Children's Books about the Seashore

Weekly Trip to the Library for Nannies and Au Pairs

The past week we discussed activities to do with children at the shore. It is a good idea to visit the library with children every week. Here are some children's book suggestions on the topic.

By the Seashore
By Maurice Pledger, Illustrator A.J. Wood
Ages Infant to Preschool
For young children this book combines wonderful illustrations with lift-a-flaps and touch-and-feel components, this unique book introduces children to the different textures that they might find on the seashore. Each rhyme is designed around a particular tactile ocean adventure, such as prickly coral, slimy anemones, and scratchy sand. Each page is beautifully illustrated and will give young children a sense of the wonder of nature. The book also contains buried treasure under each lift-the-flap, which is another visual activity for kids.

Seashore (Eyewitness Book Series)
By Steven Parker and Elizabeth Hester, Illustrator Dave King
Ages: Infant to Preschool
Introduce children to the animal inhabitants of the seashore, including fish, crustaceans, snails, and shorebirds. Learn how they survive in demanding conditions. See how a sea urchin disguises itself. Find out how a crab grows a new leg. Discover how big seaweed can grow.




Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea
By Steve Jenkins
Ages 5 to 8
Caldecott Honor–winning Steve Jenkins provides a top-to-bottom look at the ocean, from birds and waves to thermal vents and ooze.Half the earth’s surface is covered by water more than a mile deep, but most of this watery world is a mystery to us. In fact, more people have stood on the surface of the moon than have visited the deepest spot in the ocean. Children will see jellyfish that flash like a neon sign, creatures with teeth so big, they can’t close their mouths, and even a squid as long as a bus, which battles to the death with a sperm whale, the largest predator on earth.

Earth and You - a Closer View
By J. Patrick Patrick Lewis, Illustrator Christopher Canyon
Ages 9 to 12
A group of Japanese educators, publishers and businesspeople had a vision: to show children through poetry and art that everything in nature is connected, and that they too are connected with nature. They engaged a highly talented American author and illustrator, and this is the result. First published in Japanese, Earth & You introduces Earth’s major features (the oceans, mountains, deserts and so on) and links them to each other and to the human community. This book not only teaches, but testifies to the wonders of a connected world. It is the first of three books celebrating the human relation with nature’s features, nature's creatures, and nature's past and future.

If you have a book review you would like us to share with nannies and au pairs please email Stephanie@BestNannyNewsletter.com. Be sure to stop by again next Saturday for another weekly trip to the library.