There's a real push to encourage young people to read newspapers and other kinds of nonfiction. The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library is a great way to introduce this kind of reading, because the books feature fictional characters (the cast from The Cat in the Hat) who are already familiar to kids.
Norval the Fish is hosting a seaside talkshow for the Fish Channel–and the Cat in the Hat and Thing One and Thing Two are Cameracat and Crew! Among Norval’s special guests are his old friend Clam-I-Am (a shy gal who lives in the sand and likes to spit), along with horseshoe and hermit crabs, jellyfish, sand fleas, starfish, seagulls, and miscellaneous mollusks. Seaweed, seaglass, tides, tidal pools, dunes, driftwood, and waves make cameo appearances, too.
Warning: Beginning readers are apt to be swept away!