses affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here.)
Beach by Elisha Cooper
The Boy on the Beach by Niki Daly
Llama Llama Sand & Sun by Anna Dewdney
On My Beach by Sara Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich
Beach Day! by Anahid Hamparian
Sally in the Sand by Stephen Huneck
Miranda’s Beach Day by Holly Keller
Find It at the Beach by Dee Phillips
Beach Feet by Lynn Reiser
Beach Days by Ken Robbins
At the Beach by Anne and Harlow Rockwell
Beach Day by Karen Roosa
Summer Beach Day by Liesbet Slegers
A Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams
Download our beach-themed Family Activity Guide!
