From watching humpback whales cavorting in the water to gazing at a night sky shimmering with stars, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) will be sharing tales on the high seas with the young through its first series of children's books.

Ahoy, Navy! is the name of the collection of four titles published to mark the RSN's 50th anniversary.

Children can listen to the first two books - Papa Goes To Sea and Indy! Indy! Indy! - being read aloud by navy personnel at various public libraries, including those in Bishan and Tampines, from May 27 to June 3.

The other two books are due out later this year.

There are plans for every person in the navy to have a full set of the books, so that navy parents can explain their work to their children.

One of the storytellers, Major Lim Woon Huat, 42, said: "Usually I can't really disclose too much, and (my children) will ask when I'm returning." The father of four young boys has served in the navy for about 20 years.

"Although our operations are classified, our books are an easy way to relate what we do to our kids at home," he added.

The first two books were written by Major Winnie Tan, 30, and are targeted at children between four and eight years old. The narrative was mainly inspired by Maj Tan's experiences over 12 years in the navy.

An external author and illustrator were initially supposed to produce the books. But when none of their stories resonated with the navy, Maj Tan took on the task.

"We realised that the navy needed to tell its own story, so we started looking internally to see who could write," she said.

To register for the free readings, go to www.nlb.gov.sg/golibrary