Are you looking for ABC books to include in your preschool classroom or to enjoy at home with your own preschooler? As a teacher, I read many different alphabet books and I’m excited to share my favorites with you! 

First, let’s start with the basics of ABC books. 

What are ABC books?

ABC books are also called alphabet books. These are books are written with the intent of teaching the letters of the alphabet. Some books focus on uppercase letters, while others focus on lowercase letters. Many ABC books will also show both uppercase and lowercase letters.

ABC books usually go in alphabetical order introducing the letters and words that begin with each letter. Some ABC books also have simple storylines to go with the alphabet. 

Who should read ABC books? 

There are many different ABC books on the market that appeal to a wide age range of children. ABC books are often used with preschool and Kindergarten children learning the alphabet, but there are many alphabet books for babies, toddlers, and older children too! I’ve even seen ABC books written for adults!

The Best ABC Books for Preschool 

Here are the best ABC Books for preschool students:

Chicka, Chicka, Book, Boom: This book is a classic and so much fun to read aloud. It’s

Eating the Alphabet:  This book is all about fruits and vegetables! It’s a wonderful book for preschool students because it’s perfect for building vocabulary too! It also lends itself to lots of fun activities like fruit and vegetable tasting.

Q is for Duck: This is a great book for preschoolers who are ready to think outside the box. It’s a really clever book that will have students guessing what each letter is for and why. Do you know why Q is for duck?

LMNO Peas: This simple book is a great introduction to the alphabet. It comes as a board book making it a great choice for young preschool students. The entire pea series is so cute!

I Spy Letters: I love I Spy books because they feel like a game for readers! This is a super simple book and best for preschoolers just being exposed to the alphabet. It’s just focused on letter recognition and the pictures are very simple.

AlphaOops: This is a funny book featuring the letters of the alphabet as characters and they are totally out of order. This would be a fun book for students ready to put letters in alphabetical order.  

The Sleepy Little Alphabet: Such a cute book focused on an experience preschoolers can relate to…bedtime! The uppercase letters have to put their lowercase letter to bed! 

ABC T-Rex: T-Rex loves the ABCs so much that he eats them up! Each page features aT-Rex eating a letter and pictures of items that start with that letter. Children will love reading this book and looking at the pictures for items that start with each letter.

I Stink: At first glance, this book definitely doesn’t look like an alphabet book, but the trash truck has his own alphabet soup recipe with trash! This is a fun book for kids interested in trucks. Preschoolers will love it!

Bad Kitty: Did you know the original Bad Kitty book is actually an alphabet book? The story ties in four different versions of the alphabet and the Bad Kitty character makes this story really appealing to kids! 

Tips for Reading ABC Books with Preschoolers

Here are a few tips for reading ABC books with preschool students:

• Let students enjoy listening to the story! With ABC books, it can be tempting to teach throughout the book! Instead, focus on letting students enjoy the story, especially if it is their first time hearing the book! The book can be reread many times!
• Encourage making connections with the story. Many children will light up when they see familiar objects or have connections to share with the book. Check out this post to learn more about making connections.
• Look for quality texts that correctly represent the letter and the sounds they make. 

How to Make Your Own ABC Book

Creating a book is such a powerful learning experience for children. It is so meaningful for them to share their ideas, illustrations, and writing with others. A class ABC book can be the perfect project for a preschool classroom!

Depending on the needs of your students, one or class books can be created for each letter of the alphabet or each student can create a letter page for one class alphabet book. You can print everything you need in this resource, Learning the Alphabet Class Book Set.

If you are a parent interested in making your own alphabet book at home with your child, check out this post: Make Your Own Alphabet Book at Home. 

More Resources for Teaching the ABCs

Here are a few more helpful resources for teaching preschoolers the alphabet!

• An Alphabet Chart is a great resource for students! Print an alphabet chart for free and check out some activities to do with it in this post:L Alphabet Chart Activities.
• I loved using show and tell to teach the letters of the alphabet. Ypu can read more in this post, Using Show and Tell to Teach Phonics.

I hope this post gave you some ideas of wonderful ABC Books to use in your preschool classroom!