MARBLEHEAD — From sea serpents and scavenger hunts to weather, wildlife, and local history, a new children’s magazine is introducing North Shore children to the communities they call home.

Marblehead native Garrett Callahan and his wife, Meredith Callahan, have launched “Tidelines,” a quarterly children’s magazine designed specifically for families across Essex County. The debut issue, now available for preorder, blends local history, nature, activities, games, and original artwork while encouraging children to explore the region beyond their own hometown.

For Garrett Callahan, a freelance writer with a journalism background and author of the children’s book “M is for Marblehead,” the magazine grew out of seeing how excited children became when they recognized familiar places in print.

“We were so blown away with the book,” he said. “Kids in Marblehead specifically loved seeing their town in print and the places that they went to every single day.”

The couple’s daughters, 4-year-old Catherine and nearly-2-year-old Charlotte, also helped inspire the project.

“Catherine and Charlotte love ‘Highlights Magazine,’” Garrett Callahan said. “We were looking through those, and we thought that something like that would be great for the North Shore, specifically just to help kids across the North Shore see their town in print and engage with the community and learn what makes this area so special.”

The idea paired Garrett Callahan’s experience as a writer with Meredith Callahan’s work as a special education teacher, as she has taught in several North Shore districts. Together, they set out to create a magazine that was educational, interactive, and rooted in the places families know best. Meredith Callahan said she also hopes future issues will continue expanding accessibility and include more content highlighting the special education community and different ways children communicate and learn.

The 52-page inaugural issue, themed “Senses of the Shore,” introduces children to North Shore landmarks, wildlife, weather, history, and local traditions through original stories, comics, puzzles, games, and hands-on activities. Readers can investigate the mystery of the North Shore sea serpent, learn to identify local birds, explore the dunes at Crane Beach, complete scavenger hunts, play a lighthouse-themed board game, create seaweed art, and meet children from communities across the region.

Garrett Callahan said the magazine is intended to be more than something children simply read.

“A big part of it is having kids kind of take it and make it their own,” he said. “There’s a section where kids can share their voice. … We really want to feature kids from around the North Shore in the magazine.”

The Callahans hope readers will submit stories, photos, and completed activities to be featured in future issues, creating connections between children from different North Shore communities. Meredith Callahan said many parents have also embraced the magazine as an opportunity to encourage outdoor exploration and time away from screens, with nearly every page including an activity that sends children outside to discover something in their own neighborhoods.

That community focus extends behind the scenes as well. Every writer and artist featured in the first issue is from the North Shore, including Marblehead contributors Elizabeth Bradley, Peter Schalck, and Vicki Graf, along with Gloucester artist Sophia Grausam and others. Graf, a meteorologist at Boston 25, will write a recurring weather and climate section where children can submit questions about North Shore weather.

The family’s own daughters also appear throughout the magazine, testing activities and inspiring characters and stories. One comic was inspired by Charlotte’s habit of chasing seagulls at the beach, while Catherine even had creative input on one of the magazine’s mascots.

Asked what she liked most about the magazine, the 4-year-old didn’t hesitate. She shared her thoughts on the recurring characters, Salty the seagull and Sandy the crab. Her parents added that Catherine insisted Sandy should have long eyelashes — a detail that made it into the final artwork.

The Callahans plan to publish “Tidelines” four times a year, with future editions scheduled for November, March, and June. As they continue taking research trips throughout the region, they hope each issue encourages children to venture beyond their own town lines and discover something new about the North Shore community they call home.