Fish Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Dive into a world of underwater adventure with the best fish books for toddlers and preschoolers! Whether your little ones dream of a pet fish or you’re gearing up for seaside summer explorations, these delightful books are perfect any time of year. Explore vibrant oceans and meet fascinating sea creatures through stories that spark curiosity and joy. Ideal for both your classroom and cosy reading times at home, these classic fish picture books are treasures waiting to captivate your children’s imaginations and enrich their understanding of the underwater world.
Fabulous Fish Books for Kids
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As a marine biologist I love sharing my interests with my kids and one of the best ways I’ve found to do this is with reading and crafting! I’ve hand picked my favourite books about fish and the underwater world and right at the end you’ll find some of my favourite fishy crafts to do! So check out the selection below and pick what you think your little ones will enjoy the most.
Big Fish Little Fish
Learn all about opposite with this book Big Fish Little Fish. It’s another great sturdy book and best for young toddlers. The illustrations are bright and colourful and as you turn the pages your little ones will learn all sorts of opposites with these underwater creatures.
- Litton, Jonathan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 16 Pages – 03/01/2016 (Publication Date) – Tiger Tales (Publisher)
The Pout-Pout Fish
Join The Pout-Pout Fish on his adventures in this fun series, will his friends be able to turn that pout upside down and make him smile. Again another series that my kids loved. I think we read these before Rainbow Fish in the board book versions when they were younger as the stories are much shorter but still fun and great for little ones and you to read together.
- Hardcover Book
- Diesen, Deborah (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 03/18/2008 (Publication Date) – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Publisher)
Three Little Fish and the big bad shark
Do you love mixed up fairy tales? You know the ones where they take a classic tale and switch it around a bit. Well Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark is one of these and it’s inspired by the classic Three Little Pigs. It’s funny and a familiar story to most your little ones will love especially if they are fans of that song as well!
- Hardcover Book
- Geist, Ken (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 05/01/2007 (Publication Date) – Cartwheel Books (Publisher)
Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas
If you love rhyming books (we do!) then Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas is a fun and silly rhyming book for your kids and you to read together. We all know what Piranhas eat don’t we? MEAT! But some are confused and think that Bananas are the best. We just loved this and made us giggle.
- Hardcover Book
- Blabey, Aaron (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 07/09/2019 (Publication Date) – Scholastic Press (Publisher)
Read Next: Ocean Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers
The Rainbow Fish
Follow along with The Rainbow Fish in this classic story about the most beautiful fish in the whole ocean and his pride in his glittery scales. This was one of my kids favourite bedtime stories, they were captivated by the beautiful illustrations and loved reading the subsequent books in the series all about his adventures.
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Hardcover Book
- Pfister, Marcus (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 01/27/1999 (Publication Date) – North-South Books (Publisher)
Swimmy
Swimmy is a classic picture book by the author/illustrator Leo Lionni and beautifully illustrated. It’s got a strong story line about a shoal of fish that are terrified to come out of their hidding until Swimmy a brave little fish arrives. My kids have loved all of the Leo Lionni books we’ve read and this was no exception. I do think that like The Rainbow Fish it’s probably best for older preschoolers rather than your young toddlers though.
- Lionni, Leo (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 01/17/2017 (Publication Date) – Dragonfly Books (Publisher)
Fish Crafts and Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
As I said anything to do with the underwater world is one of my favourite types of crafts and activities to do here are some that you and your little ones will enjoy!