Parents' Guide to Love Under the Sea: A Love in the Wild Book

Book Katy Tanis Board 2026
Love Under the Sea book cover: Two seahorses drawn in rainbow colors face each other, forming the outline of a heart

Common Sense Media Review

Mandie Caroll By Mandie Caroll , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 2+

Beautiful art and rhyming text shows love in the sea.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 2+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

LOVE UNDER THE SEA begins, as its Love in the Wild predecessors do, with "Love is...," followed by pages of real ocean animals showing and telling how they love. From rubbing beaks to collaborating on sand art to attract mates to communicating via fin splash and even being wrapped in kelp to stay protected from currents, these creatures demonstrate that there are endless ways to express love. The downloadable field guide extends learning by explaining the behavior of the animals in the book.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

While it doesn't tread new ground for the series, this book's underwater setting is new, and the impact is still mesmerizing. Saturated rainbow colors in dark and light shades mimic the sea and pair with the spare, rhyming text in Love Under the Sea to communicate the rather profound message: In the (underwater) animal kingdom, incredible diversity in behavior, gender expression, giving birth, and leadership are just facts of life. There isn't a better book out there for very young ocean-life obsessed readers and their caregivers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the ocean animals show compassion toward one another in Love Under the Sea. What are some examples of how you've shown compassion?

  • Some of the ocean life work together to accomplish something. What do they do? How does it help them to work as team?

  • How does the art in this book affect you as a reader? Which are your favorite pictures? Why?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Love Under the Sea book cover: Two seahorses drawn in rainbow colors face each other, forming the outline of a heart

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