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ABCs on Wheels by Ramon Olivera

Start your engines! This alphabet book is sure to be a hit with children who love moving vehicles and their parts. Each alphabet letter is written with its capital and lowercase label Aa, Bb, Cc, and so on.  A bonus of the book is that it also contains opposites such as "Nn is for new car. Oo is for old car." The new car page is in black, white, and gray showing a young man getting the keys to his new car. The opposite page in color, shows the same gentleman, now older, with the same car, handing the keys to a new buyer. The illustrations are rich with possibility for readers to use the pictures to tell short stories as they page their way from A to Z.

CC.1.1.PK.B: Identify basic features of print. Recognize and name some upper and lower case letters of the alphabet.

CC.1.2.PK.J: Use new vocabulary and phrases acquired through conversations, activities, and read-alouds.

Tips for Using with Children

In this concept book, it is important to talk about the pictures on each page as the alphabet letters and words are read aloud. For example, in the first double-page spread, Aa is for axle and Bb is for bumper. The four framed pictures show a mechanic as he is building the car. As you discuss the pictures, you can ask the children questions such as: What does the axle in a car do? Why do cars have bumpers on them? Do you know anyone who likes to fix and work with cars? Using a model of a car to show the different parts would be a visual and tactile way to demonstrate car parts. There are many discussion possibilities in the pages of this book: opposites, types of vehicles, jobs related to vehicles, future and past forms of transportation, car maintenance, race cars, vehicles that provide security, and so on. 

Tips for Using with Families

Demonstrate with families how to discuss the pictures on each page of this alphabet book and relate them to the child’s world. The talk may include people in the child’s community who have some of the jobs shown or who drive the types of vehicles that are pictured. Perhaps the family enjoys going to car races, has seen a car towed, or watched large construction vehicles work on buildings or roads. There may be an ice cream truck that drives through the child’s neighborhood or horse and carriage rides enjoyed at a carnival in the past. As the adult shares this book with the child, he or she can point out the alphabet uppercase and lowercase letters and show the letter in the word on the page. Children will recognize that letters have sounds and make words.

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D is for Dress-Up by Maria Carluccio

This charming book features a multicultural cast of children working and playing in various outfits and types of clothing while highlighting alphabet letters and the vocabulary used to describe what we wear. The meaning of most of the words are easily recognizable by young children such as glasses, hats, and mittens. The pictures will help adults explain and describe words to the children words that might be unfamiliar, such as ensemble, vintage, and x-stitch. This book shares the fun and creativity of clothing—from dressing up to just getting dressed.

CC.1.1.PK.J: Use new vocabulary and phrases acquired through conversations, activities, and read-alouds.

CC.1.4.K.A: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/ explanatory texts.

Tips for Using with Children

Before reading, show the children the endpapers at the front of the book. Tell the students that along with the title, the endpapers can sometimes give clues as to what the book is about. The front endpapers are filled with hangers of all colors and sizes. Ask the children what do you think the book will be about? After eliciting a number of answers, turn to the back endpapers which will confirm some of their predictions. During reading, point out that the uppercase letter of the alphabet is featured at the top of each page. The word that starts with that letter is shown with its lowercase. After reading, ask children to draw and color a favorite piece of their own clothing and the word used to describe it. Invite the children to share the pictures with their peers. 

Tips for Using with Families

Explain to families that there may be unfamiliar words or vocabulary in some of the books that they read with their children. Talk about the importance of using picture clues to help explain to their child what the unfamiliar words mean. For example, in this book, E for ensemble may be a new word. The picture helps to explain that an ensemble includes all of the parts that make up an outfit. So in this case, the ensemble includes a dress, a hat, shoes, a purse, and gloves. Use an example from the child’s own clothes to describe another ensemble. For example, a snowsuit, mittens, boots, scarf, and a ski hat. Encourage the child to use the word "ensemble." For example, "Let's choose your ensemble for school tomorrow." 

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Adventures with Barefoot Critters: An ABC Book by Teagan White

What child doesn't love an adventure? This book allows the reader to share a journey through the months of the year with a variety of friendly critters as travel companions. Each beautifully illustrated page features a letter of the alphabet and depicts a simple yet imaginative activity, from "building a bridge of branches" in January, to setting "ships to sail in the stream" in September. Readers will enjoy exploring the rich details on each page and discussing what adventures they might get into next. The dust jacket, or paper cover, also contains a poster of the critters on the move! 

CC.1.1.K.E: Read emergent reader text with purpose and understanding.

