Wild Summer Week Nine: Dolphins
Delightful dolphin facts, books, and activity ideas for summer
Welcome to Week Nine of our Summer Challenge, a free reading challenge all about pairing books with summer fun! We are sharing book recommendations, discussion starters, activity ideas, and more now through August 11. We’re closing in on the end of this challenge, but if you’re new here, it’s not too late! You can catch up anytime—click here to see a round-up of the fun so far. Plus, we’re doing a giveaway at the end of the summer. Sign up today to be eligible to win!
This week’s special guest is a dolphin! Dolphins are famous for gliding through the ocean waters and surfacing for a breath. They are highly intelligent and their ability to jump out of the water is fascinating to watch. Our friend, Dolphin, is here to meet us today. Would you like to meet her? Of course you would! Dolphin, welcome to week nine of the Read, Discuss, Do Summer Challenge!
Hello, friends! I’ve got some delightful details to share with you about dolphins like myself. I think you will be dazzled!1
Fact #1: We are mammals and breathe through our blowhole.
Fact #2: Depending on the species, we live to be 20-90 years old.
Fact #3: When we sleep, we do not sink. We actually float about ten inches below the water and our flukes naturally push us up to the surface for air while we are asleep.
Fact #4: We can make a lot of different sounds. We make clicks for echolocation which is how we are able to tell the location of other objects. We also scream, moan, trill, grunt, and squeak. Some people describe that one of our sounds is like a creaky door.
Fact #5: Dolphins do not drink the ocean water. They get the water they need from the fish they eat.
Mindy: Wow, those are some delightful details! Thanks, Dolphin!
You are very welcome…well it is back to the ocean for me! I’ve got a full day of swimming and gliding planned! Be sure to visit your library for some books about dolphins if you want to learn more. Talk to you later!
Read: Any of these delightful dolphin books, or find some others
Baby Dolphin’s First Swim - by Sterling Books. You will love the photography in this non-fiction picture book that is filled with facts about dolphins. This book may be out of print, but look for it at your library or a used bookseller.
The Truth About Dolphins - Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals by Maxwell Eaton III. This book is filled with true facts but illustrated in a cartoon style and bursting with humor. It is part of a fantastic high-interest series!
Could You Ever Dive With Dolphins? by Sandra Markle and illustrated by Vanessa Morales. This book combines true facts and real photos of dolphins on one side of the page spread with playful illustrations of children joining the dolphin’s world on the right side of the page spread. It is a clever and fun way for children to make connections with what a dolphin’s life is like.
God’s Little Oceanographer by Tina Cho and illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns will teach children many facts about the ocean and marine life (including dolphins) while at the same time growing their understanding of God’s creativity and unlimited power. It includes sidebars with facts and Bible verses.
Mermaid’s Song to the Sea by Dianna Hulls Aston and illustrated by René Kurilla. This is a bedtime book with playful rhymes. Dolphins appear in the illustrations on almost every page.
Dolphins! (Step Into Reading Level 3) by Sharon Bokoske and illustrated by Richard Courtney. High interest books like this one make literacy fun for your emerging reader. Filled with fun facts about one of the most beloved sea creature, the dolphin.
Dolphins (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 2) by Melissa Stewart. Fun facts about dolphins at the perfect reading level for your child. This book also emphasizes conservation to help dolphins survive.
Wild Sea Creatures: Sharks, Whales and Dolphins! (Step into Reading Level 2) by Martin Kratt and Chris Kratt. In this exciting book, explore the ocean and learn about the lives of some fascinating sea creatures alongside the Wild Kratts!
Dolphins! (Strange and Wonderful) by Laurence Pringle, illustrated by Meryl Henderson. Did you know there are over thirty species of dolphins, including some that are often called whales? Read all about the different kind of dolphins in this thorough, beautifully illustrated nonfiction book.
Chapter Book
Dolphin Rescue (The World of Emily Windsnap Series, book 4) written by Liz Kessler and illustrated by Joanie Stone. In this imaginative series Emily is a half-human and half mermaid who goes on adventures with her mer-friends Shona and Aaron. In this book, they find dolphins caught in a net and must do what they can to help them.
Pearl’s Ocean Magic (Dolphin School #1) by Catherine Hapka and illustrated by Hollie Hibbert. Pearl and her magical dolphin friends are starting school and encounter Flip, the class braggart. When he winds up facing a shark, Pearl and her friends decide to help him.
Middle Grade
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. This classic novel is the survival story of a girl named Karana who jumps ship to help her brother when the tribe accidentally leaves him behind. Shortly after, her brother tragically dies and the book chronicles how she lives alone finding food, building shelter, forging weapons. It is a story of strength and resilience.
Note: Some links will take you to the Read, Discuss, Do bookshop.org storefront. Purchasing a book from the storefront will support independent bookstores and help maintain Read, Discuss, Do at no additional cost to you.
Discuss:
Have you ever seen a dolphin at the zoo? Or in the wild?
Where do dolphins live in the wild?
What is your favorite type of dolphin?
Do you have a favorite dolphin book?
What is the most interesting or surprising fact about dolphins?
DO: Try one of these dolphin-inspired activities
Go to the pool and swim like a dolphin. This pretend game also works in the tub.
Play dolphins and minnows at the pool. This is like tag. The minnows start at one side of the pool and swim or walk to the other side of the pool trying not to get tagged by the dolphin, who starts in the middle of the pool and calls out “Swim, little minnows!” to signal the minnows must start to cross the pool. As minnows are tagged, they become dolphins and help the original dolphin. Play continues until all the minnows are dolphins.
Hang butcher paper on the wall and make an ocean mural. Make sure to draw dolphins.
Use a hula hoop and throw a dolphin stuffed animal through it as if he is performing. Then, set up a gymnastics mat and try to have the child pretend to be a dolphin and go through the hula hoop while you hold it.
Have a sibling or parent throw a goldfish cracker and try to catch it in your mouth.
Listen to some dolphin tunes.
CLICKETY-CLACK by Birdsong and the Eco-Wonders - Learn about dolphin echolocation.
Dolphin Shoals - Mario Kart 8 *Full Big Band Jazz Fusion version* ft. Bryan Carter by the 8-Bit Big Band
Check out this link where I found most of these ideas.
You can find even more dolphin ideas at this DOLPHIN THEME Pinterest Board. Here is another Pinterest Board with curated ideas for an OCEAN THEME.
As always, we also have a coloring page to share with you!
We hope you are enjoying our Wild Summer so far! If you share about your experiences with the Summer Challenge on social media, use the hashtag #RDDSummerChallenge2025 so we can see it. You can also tag us or message us on Instagram, leave a comment on this post, or reply to this email.
We have just one more Wild Summer post coming up. Be sure to sign up to be eligible for the giveaway at the end of the summer. Also, be sure to fill out the Wild Summer Bingo for extra entries!
Facts taken from: Dolphin | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants.
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