Alphabet books have so many classroom uses. They introduce letter symbols, sounds, and keywords. They can also build vocabulary and knowledge on a variety of topics and showcase examples of creativity. Check out this list of some of our favorite alphabet books and letter-themed stories for both little and big kids. We promise you’ll find some new favorites!
1. Mrs. Peanuckle’s Alphabet Series
This super-cute series of alphabet board books is such fun for preschool browsing. The titles pack in tons of interesting information on each page. We also love them for sharing with kindergarten and first grade classrooms under a document camera, especially for topics that fit your science units about plants, insects, birds, and more.
Buy it: Mrs. Peanuckle’s Hiking Alphabet on Amazon
2. ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in English and Spanish by Cynthia Weill and K.B. Basseches
This title is part of a series of bilingual concept books that feature unique Oaxacan wood animal sculptures to illustrate each page. Check out the publisher’s Teacher Guide to help build kids’ background knowledge about the artwork and get ideas for curriculum connections.
Buy it: ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs on Amazon
3. Alice Ate an Apple: The World of Letters by Anne-Marie Labrecque
This is one of those alphabet books that is an ELA teacher’s dream. Each spread introduces all the ways kids may see a letter in print: uppercase, lowercase, cursive, and alternate forms (like that tricky typeset “a”). The author challenges readers to find all the instances of the focus letter in each alliterative sentence. There are also helpful notes, like an explanation of hard ‘c’ vs. soft ‘c.’ A must-have!
Buy it: Alice Ate an Apple: The World of Letters on Amazon
4. Eek! A Noisy Journey From A to Z by Julie Larios and Julie Paschkis
A mouse sets off on an onomatopoeic journey through the alphabet to deliver a flower to someone special. From the first “Achoo!” to the final sleepy “Zzzz,” this book is pure fun. It could inspire kids to create their own alphabet adventure books too!
Buy it: Eek! A Noisy Journey from A to Z on Amazon
5. Every Little Letter by Deborah Underwood
We love a good story starring alphabet characters. Each letter has always lived in a separate walled city, but when little ‘h’ and little ‘i’ meet, the word they create starts a wave of change.
Buy it: Every Little Letter on Amazon
6. B Is for Bear: A Natural Alphabet by Hannah Viano
A is for acorn, B is for bear, C is for cloud … and K is for kids, who also belong outdoors! This book is ideal for inspiring kids’ own nature alphabet activities. Plus, the black paper cutout illustrations are practically frame-worthy.
Buy it: B Is for Bear: A Natural Alphabet on Amazon
7. Alphabet Trucks by Samantha R. Vamos
Preschool and kindergarten teachers, you need this appealing title displayed in your block area! Learning letters is easy with a truck to help remember each one.
Buy it: Alphabet Trucks on Amazon
8. M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child by Tiffany Rose
This joyful and empowering book is an alphabetic love note to Black children, encouraging them to “sprinkle Black Girl Magic and Black Boy Joy” on the world.
Buy it: M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child on Amazon
9. A Busy Creature’s Day Eating! by Mo Willems
In this Mo Willems funny tale, a monster chomps through items from A to Z. One of our favorite alphabet books, this one makes for a fun read-aloud when kids discuss how the illustrations show a story unfolding.
Buy it: A Busy Creature’s Day Eating! on Amazon
10. LMNO Pea-quel by Keith Baker
We love the cute little green stars of the whole Peas series, but this book is extra perfect for teaching kids about lowercase letters.
Buy it: LMNO Pea-quel on Amazon
11. Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing by Christopher Willard and Daniel Rechtschaffen
We adore this title for classroom mindfulness work. Straightforward instructions for inhaling and exhaling teach kids a breathing exercise for each letter. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but Ninja Breath, Oatmeal Breath, and Redwood Breath are strong contenders! Also check out the sequel, Alphabreaths Too: More ABCs of Mindful Breathing.
