Fish are great for a summer theme as well as an animal classification theme. Here are some of our favorite books from our fish unit.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Just choose books based on your child’s age and what you think will engage your child’s interest. I recommend checking out the “Look Inside the Book” feature on Amazon and reading reviews there. Another place to learn about a book is on YouTube. You can typically see the entire book there.
Montessori-friendly books use photos or realistic illustrations. They don’t have talking animals or a lot of fantasy. But many books that have fantasy and talking animals are wonderful books, and I love sharing them with children who understand the difference between fantasy and reality.
For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles).
Books for a Fish Theme
I’m featuring books here for a fish theme mainly for preschool through elementary-age kids.
Books for a Fish Theme
Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:
- The Big Book of the Blue (I love this series and have many of the books!)
- National Geographic Kids Ocean Animals: Whos Who in the Deep Blue Sea
- Fish Everywhere. This isn’t one of Britta Teckentrup’s peek-through picture books, but it’s awesome anyway!
2nd Shelf:
- Fish for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide has information about the habitats of fish along with photos and details of a number of varieties of both freshwater and saltwater fish.
- About Fish: A Guide for Children
- Fantastic Fish (This series (I have and recommend the whole set) is great for young readers and preschoolers who are learning about animal classifications!)
3rd Shelf:
- Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs
- DK’s Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep
- National Geographic Kids Can’t Get Enough Shark Stuff: Fun Facts, Awesome Info, Cool Games, Silly Jokes, and More!
4th Shelf:
- Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist (This award-winning tells the story of Eugenie Clark who spent her life studying zoology and working to prove that sharks weren’t mindless killers but beautiful animals that should be appreciated and protected. Recommended for ages 4-8.)
- American Museum of Natural History Sharks Board Book (gorgeous book for toddlers and preschoolers with interesting facts, stunning photographs, and cutout pages showing the relative sizes of the various types of sharks)
- Run Salmon Run
Bottom Shelf
Some other animal and fish books we’re using:
- Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth
- DK Smithsonian Animal Book
- National Geographic Kids Little Kids First Big Book of Animals
- The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth is great for plant and animal classification as well as animal themes.
- DK Smithsonian Animal Book
- Animalium: Welcome to the Museum
- Nature Anatomy
- Ocean Anatomy
- Ocean: A Photicular Book was a New York Times bestseller. It’s a super-fun book for multiple ages to look at with images that use Photicular technology to make each image like a 3-D movie on the page. It also tells about each ocean animal, including vital statistics such as size, habitat, range, diet, life span in the wild, and threats. (Update: Ocean: A Photicular Book is such a fun book that it was the first thing my 5-year-old granddaughter, Sophia, got out to show her parents during our Father’s Day get-together!)
- Down Down Down (Steve Jenkins books are awesome!)
- National Geographic Kids Weird Sea Creatures
- Fish pages from My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things
- The Ultimate Shark Field Guide with detailed watercolor illustrations
- Books from my Best Ocean Books for Kids post
You can see lots of the fish books as they’re published here.
More Fish Resources:
Montessori-Inspired Fish Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Montessori-Inspired Ocean Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Free Fish Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fish Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Ocean Unit
- Montessori-Inspired Resources for World Oceans Day
Montessori-Inspired Ocean Math Activities - Shark Unit Study
- Shells and Starfish Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom
- Free Shark Printables and Montessori-Inspired Shark Activities
- Shark Water-Bead Number or Letter Sensory Bin
- Farm, Zoo, & Ocean Animal Sensory Bottles for Babies and Toddlers
- Coral Reef Kit and Sensory Bin
- DIY Coral Reef Water Table with Practical Life Activities
- The Ultimate Montessori-Inspired Shark Unit
- Free Ocean Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ocean Activities
- Free Ocean Songs and Educational Videos
- Free Guided Ocean Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
- Free Guided Ocean Meditations {Mindfulness Resources for Teens and Adults}
- Free Ocean Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Non-Scary and Montessori-Friendly Resources for a Shark Tooth Dig
- The Best Ocean Books for Kids
- How to Make a Simple Ocean Animal Water Table or Sensory Bin Featuring Sharks
- Ocean-themed, Editable Name and Word Tracing Pack in Print or Cursive
Helpful Animal Classification Posts
- Living and Non-Living
- Plant and Animal Sorting
- Montessori Animal Classification
- Free Zoo Printables and Montessori-Inspired Zoo Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Animal Units
- Montessori Vertebrate Resources for Preschool Through Elementary
- Free Amphibian Printables and Montessori-Inspired Amphibian Activities
- Montessori Invertebrate Resources for Preschool Through Elementary
Have fun learning about fish!
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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