A jellyfish has no brain, no bones, no heart, and no blood, and has been getting along fine that way for something like five hundred million years — longer than trees, longer than dinosaurs. It is roughly ninety-five percent water, which is why one left on the sand turns into a puddle. It is not a fish. It drifts rather than swims, stings without meaning anything by it, and some species glow. Children tend to meet jellyfish twice: once behind glass at an aquarium, lit up and pulsing like something invented, and once at the beach, where the message is entirely different and involves not touching it.
Bookroo’s collection of jellyfish books is small but unusually varied, and our editors picked twelve that cover the whole range. You will find the best-loved jellyfish in children’s books — Jelly, the deadpan sidekick of the Narwhal and Jelly graphic novels — plus an Arctic expedition after a creature that may not exist, a friendship story from the creator of Hey, Kiddo, straightforward science for readers who want the sting explained, and the middle grade novel that has made this subject stick with older readers. Start with the shortlist, then browse picture books for ages four to eight and chapter books and graphic novels for readers going on alone.
Dr. Morley has spent her whole life studying a jellyfish nobody has ever proved exists, and she is taking a ship north to find it.
A relentlessly cheerful narwhal befriends a deeply skeptical jellyfish, and they set out to see the whole wide ocean.
After her former best friend drowns, Suzy decides the only possible explanation is a rare jellyfish sting — and sets out to prove it.
A jellyfish and a seahorse are best friends until a bad-tempered crab starts spoiling their swims — and then gets himself stuck.
Edgar the jellyfish would like it noted, repeatedly and at volume, that he is not a fish.
Jelly does not do dangerous, so the book itself becomes the danger, and the reader is asked to help — carefully.
Narwhal declares himself a superhero, which makes Jelly a sidekick, which Jelly did not agree to.
Two jellyfish brothers are pulled apart by one enormous wave, and neither one stops looking.
Close-up photographs and short chapters on how an animal with no backbone, brain, or heart manages to hunt.
Fancy Nancy loves everything at the aquarium right up until the jellyfish tank.
Narwhal pops Jelly’s bubble, Jelly is unimpressed, and the two of them work it out in about a hundred words.
Read-alouds with a jellyfish at the center — an expedition to the Arctic, an aquarium field trip that goes sideways, a jellyfish who would like everyone to know he is not a fish, and photo books for the child who wants the real animal — ages 4–8.
A narwhal and a jellyfish go on an adventure to find a unicorn
A jellyfish's sting threatens a deep-sea friendship. Can they mend the rift?
Dive into counting by tens with ocean creatures!
A grumpy unicorn's solo space adventure tests the bonds of friendship.
Discover the mysterious world of jellyfish.
Where most of this collection lives: the Narwhal and Jelly graphic novels a new reader can finish alone, plus nonfiction on stings, species, and why jellyfish keep turning up in bigger numbers — ages 6–11.
A narwhal and a jellyfish go on a series of adventures with their friends, learning about the ocean and its creatures along the way
A narwhal and a jellyfish celebrate the holiday season together.
A narwhal's life is changed after trying peanut butter for the first time.
A narwhal meets a jellyfish and they go on an adventure together with their friends
Discover the secrets of glowing jellyfish.
Can a venomous jellyfish outmatch a swift hornet in nature's showdown?
Narwhal's gift-giving spree for Jelly spirals out of control. Can true friendship be found in simplicity?
Discover the deadly secrets of jellyfish and their growing oceanic presence.
Narwhal's sweet tooth causes trouble. Can friends help him smile through a bad day?
A narwhal and its friend Jelly try to figure out what to dress up as for Halloween, but things take a turn when a sea monster appears.
Elizabeth faces surprises and big feelings when her class gets pets, including jellyfish.
