10 Children's Books About the Titanic

On April 12, 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the northern Atlantic and sank to the bottom of the ocean.  Sadly, 1,500 men, women, and children lost their lives that day.  Since then, thousands of books, stories, legends, poems, and movies have been written about it.  Listed below are ten children's books about the Titanic.  Both fiction and nonfiction books are included in the list.

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

1. Tonight on the Titanic by Mary Pope Osborne

Titanic trouble! Jack and Annie are in for an exciting, scary, and sad adventure when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to the decks of the Titanic. Is there anything they can do to help the ill-fated ship? Will they be able to save anyone? Will they be able to save themselves?

🍎 Title: Tonight on the Titanic

🍎 Author: Mary Pope Osborne
🍎 Illustrator: Sal Murdocca
🍎 Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
🍎 Date: June 9, 2010 (current edition)
🍎 Pages: 90

2. Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Titanic by Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne

Track the facts with Jack and Annie!  When Jack and Annie got back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic, they had lots of questions. How many people were aboard the Titanic? Why weren’t there enough lifeboats for all the passengers? How did this “unsinkable” ship sink? What lessons can we learn from the tragedy? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts.

Filled with up-to-date information, photos, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discovered in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures. And teachers can use Fact Trackers alongside their Magic Tree House fiction companions to meet common core text pairing needs.

🍎 Title: Magic Tree House Fact Trackers: Titanic

🍎 Authors: Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne
🍎 Illustrator: Sal Murdocca
🍎 Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
🍎 Date: August 27, 2002
🍎 Pages: 144

3. Samson's Titanic Journey by Lauren Graham & Roisin Matthews

Samson had lived in the shipyard since he was a baby. He decided to leave his home in search of a better life in America, so he sneaked aboard the beautiful new luxury liner called the Titanic. How could he have guessed the events that lay ahead? Would Samson ever reach America or would his journey end in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean?

🍎 Title: Samson's Titanic Journey

🍎 Author: Lauren Graham
🍎 Illustrator: Roisin Matthews
🍎 Publisher: O'Donnell Press
🍎 Date: January 4, 2004 (possibly out of print)
🍎 Pages: 32

4. Dangerous Waters: An Adventure on the Titanic by Gregory Mone

The great ocean liner Titanic is preparing to cross the Atlantic. Onboard is a sinister thief bent on stealing a rare book that may be the key to unlocking infinite treasure; a wealthy academic traveling home to America with his rare book collection; and Patrick Waters, a twelve-year-old Irish boy who is certain that his job as a steward on the unsinkable ship will be the adventure of a lifetime. In Dangerous Waters by Gregory Mone, disguises, capers, and danger abound as the ship makes its way toward that fateful iceberg, where Patrick will have to summon all his wits in order to survive.

🍎 Title: Dangerous Waters: An Adventure on the Titanic

🍎 Author: Gregory Mone
🍎 Publisher: Square Fish
🍎 Date: March 5, 2013 (reprint)
🍎 Pages: 256

5. Over the Deep: A Titanic Adventure by Samantha Wilcoxson

Ten-year-old Edwin is surprised to learn that he will be traveling to America on the famous new Titanic. Even more shocking is that he will be going with grandparents he has never known. Why does his mother want to send him away? Edwin explores the ship, meeting men such as Thomas Andrews, Bruce Ismay, and Captain Smith. Along the way, he also learns secrets about his own family’s past. When the ship sinks and Edwin ends up in a lifeboat separated from everyone he knows, he wonders if he has survived the worst only to be abandoned in the middle of the Atlantic.

🍎 Title:  Over the Deep: A Titanic Adventure

🍎 Author: Samantha Wilcoxson
🍎 Publisher: self-published
🍎 Date: February 19, 2015
🍎 Pages: 120

6. Kaspar the Titanic Cat by Michael Morpurgo

When Kaspar the cat first arrived at London’s Savoy Hotel, it was Johnny Trott who carried him in. After all, Johnny was a bellboy and was responsible for all of Countess Kandinsky’s things— including Kaspar. But when tragedy befalls the Countess during her stay, Kaspar becomes more than Johnny’s responsibility: Kaspar is Johnny’s new cat and his new best friend. And when Kaspar and Johnny meet Lizziebeth, a spirited young heiress, they find themselves journeying across the Atlantic with Lizziebeth’s family on England’s newest and most magnificent ship, the Titanic. Because there is always an adventure in the air with a cat like Kaspar around. After all, he’s Kaspar Kandinsky, Prince of Cats, a Londoner and a New Yorker and, as far as anyone knows, the only cat to survive the sinking of the Titanic...

