Whales Ahoy: Nautical Books to Gift and Share

Gifting board books and picture books at baby showers is a wonderful way to start a new child’s home library, especially if this is a first baby for the family. Including classics in your selection is always a good idea, such as any Dr. Seuss or Eric Carle title, but why not gift some books that align with the chosen nursery theme? Parents can then display titles cover out on shelving and suddenly those books also double as wall art.

As it appears to be baby shower season in my corner of Ohio, I’ve noticed a theme recently when perusing registries for gifts. What is that theme? (Hint: It is also the title of this post!) Nautical nurseries are apparently all the rage this year judging by the number of adorable whale onesies and anchor-printed crib sheets I’ve come across. Inspired by these ocean themes, I began to think about great nautical picture books to share. Books depicting adventures on the high seas, beautiful marine creatures, and coastal settings all came to mind.

I’ve put together some spectacular books for little readers that I personally think would make wonderful additions to a nautical nursery library, and will be sure to please readers for many years after they are out of diapers. You’ll find many books depicting whales below, mostly because I’m partial to whales when it comes to my favorite sea creatures, and there are so many sweet whale-centric picture books!

• If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano; Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook Press. 2013. This beautiful book combines two of my favorite talents in the children’s publishing world while sharing a quiet story of patience. Readers will learn what to do, and what not to do, when attempting to catch a glimpse of a whale.
• Breathe by Scott Magoon; Simon & Schuster. 2014. A great read-aloud choice with bright, fun illustrations depicting an adorable whale as he experiences his first day out in the sea alone.
• The Blue Whale by Jenni Desmond; Enchanted Lion Books. 2015. Another book filled with majestic illustrations, this nonfiction picture book would be great to gift as it is sure to be a sharable favorite full of interesting facts for readers up through elementary school.
• Storm Whale by Benji Davies; Henry Holt and Co. 2014. A lovely story about a lonely boy, his father, and the discovery of a beached baby whale.
• Following Papa’s Song by Gianna Marino; Viking Books for Young Readers. 2014. Little Blue and his Papa, two humpback whales, journey to their summer feeding ground together. Parents will especially enjoying sharing this special story of following and trusting Papa’s wisdom.
• The Rainbow Fish Marcus Pfister; North South Books, 1999. A modern picture book classic about friendship that is  also available in board book format and perfect for little hands and eyes.

I was surprised by how many awesome titles fit into this theme once I started to compile my list. Clearly, I’ve left off plenty of titles as one could easily compile a nautical nursery library entirely of pirate stories, which I tried to avoid. What are some of your favorite sea-worthy titles for young readers? Do you have a special go-to book that you always give at baby showers? I’d love to hear your responses in the comments below!

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Today’s guest blogger is Nicole Lee Martin. Nicole is a Children’s Librarian at the Rocky River Public Library in Rocky River, OH. You can reach her at n.martin@rrpl.org.

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.