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I have had the pleasure of being part of a picture book group that meets once a month to discuss picture books. In the past, the timing of the meetings often didn’t work with my schedule, so I have missed many of the meetings.
Now that we have been meeting virtually, though, I have been able to attend more often. It is such a joy to catch up with other authors and talk about picture books together!
This month, it was my turn to pick a topic to discuss. And I chose alphabet books.
Alphabet Books
Without further ado, here are 10 alphabet books listed in alphabetical order that I had the opportunity to discuss with the group.
Aah! Blown Away, Crash! An Alphabet Misadventure by Brigitte Brulz (author) and Alyssa Brulz (illustrator)
Aah! A bird is blown away and crashes on a deserted island. Will he figure out how to get off the island? And who – or what – is following him? Find out in this comical alphabet misadventure that has only one to three words per page.
FREE teacher’s guide, maze, shadow puppet printable, adding and subtracting practice, and alphabet match to go along with Aah! Blown Away, Crash! can be found on Fun Extras!
I published this one with my daughter (who at the age of 12 did all of the illustrations), so I’m not going to expand any further on it here.
A B See by Elizabeth Doyle (author/illustrator)
Each uppercase letter is displayed on a page and is filled with illustrations of objects that start with that particular letter. Full sentences appear below each letter starting with the letter A: “Alligator admires an apple.”
After the page for the letter Z (“Zebra zips a zipper on zig-zag fabric.”), the entire alphabet is shown across two pages. Following that, all of the items that are shown in each of the letters are listed. So, readers can play “eye spy” throughout the pages. There are even some unique pictures to find such as “xenia coral”.
Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First by Alethea Kontis (author) and Bob Kolar (illustrator)
Starting with “A is for App!”, the letter Z quickly steps in to say he is sick of being last, so the alphabet should go backwards. So, Z, Y, X, W, and then P follow. Yes, P. The letter P complains that even if the alphabet goes forwards or backwards, he’s still stuck in the middle, which isn’t fair. From there, the letters continue in all sorts of order: O, N, H, S, I, V, J, E, and F. At which point, the letter V stops the alphabet because F had said he was for two things, which isn’t fair to all the other letters who only said they were for one thing. T, L, K, C go, but letter V tries to step in to say something else. Readers can find illustrations of a vacuum, valentines, violets, volcano, and a vulture on the page with the letter V, and letter G comments that “V is for violence”. Finally, R, D, G, and B get their turn. Letter B has a lot to say and makes quite the mess! Letters M and Q follow. As the letters discuss whether or not all of the letters have had a turn, they realize one letter has been in the bathroom the whole time! Once that letter gets a turn, letter A finishes with a lot of words including “alphabet” and “apology accepted”.
Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! by Dr. Seuss (author/illustrator)
“BIG A little a What begins with A? Aunt Allie’s alligator…..A..a..A” This book offers a lot of repetition, both capital (“big”) letters and lowercase (“little”) letters, and words that begin with each of the letters. Have you ever heard of a Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz? Well, “you can plainly see” him in this book.
The rhythm of the book makes it easy to memorize after multiple readings – trust me, I know!
LMNO Peas by Keith Baker (author/illustrator)
The alphabet peas go through the alphabet of what jobs they have starting with “acrobats, artists, and astronauts” and ending with “zoologists”. A large letter on each page is displayed along with the peas acting out each of the jobs.
This could be a great addition to a theme on community helpers.
The Messy Alphabet Book: An ABC Book by Sesame Workshop
This book begins with Oscar the Grouch, so it gets messy pretty quick. He tells the reader to turn the page if they agree that it is time for a MESSY alphabet book. Cookie monster joins the fun for the letters A through H. “A is for applesauce dripped down the wall.” Then, Elmo joins in to make more of a mess for letters I through P. The mess continues as Ernie covers Q through T. Another Sesame Street character (Abby Cadabby according to my search) takes over for U and V, but she is quickly stopped by Oscar for not being messy. All of the characters complete W through Y together. Of course, after all the messy fun, it’s time for a nap…Zzzzz. Now, who is going to clean up the mess?
Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! An Alphabet Caper by Mike Twohy (author/illustrator)
This book is a story about a dog and mouse told in alphabetical order with only one to two words on each page. The pictures tell a lot of the story. For example, the first page begins with “Asleep” and shows a mouse sleeping. From there, the words and illustrations take the reader through the alphabet following the antics of the dog and mouse. Will they become friends by the end of the book?
Pirates Stuck at “C”: An Alphabet Adventure by Brooke Van Sickle (author) and Gabriela Dieppa (illustrator)
Arrr you looking for an alphabet adventure? Pirates Stuck at ‘C’ may be the book for you. “Arnold dropped the anchor to hold the ship in place…” beginning the adventure of the pirates searching for treasure. Does X really mark the spot? Follow along with the pirates adventure until the zany pirates zig-zag back out to sea. Yo ho ho and a book filled with laughs! (I was part of the launch team for this book, so I had received an advanced reader copy of it.)
If you want to watch Pirates Stuck at “C” read by author Brooke Van Sickle, you can here.
The Three Bears ABC: An Alphabet Book by Grace Maccarone (author) and Hollie Hibbert (illustrator)
Children who know the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears may enjoy this alphabetical version. It begins with “Alphabet”, “Bears” (the characters), “Cool” (the porridge) and continues all the way until Goldilocks zips away.
Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham (author) and Paul O. Zelinksky (illustrator)
A is for apple, but D is not for Moose. The impatient moose desperately wants a turn in the alphabet, which creates some comical moments. Finally, it’s time for the letter M for…Mouse? Oh no, Moose is not happy and tries to take over the rest of the letters. When Moose realizes there is only one letter left, he gives up in defeat. Surprise! Z really is for Moose – in a way. You’ll have to read this funny book to find out how.
Bonus Alphabet Books
Here are some additional alphabet books others had mentioned at the meeting (and three other alphabet books I remembered after the meeting).
Alphabet Boats by Samantha R. Vamos (author) and Ryan O’Rourke (illustrator)
Alphabet Trains by Samantha R. Vamos (author) and Ryan O’Rourke (illustrator)
Alphabet Trucks by Samantha R. Vamos (author) and Ryan O’Rourke (illustrator)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. (author), John Archambault (author), and Lois Ehlert (illustrator)
Mouse by Zebo Ludvicek (author/illustrator)
Q is for Duck: An Alphabet Guessing Game by Mary Elting (author), Michael Folsom (author), and Jack Kent (illustrator)
Z is for Zebra: A Mosaic Menagerie by Judith Caseley (author/illustrator)
Alphabet Match Printable
The alphabet printable is available below for you to download, print (on cardstock for sturdier cards), cut out, and have some alphabet fun!
(One way to have alphabet fun: Create an alphabet scavenger hunt by hiding the alphabet cards around the house and matching them together when found.)
What is your favorite alphabet book?
Brigitte Brulz 
