Books that Build Alphabet Skills

The following books teach the letters of the alphabet. The list was compiled by reviewing recommendations, Caldecott awards, catalog excerpts and my favorites. All are available at major public libraries at no cost to you. This list is just a starting point as there are many ABC books available. The best books associate letters with common objects that are easy to remember. Some books try to be inventive and make difficult associations with 26 similar objects like flowers. This may be interesting to adults but it complicates things for children.

Hans Christian Andersen's Alphabet by Hans Christian Andersen
Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth
Alphabet Soup by Kate Banks
Animalia by Graeme Base
A My Name Is Alice by Jane Bayer

Paddington's ABC by Michael Bond
Alphabet Out Loud by Ruth Bragg
The Monster Encyclopedia by Dave Branson
The Circus Alphabet by Linda Bronson
Mortimer's ABCs by Karen Bryant-Mole

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
Little Golden Picture Dictionary by Nancy Fielding
Mother Goose Alphabet by Mother Goose
Raggedy Ann's Alphabet and Numbers by Johnny Gruelle
26 Letters and 99 Cents by Tana Hoban

What Pete Ate from A to Z by Maria Kalman
Animal Alphabet by Bert Kitchen
Z is for Zombie by Merrily Kutner
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
Winne the Pooh's ABC by A.A. Milne

Anno's Alphabet by Anno Mitsumasa
ABC T-Rex by Bernard Most
Alphabet by Roger Pare
The Smurf ABC Book by Peyo
Peter Rabbit's ABC and 123 by Beatrix Potter

Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H.A. Rey
ABC Disney by Robert Sabuda
Cars and Trucks from A to Z by Richard Scarry
ABC and 123 by Sesame Street
Joseph Wants to Read by Fabienne Teyssedre

The Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg
Touchdown Mars by Peggy Wethered
Alphabet Adventure by Audrey Wood
All in the Woodland Early by Jane Yolen