Alphabet books make learning letters fun and are ready-made engaging read alouds. They help teach content information in memorable ways and spark creative writing and classroom projects, too. Ready to freshen up your selection of classroom alphabet books? Here are 16 faves you might not have yet.
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1. Eek! A Noisy Journey from A to Z by Julie Larios
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!
2. 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.
3. 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.
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4. 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.
5. Fraidyzoo by Thyra Heder
When Little T is afraid to go to the zoo, but can’t pinpoint why, her family plays an animal alphabet guessing game to help her. The surprise ending will spark a good laugh.
6. Animalphabet by Julia Donaldson
There’s so much to look at and talk about in this artful book from a favorite author. Kids love guessing as you turn the pages, and the unexpected animal choices, cutouts, and flaps add more fun. Warning: The delicate flaps make it better for teacher-led browsing!
7. 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.
8. A Busy Creature’s Day Eating! By Mo Willems
In this Mo Willems-level 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.
9. 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.
10. Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing by Christopher Willard and Daniel Rechtschaffen
We LOVE this title for classroom mindfulness work. Straightforward instructions for inhaling and exhaling teach kids 26 breathing exercises. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but Ninja Breath, Oatmeal Breath, and Redwood Breath are strong contenders!
11. Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters by Oliver Jeffers
This hefty volume—beautiful enough to serve 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.
12. 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.
13. E is for Everyone! Every Vote and Every Voice: A Democracy Alphabet by Elissa Grondin
Break down the basics of the US government system’s history and components letter by letter. The text keeps it simple, but the back matter has more information to share with kids if needed.
14. 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!”)
15. The Invisible Alphabet by Joshua David Stein
Just when you thought there was an alphabet book about every topic…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.
16. 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.
What alphabet books do you love for the classroom? Share in the comments below!
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And make sure to check out 60 great books for kindergarten.
