When I was growing up, my family would usually spend at least a little time in the summer at the beach in North Carolina. It was always a highlight of summer and one of my favorite parts of the year. Even now, as a grown-up, I love any chance I get to take a trip to the beach and be reminded of one of my favorite parts of childhood. But because I live in Utah, I can't get to the beach as often as I'd like, and so I am always on the lookout for beachy books that make me feel like I'm really there. If you'd like to escape on a beach vacation in your mind, here are some recommendations for you!
Chase the Moon Tiny Turtle
By Kelly Jordan
Illustrated by Sally Walker
Salem, MA: Page Street Kids, 2021. Informational.
In this rhyming picture book, we follow a newborn sea turtle's suspenseful and dangerous journey from egg to ocean. With danger lurking all along the way, readers will be anxious to see the newly hatched turtle make it safely. The illustrations are slightly stylized, but effectively beachy and make this a satisfying bedtime read aloud for anyone thinking about the beach.
By Elisha Cooper
New York: Orchard Books, 2006. Picture book.
Something I love about the beach is how it can sometimes be a fun, loud, noisy place or sometimes it can be a quiet place. The sound of waves hitting the sand tends to drown out extra noise and you can spend a quiet, still day at the beach. This picture book, an oldie but a goodie, captures both aspects of the beach perfectly. Sometimes fun and noisy, but sometimes still and quiet -- the beach is a great place to spend a day.
By Fiona Lumbers
London: Andersen Press USA, 2020. Picture book.
In this British picture book, a girl named Clem goes beachcombing for treasures when she befriends a little crab who stows away in her pant leg and follows her home. Before returning the crustacean to the sea, she brings him to school for show and tell along with a collage of the plastic waste she found on the beach. The wonderfully beachy illustrations are a perfect match for this book's important message about preserving our coasts.
By Beth Ferry
Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. Picture book.
This is one of my very favorite picture books, bar none, and a lot of that has to do with the perfectly beachy illustrations that evoke the seaside flawlessly. The illustrations are a perfect match to the story of a curmudgeonly sea captain, his gregarious new neighbor, and a mischievous ocean. This book demands to be read aloud -- before and after a beach trip.
By Susan Wood
Illustrated by Steliyana Doneva
Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2019. Picture book.
A family is spending the day at a sandy beach when they notice animal tracks in the sand. The family explores the beach to see who is leaving the tracks and discovers crabs, sandpipers, turtles, and more. This is an immediately engaging and inviting book that will encourage readers to explore the world around them and remember the fun animals they found on the beach.
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