Buy it: Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing on Amazon
12. Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters by Oliver Jeffers
This hefty volume—beautiful enough to use as a coffee table book—pairs Oliver Jeffers’ minimalist illustrations with deadpan vignettes for each letter. Read it all at once, or keep it on display and read a story as you teach each letter.
Buy it: Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters on Amazon
13. V Is for Voting by Kate Farrell
Grab this title for a quick intro to a classroom conversation about elections and the importance of voting.
Buy it: V Is for Voting on Amazon
14. Letters To Live By: An Alphabet Book With Intention by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough
Get ideas for admirable life goals from “Appreciate Art” to “Untangle Untruths” and many more. A perfect example of alphabet books for big kids, this thought-provoking title is a major vocabulary-booster and great discussion-starter.
Buy it: Letters To Live by: An Alphabet Book With Intention on Amazon
15. ABC, Rise Up and Be! by Annemarie Riley Guertin
How do you want to be in the world? Accepting? Bighearted? Courageous? The 26 adjectives listed give kids so many ideas. This is a clever, all-ages book with lots of potential for curriculum connections. Share it to introduce vocabulary to younger kids. Older kids can notice how each page includes an illustration of a famous figure in history who exemplified the characteristic listed, and consult the back matter to learn more.
Buy it: ABC, Rise Up and Be! on Amazon
16. Words of Wonder From Z to A by Zaila Avant-Garde
Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Zaila Avant-Garde wrote this alphabet book to empower kids with inspirational words. Use it to build upper elementary kids’ vocabulary knowledge in a unique and memorable way. (Or to get kids pumped for the school spelling bee!)
Buy it: Words of Wonder from Z to A on Amazon
17. What About X? An Alphabet Adventure by Anne Marie Houppert
The letters are going camping and each one has something fun to bring. G’s bringing graham crackers, J has juice boxes covered, and Q is even bringing a quiver of arrows! Poor X can’t think of anything relevant. An x-ray or a xylophone won’t work. X’s friends come up with a sweet solution. Such fun to share and maybe create trip-themed alphabet art as a class.
Buy it: What About X? An Alphabet Adventure on Amazon
18. My Pet Feet by Josh Funk
When the letter R goes missing from a child’s wall alphabet, weird things happen. First of all, their pet, Doodles, is no longer a “ferret” but simply “feet!” Hilarity ensues as the child tries to crack the case and return all the “cows” to “crows” and “fog” to “frogs.” Share this when you study r-blends or r-controlled vowels in phonics for a letter-themed laugh. Plus, you could follow up with some fun kid writing or art about what could happen to words if their favorite letter went missing.
Buy it: My Pet Feet on Amazon
19. Q & U Call It Quits by Stef Wade
If you love alphabet books with phonics-themed humor, you’ll definitely want to own this title. U feels a bit tired of being stuck with Q. When it decides to take a break, Q feels lost. Lots of other letters weigh in on their feelings about being grouped with their peers. Review tons of phonics concepts in a fun way by reading this aloud.
Buy it: Q & U Call it Quits on Amazon
20. The Alphabet’s Alphabet by Chris Harris
A classroom full of letters starts noticing how they resemble one another. This leads to a witty comparison for each letter. Kids will be laughing by “A B is a D with a belt on too tight,” and “A C is a G with its mustache shaved clean.”
(One teacher gripe: The endpapers show arrow cues for writing each letter, but illustrator Dan Santat has obviously not heard the song “Where Do You Start Your Letters? At the Top!”)
Buy it: The Alphabet’s Alphabet on Amazon
21. The Invisible Alphabet by Joshua David Stein
Just when you thought there was an alphabet book about every topic comes … this! So smart and fun, and a great vocabulary lesson too. The illustrations, by Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs artist Ron Barrett, are a perfect fit.
Buy it: The Invisible Alphabet on Amazon
22. P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever by Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter
E is for ewe, and F is definitely not for photo, phlegm, or phone! Poke fun at the quirkiness of the English language with this zany alphabet book that’s also useful for lightening up lessons on silent letters and irregular spellings.
Buy it: P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever on Amazon
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Plus, check out these great books for kindergarten.
