Whale Books

While learning about fish the girls started asking a lot of questions about whales. They wanted to know why whales are not considered fish, so we gathered some books and did a bit of reading. Here are some whale books to explore if your little one’s are curious about whales, too.

More Resources for Little Book Lovers

The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. That’s why we share so many books lists on Fantastic Fun and Learning. We want to make it easy for you to find great books your kids will love. Over the years we’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids and books.

Digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of our favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.

Book Boxes are another fun way to get kids excited about reading. What kid doesn’t love to get a special delivery in the mail?! The crew over at Bookroo finds the best little known books that you won’t already have in your library, and they send them to you each month. Take a peak inside a Bookroo Box here.

Book-Based Activities are also a lot of fun for kids. Jodie over at Growing Book by Book has saved us all a ton of time and created a full year of Book-Based Activity Calendars so that you can extend the fun with a special book each week.

Whale Books

Baby Beluga is a picture version of this favorite children’s song. We read this one over and over again.

Dear Mr. Blueberry is a series of letters back and forth between young Emily and her teacher, Mr. Blueberry. Emily is convinced that a whale has inhabited her pond, and she’s concerned about caring for him properly. Mr. Blueberry tries to inform her that a whale could not be living in her pond. Along the way Emily and readers learn a bit about whales, but Emily never quite gives up on her belief.

In If You Want to See a Whale a boy shares with readers what not to look for if you want to see a whale. And in the end the reader and the boy are rewarded for the long wait with a beautiful visit from a whale. This is a great book to talk with kids about anticipation and patience.

In Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem Billy’s mother tries to teach him a lesson about taking care of his responsibilities. She orders him a blue whale to care for, and so begins a series of challenges for Billy. Kids will get a giggle out of the absurdity of this story and learn some facts about whales along the way.

Breathe is as much for adults as it is for children. A young beluga whale is encouraged to take a moment to breathe. Through all of his adventures and troubles he recalls this gentle reminder.

Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale is a story about not making assumptions. In the book Rainbow Fish gets to know a whale that he and his friends were once afraid of.

Little Polar Bear and the Whales is the story of an unlikely friendship between a young polar bear named Lars and a pod of beluga whales. In the story Lars helps the whales escape from danger.

Alistair and Kip’s Great Adventure is about two friends who build a boat to travel far away. They get quite the surprise when they’re lost and think they’ve found an island.

We first read The Snail and the Whale when we participated in the Julia Donaldson Virtual Book Club for Kids. It’s the story of a tiny snail who longs to go sailing. She gets her wish when a friendly whale offers to take her on an adventure, and the two sail off to see the world together.

Baby Whale’s Journey follows a young sperm whale and its mother. Readers learn about the eating habits, behaviors and predators of sperm whales.

Waiting for the Whales is a story about the bond between families and the cycle of life. In the book grandfather and granddaughter eagerly await the arrival of the orcas each summer. Then one summer grandfather dies on the day the orcas arrive. The next summer his granddaughter gets a little surprise when the orcas return.

In Following Papa’s Song Little Blue and Papa begin their migration through the ocean, and Little Blue has many questions. Papa continually reassures him and reminds Little Blue that if he listens he will always hear Papa’s song. This reminder becomes even more important when Little Blue finds himself lost in the deep dark part of the ocean.

A Whale’s Life is for kids age 7 and up, but younger readers will still enjoy the details presented in the text, especially readers who are eager to learn about whales.

Baby Whales Drink Milk is a great beginner nonfiction book about whales. It gives clear details about the lives and habits of whales.

Animal Abilities: Orcas is specifically about orcas, and if your little ones love orcas they’ll find lots of great facts and photographs in this book.