Beach Reads for Kids

There's something special about reading on the beach. Here are some great recommended reads for your next water-adjacent reading session!

Updated June 18, 2025
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Vacation : three-and-a-half stories
Dyckman, Ame
Paper Book
A Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Winner In the second book in the Bat, Cat & Rat picture book series from New York Times bestsellers Ame Dyckman and Mark Teague, the roommates try to compromise on vacation plans in three-and-a-half sweet and silly stories. ...
We are definitely human
Fang, X.
Paper Book
WINNER of the Ezra Jack Keats Best New Illustrator Award * An American Library Association Notable Children's Book A hilarious alien invasion story with a feel-good message about what it means to be human. Perfect for earthlings of all ages. When three mysterious...
Johnny, the sea, and me
Escobar, Melba
Paper Book
A timid ten-year-old boy meets Johnny, a gruff islander who will change his life, in Johnny, the Sea, and Me, a heartwarming middle-grade novel by Melba Escobarabout finding yourself and your place in the world-featuring illustrations by award-winning...
Sona and the golden beasts
LaRocca, Rajani
Paper Book
From Newbery Honor and Walter Award-winning author Rajani LaRocca comes a gripping middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Serpent's Secret and The Last Mapmaker. Though music is outlawed in the land of Devia, Sona hears it everywhere. Sona is a Malech, a member of the...
The dictionary story
Jeffers, Oliver
Paper Book
From the award-winning creative team of Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston comes an enchanting and imaginative picture book certain to delight word lovers of any age. Dictionary wishes she could tell a story like other books. So one day, she decides to bring her words to life. How...
The iguanodon's horn : how artists and scientists put a dinosaur back together again and again ... and again
Rubin, Sean
Paper Book
Highlighting the role of artists in the scientific process, this crowd-pleasing look at dinosaurs explores how new discoveries deepen our understanding of the world. AN ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 2024 KID'S BOOK AWARD WINNER A HORN BOOK FANFARE TITLE ...
The best worst camp out ever
Cepeda, Joe
Paper Book
A boy and his father go on a camping trip where everything goes wrong! Or does it? From Joe Cepeda, a Theodor Seuss Geisel and Pura Belpré Honor Winner, this early reader comic is perfect for first graders to read on their own! A boy and his father go on a camping trip!...
It began with lemonade
Sterer, Gideon
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author Gideon Sterer is an imaginative, colorful tale of making (and selling!) lemonade from life's lemons is not too sour and not too sweet. One scorching hot summer day, a spunky young girl decides to sell lemonade . . . only to find there...
Super pancake and the mini muffin mayhemA Graphic Novel
Lloyd, Megan Wagner
Paper Book
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a . . . pancake? The syrupy superhero of Breakfast Town, Peggy Pancake, is now up against her toughest, scariest obstacle yet- babysitting. When we last saw our hero Peggy Pancake, she was mastering her newfound superhero abilities and...
Sand cakes
George, K.
Paper Book
Sand cake, Sun cake, Sprinkle-topped with rocks cake. Will you eat what I baked? A fun day at the beach means making some sweet treats to share with everyone! The main ingredient? Sand of course! No matter how yummy her rock-sprinkled cakes, seaweed pies and sea foam cream puffs look, this little...
The Dragon's Apprentice
Riley, James
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * In this hilarious fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Story Thieves series, a girl strikes a deal with the ancient, cranky dragon she accidentally summoned to teach her the forbidden magic she needs to save her mother....
Ursula upside down
Tabor, Corey R.
Paper Book
Ursula finds confidence in seeing the world her own way in another innovative, flipped-format picture book from Caldecott Honoree and Geisel Award winner Corey R. Tabor.  Ursula is a happy catfish, swimming through a shimmering river with weeds waving above and a sky...
Dog vs. Strawberry
Buchet, Nelly
Paper Book
A dog and a strawberry find themselves nose to stem in this hilarious picture book that's perfect for dog lovers. An epic battle ensues-who will come out on top? A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Welcome to the Greatest Race of All Time! ...
My daddy is a cowboy
Seales, Stephanie
Paper Book
Tall. High as the clouds. Strong as a horse's back. Like a cowboy. In the early hours before dawn, a young girl and her father greet their horses and ride together through the waking city streets. As they trot along, Daddy tells cowboy stories filled with fun and...
Two together
Wenzel, Brendan
Paper Book
In this companion book to They All Saw a Cat and Inside Cat, a journey home leads to unexpected adventures for a cat and dog. A playful, imaginative story of friendship, empathy, and discovery by Caldecott Honor winner Brendan Wenzel. Cat and Dog...
Lola
Valenti, Karla
Paper Book
A simmering tale of magic, adventure, and the extraordinary bond between a brother and sister who'd journey to the ends of the Earth to save each other. From the acclaimed author of Loteria comes a heartfelt story rooted in Mexican magical realism. A PURA BELPR AUTHOR WINNER ....
One big open sky
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free--or cost them everything they have--in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement. 1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer...

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