All summer I’ll be sharing books for kids of all ages on topics that will interest them or offer them a new topic to learn about. Most of the time these will be nonfiction books, but sometimes we can learn how to be better people or learn empathy from fictional stories too.
So, I hope you will stay tuned to these posts. They will always have Summer Read-to-Learn in the title and in the tags. It’s so important to prevent that summer slide with our kids, so I hope you can use these books to keep them reading and learning all summer long. See all the posts, HERE.
ALICE ATE AN APPLE
The World of Letters
By: Anne-Marie Labrecque
Illustrated by: Mathieu Dionne St-Arneault
Published: April 5, 2022
Publisher: Twirl
Non-Fiction
Once your child has learned their letters and the “Alphabet Song, ” the next step is recognizing them in words and learning how they sound. Reading and phonics start in preschool and helping your child learn their letters early will only help them once they start attending school.
This board book has large letters on the pages and bold colors to make reading easier for toddlers and preschoolers. The outside of the book is thick like a board book but the pages are heavy paper that will stand up to toddlers’ heavy use.
Each letter is used in a sentence. Then there are clues either with fingers or a number in a circle with how many of that letter you can find on the page. The letter is used in the sentence multiple times with both print and cursive writing. All three examples of the letter are also shown on the page including uppercase print, lowercase print, and cursive lowercase. The sooner kids can recognize their letters, the sooner they will be able to connect them and make or read words. Since letters often have multiple sounds, the sentence uses all the sounds.
The beginning of the book teaches about the sounds of the letters and encourages kids to trace the letters on the pages. The end of the book includes the answers for every page in case your child gets stuck finding the last of the 10 “Ts” on the page. The pages also include an illustration of the item that the sentence is about like a necklace, an olive, or a violin.
After teaching this exact type of lesson this last school year, asking kids to find certain letters in sentences, I am reminded of what a great way it is for kids to learn how to recognize their letters. Building skills first that will then lead to reading on their own is what will make for life-long readers and learners.
Anne-Marie Labrecque is an elementary school teacher who earned a doctorate in education, specializing in written language learning. She lives in Quebec, Canada.
Mathieu Dionne St-Arneault studied graphic design at the UQAM School of Design in Montreal, Canada, where he lives. The founder of a graphic design studio, he works as an illustrator and graphic designer on projects in the business, music, and art fields.
To purchase a copy of ALICE ATE AN APPLE, click the photo below:
