Alphabet Books Using Sign Language

Although sign language was developed for the hearing impaired, it is now commonly used with hearing toddlers and preschoolers to enhance their language skills before speech develops. Children can communicate at much earlier ages when taught simple signs. Signing using the manual alphabet (actually called fingerspelling) provides older children another avenue to learn their abc's. It is also a lot of fun for them to discover another "code" for letters and words.


The Handmade Alphabet
by Laura Rankin
Beautifully detailed illustrations of hands show the position for each letter in the manual alphabet. On each page the fingers interact with an object that begins with the letter shown. Asparagus is held in the hand showing the letter A; the G is cleverly shown by a gloved hand demonstrating the sign for G.

Handsigns: A Sign Language Alphabet
by Kathleen Fain
Another handsomely illustrated alphabet book, "Handsigns" shows a colorful picture filling the page accompanied by a small picture in the corner depicting the hand position for each letter. The animal representing each letter is not identified on the page, giving children a chance to do so. Inside the title page, the alphabet signs are pictured in one place, and in the back, a glossary gives information on each animal. I didn't think I'd find a book as attractive to both adults and children as "The Handmade Alphabet" (above), but this one makes the grade.

My ABC Signs of Animal Friends
by Ben Bahan
The cheerful illustrations keep children interested as they learn the letters, sounds and hand signs for each letter of the alphabet in this book. The pictures of both the animal and the hand position are cartoon-like. For each letter the animal demonstrates the sign with gloved fingers reminiscent of Mickey Mouse.



Story Props for Sign Language Alphabet Books

Admirable Animal Alphabet Books

This summer, I am focusing attention largely on alphabet books. There are a multitude of abc books out there, and many are mediocre. The ones I am highlighting I have found to be particularly good in one way or another. Animal alphabet books are everywhere, but here are a few really delightful ones.


A Is for Angry: An Animal and Adjective Alphabet
by Sandra Boynton
I think Sandra Boynton's books are hilarious, and my children have loved them all as well. I am delighted to find that she has now created an alphabet book that is also cute, funny and well-designed. The possibilities for vocabulary development as well as letter knowledge abound, because a descriptive word starting with the appropriate letter, naturally, accompanies the animal illustration. Each animal's expression and the often surprising attending adjective give it an appealing personality.

Gone Wild (Caldecott Honor Book)
by by David McLimans
Each page in this Caldecott Honor book beautifully portrays an endangered or vulnerable animal whose name begins with the featured letter. The pictures are silhouette-like in black and white, using the shape of the letter as the body of the animal. Pertinent facts as well as a smaller but complete print of the animal are in a box at the bottom of each page, and more information about each animal are at the back of the book. The pictures, though simple, are so arresting that closer examination is encouraged.

Creature ABC


by Andrew Zuckerman
There are many animal alphabet books, but the photographs in this one are distinctive. The animal representing the alphabet letter is shown in amazing detail against a white background. Each animal is captured in a position or with an expression that makes it seem almost human. The tigers for T romp like kittens and the hippo for H wears a smug-looking smile. This talented photographer also has produced floor puzzles for children using similarly beautiful photos of "creatures".



Story Props for Animal Alphabet Books

Notably Clever Alphabet Books

Not only are clever alphabet books entertaining, but they hold the attention of children longer than more ordinary alphabet books, even older children for whom the abc's are old hat. When you are teaching letter names and sounds, keeping children engaged is half the battle. Many children need a hook or two to hang letter recognition on, and these books pony up.


Q Is for Duck: An Alphabet Guessing Game
by Mary Elting and Michael Folsom
Pictures by Jack Kent
"Q is for duck. Why? Because ducks quack." Owls hoot, frogs leap, snakes wiggle and so on to earn their letter affiliations (H, L, and W respectively.) Kids will love the easy guessing game as they wait for the page to turn to answer the "Why?" The letter Z wraps up the alphabet by coordination with the letter A at the beginning of the book.



The Z Was Zapped: A Play in Twenty-Six Acts
by Chris Van Allsburg
The first page shows a large, three-dimensional capital A standing on a theater stage being pelted with rocks tumbling down from above. The next page matter-of-factly states "The A was in an Avalanche." Each giant letter is portrayed in a different plight that the reader tries to guess before it is revealed on the next page. Each predicament naturally begins with the letter it describes, and offers strong visual definitions of many verbs. I love the M melting. As we have come to expect of this author/illustrator, the drawings are in black and white and loaded with lifelike detail. My students love this book, and it ranks as my all-time favorite.


Tomorrow's Alphabet (Mulberry Books)
by George Shannon
Pictures by Donald Crews
The book begins "A is for seed" leading the reader to wonder how that could possibly be. Then on the facing page the answer is given, "tomorrow's apple". Each letter proceeds to surprise us, like T is for bread because it is future toast. Z is my favorite: it is for countdown. Can you guess why?

Story Props for Alphabet Books

Alphabet Books Featuring Letter Form

Since I work with children who often have difficulty learning to identify letters, I look for books that focus on the shapes of letters in a way that may help kids remember them. These alphabet books encourage the reader to linger on the pictured letter to see in the letter what the author/illustrator sees.

The Human Alphabet
Pilobolus Dance Company
Photographs by John Kane

At first I thought this book might kind of creepy, but when I began to examine it, I found it fascinatingly beautiful. Each letter of the alphabet (capitals only) is illustrated in the corner of its page with dancers in solid color leotards. The main photograph on the page shows dancers positioned to illustrate an animal or object that begins with the letter. It takes a moment of study to determine what the object is. The photographs are delightful and much fun to figure out. My favorites include the octopus made up of four dancers in various gradients of pink and purple, eight legs flowing out from the head, and the dinosaur, a T-Rex to be exact, created from a carefully balanced group of dancers in harlequin-type costumes. See how long it takes you to figure out the illustration for M! Use pipe cleaners for children to create their own letters.


The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book
by Lisa Campbell Ernst

The brilliantly colored block letters and their backgrounds in this book are the inspiration for what letters look like when turned upside down or sideways. "B masquerades as a pair of goggles, half a butterfly, two windows in a castle tower." The words are written on all sides of the graphic, oriented so the reader sees each incarnation. Children love this kind of visual game, and will be delighted by the references: C as macaroni and cheese, O as a fried egg, Y as a garden snake's open mouth. Stamps or stencils on colorful squares of paper can inspire kids to make their own designs from letters. Or let them try drawing special alphabet letters that look like bones, sticks or lightning bolts using the "Awesome Alphabets" book below.

Tangram Alphabet: Building Letters With Tangrams
by Janis Poe

Tangrams are puzzle pieces that form a square when put together one way, and offer thousands of other possibilities when assembled other ways. The goal is to use all seven of the pieces to create a picture of an animal, person, object, or, of course, a letter of the alphabet. This book is not a story, but a puzzle book. Each letter is shown as a blank outline that the tangram pieces can fit into if placed a certain way; the next page shows the solution. This very hands-on alphabet book will be challenging for older or more able children, while using the solution page to place the tangrams makes the task accessible for children who aren't ready to figure it out on their own yet.


Story Props for Alphabet Books Featuring Letter Forms

Hidden Alphabet Books

As a teacher, I look for alphabet books that can hold young children's interest and attention through all 26 letters. Books that have hidden letters for children to find and pictures that are either evocative or very detailed do the trick. When children study the shape of a letter then try to find that form in a picture, they are holding it in their memories longer. This can help children who struggle associating the visual symbol with a name and sound, a critical reading skill. These books are also interesting enough for those who already know letters and their sounds, and help to model one way to organize information in a book, a writing skill.

Pigs From A to Z
by Arthur Geisert
This alphabet book looks bland initially, but the sepia colored etchings are fascinating in their intricacy. The pictures, showing pigs building a tree house, hide several examples of the featured letter. There are some that are easy to find and a few that are more difficult on each page.

Discovering Nature's Alphabet
by Krystina Castella and Brian Boyl

The photographs in this book are of letter forms discovered in the natural lines of rocks, trees, plants, etc. The photographs are well composed and lovely to look at. From a teaching perspective, I particularly like that there are several examples of each letter, so children will see the commonality of the letter shapes and get repetition of these important symbols. The letters in the pictures beg to be traced by little fingers learning to write.

Alphab'art
by Anne Guery and Olivier Dussutour

Not yet released in the U.S., this book contains 26 lovely photographs of paintings of renowned artists. Each hides a letter of the alphabet while exposing children to fine art. A nice way to reinforce letter shapes and introduce children to famous artists like Picasso, Dali and Van Gogh and lesser known masters as well.



Story Props for Hidden Alphabet Books

"Bad Kitty"

Bad Kitty doesn't like what she has to eat, alphabetically. This ABC book is a delightful story about a kitten whose menu is at the mercy of her owners. The illustration of the kitten by the author, Nick Bruel, is so appealing that children immediately care about her and are interested in her antics. Any set of alphabet manipulatives can be used to act out Bad Kitty's adventures.


Bad Kitty Gets a Bath (Bad Kitty)is back and "badder" than ever, but this time in a chapter book for children to be read to them or for them to read on their own. Bad Kitty's immensely appealing and naughty character is the same, this time in a funny story centered around taking a bath.

Story Props for "Bad Kitty"