CC.1.5.K.A: Participate in collaborative conversations with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

Tips for Using with Children

This book begs readers to observe, share, and build on ideas. To set the stage for reading, it might be fun to brainstorm a list of the different kinds of play children can do during each different season. Write a list of these ideas as you read through the story together. Children may also like to be detectives, in search of other things on the pages that begin with each featured letter of the alphabet. For example, on the letter B page, the illustration features "building a bridge out of branches." However, young detectives might also discover a book, berries, buttons, and a bird on the same page. Notice that some of the "barefoot critters" are not going barefoot. Ask children to look closely at each page to see if they can spot the critters wearing shoes.

Tips for Using with Families

Often, when adults read to children, they are surprised by how observant children can be. This book lends itself to an observation adventure, as there is so much detail in each illustration. Adults can use this feature as an opportunity to hear what interests their child, and to build and expand their child’s vocabulary. Prior to reading, ask adults to look through the pages of the book and take in the detail of each illustration, thinking about the activity the critters are doing, the highlighted month of the year, and the letter of the alphabet being featured. Can they predict what questions their children might ask on each page and what specific things might catch their eyes? Under which month of the year do some of their children’s favorite activities fit? After reading, adults can ask their children to think about one of the activities they saw the critters doing that they might like to try. It might be fun to write some of these activities next to the appropriate month on the family calendar as a reminder.

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Alphabet Trucks by Samantha R. Vamos; illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke

Start your engines! This book journeys through each letter of the alphabet, highlighting familiar trucks like apple trucks, box trucks, and cargo trucks, while also introducing some less familiar trucks such as x-ray trucks, yard trucks, and zipper trucks. Vehicle lovers will have a blast identifying the letters, saying the letter sounds, and tickling their tongues with fun vocabulary like the "knuckle-boom truck." Next time families are visiting the library, they should be sure to check this book out before they "hit the road."

CC.1.2.PK.J: Use new vocabulary and phrases acquired through conversations, activities, and read-alouds 

CC.1.5.PK.A: Participate in collaborative conversations 

Tips for Using with Children

This book introduces many different kinds of trucks; some may be familiar and some may not. It might be helpful to have other nonfiction reference books close by that can help provide additional information about specific trucks in which children have a special interest. Alphabet Trucks also sets the stage for some interactive letter play. Using masking tape and a marker, children can assign letters to photos or drawings of different vehicles, or perhaps to toy vehicles so that they can create a letter parade of their own. It may also be fun to incorporate letter cutouts or magnets into block play, where children can label buildings, "dump" letters from a dump truck, and more. 

Tips for Using with Families

Adults may want to preview the different kinds of trucks in this book before reading with children to prepare for some questions their children might ask. Some of the trucks are unique and could be new to both adults and children – which is a nice way to expand vocabulary and learning. Children may have a favorite truck that they want to look for or go back to while reading. This provides a nice opportunity for adults to ask children about the names of their favorite trucks. What letters do those trucks begin with? Sometimes we have different names for the same kind of truck, like "digger" and "excavator." When this happens, adults can point to the different beginning letters in each word and talk about the sounds each letter makes. 

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Alphabet Everywhere by Elliott Kaufman

Alphabet Everywhere is a visual ABC treasure hunt.  Eric Kaufman’s eye and camera pick out letters in the most unusual places.  Each letter is represented by multiple images, with some letters being obvious and others requiring a bit more imagination to recognize.  The photos in this book allow children to see the familiar letters in new ways—encouraging visual literacy and creativity. This delightful book is appropriate for preschoolers as well as children who have already mastered the alphabet.

CC.1.1.PK.B: Identify basic features of print. Recognize and name some upper and lower case letters of the alphabet.

CC.1.5.PK.A: Participate in collaborative conversations with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

Tips for Using with Children

Provide children with alphabet strips or cards. After naming the printed alphabet letters, look through the pictures in the book and ask the children to point to and trace the letter in each picture. Use the index in the back to talk about where each picture was taken. 

Tips for Using with Families

A glossary is a very helpful tool to use when preparing to read a new book to Reading Alphabet Everywhere will help children learn letter names and increase visualization of these letters. A family might enjoy taking an indoor or outdoor ABC treasure hunt, trying to spot as many letters as they can in unusual places. Using cell phones or cameras, "letter" pictures can be taken and uploaded to family web pages or printed to create a "Family ABC" book. 

