ABC Books

“A my name is Alice and my husband’s name is Alex. We come from Alaska and we sell ants.” (Alice is an ape. Alex is an anteater.) The 26 verses of this jump-rope rhyme introduce young readers to entrepreneurial animals whose names, homes, and wares span the alphabet from A to Z. After learning the rhyming structure, children will be sure to make up verses of their own. Take time to enjoy the details in Kellogg’s humorous drawings.

“Alison acquired an Amaryllis for Beryl. Beryl bought a Begonia for Crystal. Crystal cut a Chrysanthemum for Dawn.” See a pattern? And so goes this alphabetical flower alliteration book. The full-page floral paintings and the clever girl-verb-flower text link one page to the next and keep interest blooming. This book is a vocabulary stretcher, guessing game, and flower primer all in one!

An Amazing ABC Safari for Preschoolers! In Matthew Van Fleet’s incredible new multiconcept book, over 100 creatures and plants from A to Z hilariously demonstrate action words, synonyms, opposites, and more. Young explorers are challenged to spot four plants or animals that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Twenty-three textures plus foils, flaps, pull tabs, and even a scratch-and-sniff scent add to the interactive surprises on every page.

Fleming’s brilliant illustrations, created by pouring colored cotton fiber through hand-cut stencils, show a mouse working on each letter of the alphabet. Young readers will learn new vocabulary while the mouse “airbrushes the A, buttons the B, carves the C … ” and so on. And don’t miss the calendar in the back where the mouse maps out his shopping lists and chores.

Here is a flippant slant on the typical ABC book. Ant characters pose to illustrate words from A to Z that contain the letters “ant.” In a rocking chair on the front porch sits an ancient “ant ique.” A “Brilliant” scientist mixes chemicals. The art is enchant ing, and observant students will come up with their own words to add to this ant hology.

Vivid color photographs guide readers through an alphabetical discovery of the flora, fauna, people, and places of the Southwest. Each page also has a short, engaging paragraph detailing interesting facts about the creatures and features in the photographs. This book will inspire budding photographers and writers to create an alphabet book of their own town or region.

“A told B, / and B told C, / I’ll beat you to the top of the coconut tree.” Rascally A entices the whole alphabet up the tree, but the tree cannot handle the weight. All the lowercase letters come crashing to the ground, “Chicka chicka… BOOM! BOOM!” Uppercase letters rush in to comfort the little ones, and all is well-for a while-in this irresistible alphabet book. Ehlert’s bright, graphic illustrations join the jazzy foot-tapping rhyme. Watch out for that imp, A!

With Dr. Seuss as your guide, learning the alphabet is as easy as A, B, C.