Fiction Books

The following books were chosen for this curriculum guide because they offer more than just information about ocean life. Some of these books teach students about changes in life and what it means to preserve and help save our environment. 

The Serpent Came to Gloucester by M.T. Anderson

• This book takes place in a small Massachusetts fishing village in the 1800’s. There was a great myth about a giant sea serpent that lived off the coast. The book follows a tale about a young boy who goes on a crazy adventure to find out if the sea serpent is actually real or if it is a real mystery. 

The Disappearing Island by Corinne Demas & Ted Lewin

• This book takes place on an island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Carrie, a nine-year-old girl, and her grandmother take a trip to this “disappearing” island where Carrie learns all about low and high tide and the ocean.

Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen

• Ms. Frizzle, the teacher, drives the Magic School Bus right into the deep ocean so that her students can learn about hot water vents, coral reefs, plant and animal life and so much more! In the back of the book there is a  Multiple-Choice Test the students can take so the teacher can evaluate how much information was retained. The book provides the correct answer and explanations to these questions.

A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle

• Hermit Crab needs to find a new shell because he outgrew his old one. Hermit Crab goes on an adventure to find his shell and ends up making some new sea creature friends along the way. Hermit asks these sea creatures for help in decorating his new shell. This book focuses greatly on marine life and what it means to go through change in your life.

A Day in the Salt Marsh by Kevin Kurtz

• A salt marsh is a habitat on earth that is always changing, every hour of every day. This book follows a day in the life of what happens at a salt marsh. The students will learn about the different animals and how a salt marsh survives. The book is told in rhyming versus and includes an activity at the end.

Crab Moon by Ruth Horowitz

• This book tells the story of a young boy, Daniel whose mother eagerly shows him horseshoe crabs crawling along the beach at night under a full moon. Daniel becomes fascinated with these horseshoe crabs and ends up trying to save a horseshoe crab.

Crabby & Nabby by Suzanne Tate

• Crabby and Nabby are two blue crabs. The book follows Crabby and Nabby’s life cycles on how they live in the ocean and what it’s like to be a blue crab in the sea.

Far From Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage by Sophie Webb

• This book is written as if it were a scientists journal as they travel deep into the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. The scientists collect data and write down and draw exactly what they see. This book is great for students to learn about ocean life but in an informal setting.