Aw Shucks! Oyster Pajamas
How adorable are these Aw Shucks! Oyster Pajamas! Oysters will become as familiar as squirrels with these cozy cotton pajamas from Little Hometown. Offered in sized 1T-5T.
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Redwoods, the Pacific, tide pools
Northern California
Stunning landscapes along the coast and inland give little ones so many ways to discover these ecosystems: banana slugs under the towering redwoods, sea otters and harbor seals along the coast, sea stars and anemones in the tide pools, and the rivers that flow through it all.
10 picks · ages 0–5
On the shelf
All year round
Chipmunk Plush
Realistic, huggable, and ready for adventures, introduce this Chipmunk Plush from the earliest days. We may take them for granted, but in addition to being adorable, they help disperse seeds and support new growth. (They also serve as food for other animals in the food chain, but you can save that fact for when your little one is a bit older!)
Get this from Wild Republic ↗Get this from National Park Store ↗
Crinkle Acorn Teether
Can you believe that a tiny acorn becomes a mighty oak tree? A perfect metaphor the blink-and-you'll-miss-it nature of childhood. Savor your tiny acorns and help them build appreciation for the oak tree with Wee Gallery's Crinkle Acorn Teether.
Great White Shark Figurine
A great white shark figurine from schleich. These apex predators pass by the mid-atlantic coast as part of their annual migration - following warmer waters north to New England in the summers, and then wintering - like a good snowbird - down the southeast Atlantic coast. We love these figurines starting with young toddlers - perfect for playtime and bathtime.
Humpback Whale (Young Zoologist)
Beautiful illustrations and digestable facts about the majestic humpback whale are to be found in Humpback Whale in the Young Zoologist series. Can you believe these creatures have been sited in the Chesapeake, and even in the Potomac River?! They migrate around the Mid-Atlantic in the spring and summer months, so go test your luck and see if you will be blessed with a sighting.
Ocean Earth Playsilk
We love Sarah's Silks' wonderful open-ended silks. This ocean earth playsilk can be anything, but we love it especially as a setting for your little one's beachwalk finds, figurines, and stuffies.
Otter Carries On
In this charming new book, a sea otter accidentally gets swept away while clinging to her favorite rocks during a storm - a gentle adventure that may resonate with parents who have found pockets full of "treasures" after a day at the beach ;). Set in the kelp forests of Northern California's coast, it captures the sea otter's famous habit of holding onto rocks and the marine world kids can explore around Monterey Bay. Reminds me of the stories on "Puffin Rock," a cute nature-based toddler show we love.
Redwoods
An award-winning book by Jason Chin, Redwoods follows the journey of a boy who finds a book about redwoods and as he reads, becomes drawn into the magical world of California's coastal giants, traveling from a New York subway straight to the redwood forest. A clever blend of imagination and science delivers fascinating facts about the world's tallest trees. Good for ages 5+.
Seal Figurine
Seal figurine from schleich. Smart creatures that are excellent underwater hunters. Spot these playful marine mammals hauled out on docks, beaches, and rocky shorelines, or swimming in harbors and coastal waters. Northern elephant seals also breed dramatically on Northern California beaches, making the region one of the best places to observe the seal species in their natural habitat.
The Blue Whale
"The Blue Whale" is a lovely and informative picture book, all about the blue whale. Probably the only time the words "a heap of 55 hippopatami" has been published (that's how much an average blue whale weighs). Lots of similarly fun comparisons throughout. Lucky northern California residents can look for blue whales around Monterey Bay during peak season, which is May to October. Recommended for 4+.
Nothing for that age on this shelf yet.