Somewhere in the Ocean – Jennifer Ward is an award winning children’s author who lives in the Metro East area of St. Louis. Many of her books contain elements of STEM and literacy and are inspired by nature. Somewhere in the Ocean is no exception. This charming book takes a beloved rhyming song, Over in the Meadow, and re-imagines it to include ocean animals. It is a counting book, a book of rhymes, and a book with many ocean facts. It even has numbers hidden on each page for children to seek-and-find. Educational activities to go with the book can be found here. 

The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark – “Little fish, little fish, let me come in.”
“Not by the skin of my finny fin fin!”
“Then I’ll munch, and I’ll crunch, and I’ll smash your house in!”

Do these words sound familiar? This colorful book by Ken Geist is an entertaining retelling of The Three Little Pigs story and a fantastic book to read out loud. It is a simple story that lends itself to teaching many literary concepts such as comparing and contrasting, characters, setting, story order, problems and solutions, predicting and so much more.

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist – From the publisher: “Eugenie Clark fell in love with sharks from the first moment she saw them at the aquarium. She couldn’t imagine anything more exciting than studying these graceful creatures. But Eugenie quickly discovered that many people believed sharks to be ugly and scary―and they didn’t think women should be scientists. Determined to prove them wrong, Eugenie devoted her life to learning about sharks. After earning several college degrees and making countless discoveries, Eugenie wrote herself into the history of science, earning the nickname “Shark Lady.” Through her accomplishments, she taught the world that sharks were to be admired rather than feared and that women can do anything they set their minds to.” 

Oceanology: The True Account of the Voyage of the Nautilus – They say “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Well, that is not the case with Oceanology. The cover, with its holographic underwater scene and it’s golden, bejeweled porthole are exactly what drew me to it. This book uses a journal that was written by a young man named Zoticus de Lesseps to take the reader on an adventure with surprises throughout. Each page is filled with information that is hidden in miniature books, removable letters, under pictures, and in fold out maps. It is a great book to learn more about creatures of the sea and, since it is written like a journal, it is great practice for those learning to read cursive handwriting. For more information about oceanography online check out Explora Resources provided by the O’Fallon Public Library. 

The Ocean Calls – This is a beautifully written story about a granddaughter who overcomes her fear of the water to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps. Her grandmother is one of the “mermaid” divers, Korean haenyeo, who collect undersea treasures, such as sea cucumbers, octopus and abalone. The back of the book provides more facts about the haenyeo and quotes from women who have been diving for decades. “The sea makes you healthy. Just moving under the water makes you feel incredibly alive. Working like this, you feel like a mermaid.” – Go Young Ja, age 79.