Are you teaching your students all about sharks? These incredible creatures serve as a great topic of study in the primary classroom. If you’re looking for informative and fun materials to help inspire learning in your classroom, you’ll love this list of my favorite shark books for kids!
Using Shark Books To Teach
Whether you’re taking a deep dive into everything sharks, or just want to add some shark books to your ocean theme, there’s a little something for everyone here. When beginning this theme, I like to make sure that I include a variety of books. This ensures that the books will appeal to many different types of readers.
On this list, you’ll find a few non-fiction options with full-color pictures, as well as some silly fiction picture books about sharks. These books are perfect for read-aloud time or adding to the classroom library!
The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist
If you and your students like ‘The Three Little Pigs’, you’ll LOVE this ocean-inspired take on it. This story is a hilarious retelling of the classic fairytale. With bright pictures and silly dialogue, this is a great story to read aloud when your students need a laugh.
Sharks for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide to Great Whites, Hammerheads, and Other Sharks in the Sea by David McGuire
This next shark book is perfect if your class is taking a deep dive into different types of sharks, their habitats, and their behaviors. This book gives detailed information about many different sharks and has real-life, full-color photos too! There’s a lot to get through in this book, so you might need a few read-aloud sessions to cover it all.
Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale
If you’ve never read this shark book, you’re in for some fun. Clark the Shark is an enthusiastic, and noisy student at his school. He struggles with his inside voice, knocks over furniture, and disrupts the class. This book is such a fun read-aloud that students can likely relate to!
There Was an Old Mermaid Who Swallowed a Shark! by Lucille Collandro
Have you read any of the books in ‘The Old Lady’ series? If so, your students will LOVE this super silly book. It follows the same pattern as the other books in the series, except it takes place under the sea. In addition, this book also shares some interesting facts about the sea creatures that the Old Mermaid gobbles up.
National Geographic Kids: Everything Sharks by Ruth A. Musgrave
This list wouldn’t be complete without a National Geographic non-fiction book! I love National Geographic when it comes to covering science and social studies themes. This book doesn’t disappoint! It’s filled with full-color photos and tons of facts about sharks. Your students will love listening to this one aloud, as well as flipping through it later.
What If You Could Sniff Like a Shark? by Sandra Markle
This book is such a fun read and covers the interesting “superpowers” of many other ocean animals in addition to sharks. Students will love following along as this book discusses some of the amazing things undersea animals can do. Children will learn about the scenting abilities of sharks, shapeshifting abilities of an octopus, the strong claws of a crab, and more!
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating
This book will give students a glimpse into the life of Eugenie Clark, a female scientist with a passion for sharks. This book provides a timeline of her life, the struggles she faced, and her many accomplishments. Students will love learning all about her and her discoveries about sharks.
Swimming with Sharks: The Daring Discoveries of Eugenie Clark by Heather Lang
This book is another great option that discusses the life and discoveries of Eugenie Clark. Prior to her research, very little was known about sharks. Students will love hearing about her early fascination with sharks as a child and how she became a scientist who devoted her life to studying them.
If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams
Next, this book is a great option to read to children who are fearful of sharks.
It discusses why sharks are a necessary component of the ecosystems under the sea and what could happen if they became extinct. In addition, this book also offers solutions to help keep our oceans healthy and thriving.
So Cool! Sharks by Crispin Boyer
Last, is another great non-fiction option that’s filled with interesting facts about sharks. Your students will love learning about their especially strong jaws, their senses, how they hunt their prey, and more! This is a great book to leave out in your classroom library or science center so that students can take a closer look.
Even More Shark Books
I hope you found something on this list that will suit your classroom of readers! Sharks are such fascinating animals, and there’s no shortage of great books out there all about them. If you need even more ideas, be sure to check out this list of all my faves on Amazon!
Shark Thematic Activities
If you’ve been around here a while, you probably already know how much I love using thematic teaching in the classroom. Choosing a new theme every couple of weeks is a great way to boost engagement, teach students about new topics, and tie lessons together cohesively.
When it comes to teaching all about sharks, I have SO many fun activities I like to use with little learners. If you’re looking for engaging lessons to go along with your shark books, be sure to take a peek at this post for some of my favorites!
In the post, you’ll find writing activities, non-fiction readers, video recommendations, and lessons that would be perfect for any ocean theme, or deep dive into everything sharks. Above all, using these thematic activities is a great way to bring your science lessons and language arts together in a cross-curricular format.
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