22 Alphabet Books Teachers Love

This clever and rhythmic alphabet book has been a classic for years for a reason. In metered verse, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tells the story of all the letters of the alphabet racing each other up a coconut tree. Once all 26 letters are crammed in the canopy, there’s a great crash and all the letters come falling down. The rhyming verse makes this an easy text to memorize, and reciting the alphabet to a new rhythm is a welcome change from the ABCs.

Nick Bruel pulled off something that starts to feel impossible in a world inundated with alphabet books – Bad Kitty is an entirely unique approach to the alphabet that will have kids roaring with laughter while learning their ABCs. A mischievous cat, known only as Kitty, gets angry when all her favorite foods are gone and wreaks havoc around the house until her sardines and pizza are restored. The book covers the full alphabet a whopping four times in 40 pages.

Children are introduced to both the alphabet and a variety of simplified, renamed yoga poses in this board book which encourages mindfulness and gentle stretching. Children can contort into a bridge pose while learning about W (for whale) or hop like a grasshopper for G. It’s a gentle book with fun cartoon images, and readers will come away with better physical health and alphabetic skills.

A is for “Airport,” B is for “Bike Route,” and C is for “Children at Play.” This clever board book is great for road trips or transportation-obsessed children. The letters of the alphabet are introduced in various road signs, making this a great tool for an on-the-go game of I Spy.

Wonderful cartoon illustrations teach children the alphabet and the basics of mindfulness. Young readers are taught to explore breathing exercises like Redwood Breath and Heart Breath. This is the perfect book when a calming respite is needed in the middle of a busy day.

Ehlert, in her easily recognizable collage art style, introduces young readers to a world of fruits and vegetables in this alphabet board book. From kohlrabi to zucchini, brussels sprouts to kumquats, this book is sure to make learning the alphabet a delicious endeavor.

This wordless picture book by Stephen T. Johnson won the Caldecott medal in 1996 for its photo-realistic illustrations. In Alphabet City, Johnson finds the letters of the alphabet in everyday still life scenes; for example, the letter A is made from a simple wooden sawhorse.

A young boy named Adam struggles to learn the letters – b and d look a lot a like, and so do p and q. Later, he struggles to read and spell, which results in him acting out and being sent to the principal’s office. Finally, an educator realizes that Adam is dyslexic and he gets the support he needs to become a reader. This book won’t teach the ABCs like others on the list, but it’s a great addition to any classroom library.

This clever alphabet book is by the illustrator of the bestselling children’s book The Day the Crayons Quit. At 122 pages, this is quite a bit longer than most alphabet books, but kids will be sure to find the clever, subtle humor to be a hoot. There is a short story here for each letter of the alphabet and beautiful illustrations to boot.

Don’t give this book to kids still learning their ABCs, because this highly visual book of hijinks turns the alphabet on its head. Harris and Santat show young readers that all the letters look alike, like one big family. Lots of fun wordplay here accompanying Santat’s colorful illustrations.

Elegant isn’t a word you would typically use to describe an alphabet book, but this stunner of a picture book is filled with stunningly detailed illustrations depicting each letter of the alphabet in flora or fauna. For example, the letter C is used for the cover image and is depicted in a cresting ocean wave.

To Do is a total departure from traditional alphabet books. Gertrude Stein called it the birthday book she would have liked as a child, but it was originally rejected for publication as being too complex for children. Today, paired with whimsical illustrations from Potter, this story is at last finding an audience. In it, Stein pairs witty wordplay with each letter of the alphabet, and four names that start with each letter are used to create a story in verse. 

Big Words for Little Geniuses is presented as a book for children, but older kids will be sure to learn a lot from the text inside. Each letter of the alphabet is paired with a “big word” to go with. On the A page, we learn that Arachibutyrophobia is the “alarming fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth!”

A Zeal of Zebras is a coffee table book masquerading as a kids’ alphabet book. It has exceptionally high design and production quality, making it a book that will appeal to children and adults. The concept of the book is a peek inside the world of collective nouns – a galaxy of starfish, a shiver of sharks. Each alphabet spread contains a bright and sophisticated illustration of a group of animals alongside a few fun facts.

This fascinating spin on an alphabet book takes a traditional model in which each letter of the alphabet is represented by a corresponding animal (a is for alligator) and turns it on its head. In Alphabeasties, each depiction of the animal is composed of the letter itself. This book is an exploration of typefaces and graphic design, and there’s a lot to digest here. It’s a perfect book for children interested in digital design projects.

The perennially popular I Spy game is played out in this book against the backdrop of 26 of the world’s most famous paintings. For L, readers are shown “Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose” by John Singer Sargent, which is on display at Tate Britain. They are to “spy” something beginning with the letter L. The pattern repeats for each letter of the alphabet, making this an excellent introduction to famous paintings.

Where A is for activism and E is for equality, this alphabet book of empowerment is about empowering everyone. Illustrations feature a diverse cast of characters, and the text is approachable and hip, making this a must-read.

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’re already familiar with Shel Silverstein from his picture book The Giving Tree or his zany poetry collections Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. Now, adults who wish to capture that Shel Silverstein feeling can dive into Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book, filled with adults-only advice like “I is for Ink. … What rhymes with ink? D R _ _ _.”

Don’t try learning anything coherent about the alphabet from this book. Where A is for aisle, m for mnemonic, and k for knight, this alphabet book is for any adult who has ever wanted to tear their hair out over the “rules” of the English language and its many exceptions.

For adults, specifically artists, V is for Vulnerable offers advice for living an authentic life. A is for anxiety: “Anxiety is experiencing failure in advance. Tell yourself enough vivid stories about the worst possible outcome of your work and you’ll soon come to believe them. Worry is not preparation, and anxiety does not make you better.” Take a deep breath and dive into the inspirational text.

A-la the popular Life’s Little Instruction Books from a few years ago, The ABCs of Adulthood offers candid snippets of advice for those embarking into adulthood. It would make a great graduation gift. In this book, O is for Offline: “Whatever you’re searching for, it’s not in Google. Turn off your phone. Shut down your computer. Get out in nature and go for a walk.” Photographs rather than illustrations adorn each page.

In 1902, Rudyard Kipling wrote a collection of Just So Stories in which he explains the imaginary origin of things. Stories include “How the Leopard Got His Spots” and “The Beginning of Armadillos.” One story, not to be missed, is “How the Alphabet was Made.” It’s both whimsical and thought-provoking.