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Ocean books we genuinely recommend
Five books we'd hand any ocean-mad four year old, chosen with the same care as our full guide. These links are affiliate links (marked, as always); the first four have detailed reviews in our ocean picture books guide.
1
Best read-aloud
Meet the Oceans - Caryl Hart & Bethan Woollvin
A bouncy rhyming tour of the world's oceans with bold, funny pictures. It sneaks in real geography without anyone noticing.
2
Best first fact book
Little Kids First Big Book of the Ocean - National Geographic Kids
30+ sea creatures with big, real photos. This is the book you grab when a question comes up that you can't answer.
3
Best for 'but why?'
Who Makes an Ocean? - Sally Nicholls & Carolina Rabei
A gentle, beautiful story about how the ocean formed and how life began in it. Big ideas made small.
4
Best before swimming lessons
Aqua Boy - Ken Wilson-Max
Aaron is scared of going under the water. BookTrust recommends it for ages 4-7, and it's perfect for nervous little swimmers.
5
Verity's favourite
Lily the Pond Mermaid - Lucy Fleming
This is one of Verity's favourites, and it also comes in a gorgeous series with Ella's Night Lights and Oak, the Littlest Leaf Girl. The whole series is about how to make friends and understand the world.