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ABC Kids by Simon Basher

ABC Kids is an alphabet book that is perfect for early learners. Each alphabet letter is explored in a double-page spread that includes both upper- and lowercase letters and an A-to-Z alphabet line with the featured letter underlined. Each spread includes a sentence in which every word begins with the letter on the page. For example, "Gertrude’s greedy goat gobbles grapes." Colorful illustrations depict the action of the sentence and a variety of individual vocabulary words. 

CC.1.1.K.D: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

CC.1.5.K.D: Share stories, familiar experiences, and interests, speaking clearly enough to be understood by all audiences using appropriate volume.

Tips for Using with Children

Provide children with their own alphabet strips like the one depicted in the book and/or provide a large group alphabet strip. Ask children to point to the letter on the individual or group alphabet strip as the letter on each page is read. Read the sentence on the page and ask children to repeat it. They will enjoy saying and hearing the sounds of the alliterative words and sentences as they learn new vocabulary. 

Tips for Using with Families

Talk with families about the importance of alphabet books in helping children to learn language. ABC Kids will help children learn both letter names and letter sounds. Point out to families that children need to learn both letter names and sounds, and that the sentences on each page emphasize letter sounds in a fun, tongue twisting manner. Families might enjoy recalling or making up their own tongue-twisters.  A bonus with this book is that each double-page spread is printed on pages that rotate colors (green, orange, yellow, pink, blue, and purple). Children can say and learn the color of the page and the colors of the objects on the page. 

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A Child's Day: an alphabet of play by Ida Pearle

"Aa for act," "Bb for blow," "Cc for catch." This book truly captures the joys and wonder of childhood on pages dedicated to each letter of the alphabet. Each letter is depicted with an action word. The pages are beautifully illustrated using cut-paper collage. As readers walk through the pages of the alphabet, they can enjoy talking about the pictures and easily connect with the activities of the children featured on each page. Once you have opened this book, it is one you will want to "Vv for view" again and again. 

CC.1.1.PK.B: Identify basic features of print. Recognize and name some upper and lower case letters of the alphabet.

CC.10.4.PK.A: Demonstrate coordination of body movements in active play.

Tips for Using with Children

As children look at the graceful flow of illustrations and text inside this book, they will almost hear music and might be inspired to try out some of the activities. A refreshing movement activity might be to play some soft music in the background, while asking children to try out some of the movements in the book, such as "Dd for dance," "Jj for jump," or "Qq for quack."  

Tips for Using with Families

Families can look for special letters in the book, such as the ones that spell their child’s name. Encourage families to think about other words that start with those letters. In the book, the letter Mm stands for "mix." A fun activity for families could be mixing some bread, pretzel, or cookie dough together, and then shaping the dough into the letters of their child’s name. Bake the mix for a treat you can "Ee for eat!" 

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Alphabet House by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace 

An extended family of cut-out paper rabbits are viewed among the many objects in their house that start with each of letter of the alphabet. This classic ABC book also presents a wonderful exercise in identifying all the unnamed paper objects glued on each page. A nice touch is that two of the adult rabbits wear glasses—not something you see illustrated every day. 

CC.1.1.K.B: Identify basic features of print. Recognize and name some upper and lower case letters of the alphabet.

CC.2.4.K.A.4: Classsify objects and count the number of objects in each category.

Tips for Using with Children

The unlabeled objects cry out for identification. It might be fun to create a graph where the twenty-six letters travel down the side and children can count how many objects start with each letter, by placing each object word in a box next to its associated letter. Which letter will win the object contest? Can someone guess based on a quick page through? 

Tips for Using with Families

Invite families to get out those scissors, paper, and glue sticks and create their own three-dimensional ABCs or counting books—or perhaps a story starring their very own child. 

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The Dog from Arf! Arf! To Zzzzzz by The Dog Artlist Collection 

This smart alphabet book features cute canines acting out doggy behaviors that start with the letters of the alphabet. It is dedicated to the "dog lovers of the world," but the interesting camera angles that capture the unique features of each breed will draw "awws" from even the most devoted cat person. An especially fun feature is the use of upside-down text on the R and U upside-down pages. 

CC.1.2.PK.J: Use new vocabulary and phrases acquired through conversations, activities, and read-alouds. 

Tips for Using with Children 

Discuss dogs your children know and love, and talk about how dogs behave. Identify the kinds of dogs in the illustrations with your children, and invite them to imitate some of the actions portrayed in the book. Set up a dog kennel in a pretend play area using stuffed dogs. Encourage the children to use vocabulary from the story: Fetch, Roll Over, Stay! 

Tips for Using with Families

Explain to families that having a variety of alphabet books that children enjoy that children love re-reading gives them lots of practice in identifying letters and their sounds.