🍎 Title: Kaspar the Titanic Cat

🍎 Author: Michael Morpurgo
🍎 Illustrator: Michael Foreman
🍎 Publisher: Balzer + Bray
🍎 Date: March 13, 2012
🍎 Pages: 208

7. National Geographic Readers: Titanic by Melissa Stewart

Get kids reading with cool information about the subjects that interest them the most. National Geographic Readers are high-interest, exciting, and easy to read. The latest in the series, Titanic is no exception. Just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Olympic-class passenger liner's ill-fated journey, this title is replete with brilliant photographs and exclusive in-depth coverage including Bob Ballard's 1985 discovery. Brought to you only as National Geographic can, the industrial feat of the powerful ship, the tragedy of the wreckage, and the fascinating stories of survival bring the historical significance of the Titanic to a new audience in this level 3 reader.

🍎 Title: National Geographic Readers: Titanic

🍎 Author: Melissa Stewart
🍎 Publisher: National Geographic Kids
🍎 Date: March 27, 2012
🍎 Pages: 48

8. Voyage on the Great Titanic by Ellen Emerson White

Five years ago, Margaret Ann Brady's older brother left her in the care of an orphanage and immigrated to America. When the orphanage receives an unusual request from an American woman looking for a traveling companion, Margaret's teachers agree that she is the perfect candidate to accompany Mrs. Carstairs on the Titanic, so that once Margaret arrives in New York she will be free to join her brother in Boston. But the Titanic is destined for tragedy, and Margaret's journey is thrown into a frozen nightmare when the ship collides with an iceberg.

🍎 Title: Voyage on the Great Titanic

🍎 Author: Ellen Emerson White
🍎 Publisher: Scholastic Press
🍎 Date: November 1, 2010
🍎 Pages: 208

9. The Story of the Titanic for Children by Joe Fullman

More than a century after it crashed into an iceberg, the Titanic remains as compelling as ever. Now children can explore its beautiful sundecks, marvel at the luxurious design, and relive the tragic sinking of the world’s most famous ship. Rich in visual detail, this insightful look at the unfolding disaster will hold kids spellbound with intriguing facts and real-life stories.

🍎 Title: The Story of the Titanic for Children

🍎 Author: Joe Fullman
🍎 Publisher: Carlton Kids
🍎 Date: March 6, 2018
🍎 Pages: 48

10. If You Were a Kid Aboard the Titanic by Josh Gregory

Discover what happened when the Titanic collided with an iceberg and began to sink! Alice Carver is traveling aboard the incredible Titanic with her mother to make a new home in the United States. Meanwhile, William Alexander III is aboard the ship as part of a vacation with his wealthy family. Readers (Ages 7-9) will explore the many features of the Titanic with these characters as they meet and search for fun aboard the ship.

🍎 Title: If You Were a Kid Aboard the Titanic

🍎 Author: Josh Gregory
🍎 Illustrator: Sebastia Serra
🍎 Publisher: Children's Press
🍎 Date: February 1, 2017
🍎 Pages: 32

Did you enjoy learning about these children's books? If so, check out these other blog posts about American history:

• Book List: 10 Children's Books about Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Book: The Adventures of Little Miss History by Barbara Ann Mojica
• Q and A: What is Memorial Day?
• Book: Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Ša by Gina Capaldi and Q.L. Pearce
• Book: There is a Girl Headed to the White House by Dr. Jasmine Killiebrew, Ph.D.
• Book List: 10 Children's Books About Residential Schools
• Q and A: What is Labor Day?
• Book: F is for Flag by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
• Book List: 10+ Children's Books About Juneteenth