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© Savvy Source for Parents 2006 - 2008
ABCs Educational Books
ABCs: Some times we are so overwhelmed with all the choices out there that we just need to clean the slate, get back to basics, start fresh. Seize that moment: start at the beginning. The very beginning. We hear it's a very good place to start (cue the soundtrack....). And what could be more basic for our little ones than the alphabet. Don't for one second think that teaching your kids their ABCs sounds rote or dull. With just a little inspiration, you'll both revel in the project. And, before you know it, you'll be hearing that piping voice singing ABC songs and delightedly pointing out letters on signs in shop windows. What better fun is there than to sit with an adored tiny person who is also just getting a start on things? (By the way, if you are looking for some toy ideas for teaching the ABCs, you can trust the Savvy Source to have recommendations for the finest choices there too.)
ABCs BOOKS
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
For ages 1+ years
This book is a widely-loved modern classic, frequently - and properly, we think -- cited as the very best, very first place to start for leading your child through the alphabet. It is bright and tropical, with a rhyme that has a calypso beat to it that kids (and their parents simply adore). We all have so many stories of little ones whose faces simply light up at the sight of the book - there's something about the hot pink and orange and green color scheme and the silly antics of nutty lowercase letters or the fantastic rhyming cadence that tells the wise early preschooler that this is book she wants to hear again and again (and again and again…). And what better way to while away an afternoon than basking in a little tropical glow and chanting your way up the coconut tree with the alphabet. It sounds just delightful to us.
Animalia
For ages 2+ years
This astounding book is one of those rare treats that works well for kids aged 2, 5, 10 or 40. Each page is a minutely detailed, gorgeously drawn visual puzzle based around a letter of the alphabet. There is an alliterative heading, written almost tongue-twister style, such as "Crafty Crimson Cats Carefully Catching Crusty Crayfish" or "Lazy Lions Lounging In The Local Library." Then the page is filled with literally dozens and dozens of other seemingly unrelated objects, until - aha! - you realize that the names of every one of those tiny things begins with the same letter. The detail is endless, and endlessly charming - on the L page, the lions are looking at books titled "Lassie Come Home," "Let's Learn Latin" and "Life in Luxembourg" and on the D page, the dragons are dining on delicacies of dates and doughnuts. It's just delicious. We could go on and on - Base certainly does. It's witty and great for parents but accessible and amazing for kids. A true classic.
Eating the Alphabet
For ages 1+ years
Sometimes we all need inspiration on what else E could be for instead of elephants. Now you know - eggplant, silly. And K is for kiwi and kumquat and T is for turnip, of course. And we think there is no better way to get your tiny ones to love vegetables than to watch them squeal with glee when they turn the page that says B is for broccoli and beets and beans! Hooray! The illustrations are watercolors that are so gorgeous that they are literally mouthwatering. The mere sight of Ms. Ehlert's watermelon brightens up a January day for all of us. And using this wonderful little book to teach the alphabet as you push the young ones through the produce aisle or the local farmers' market sounds like a perfectly fresh idea to us.
A You're Adorable
For ages 1+ years
Originally the lyrics of a song made famous for our grandparents by Rosemary Cooney and Perry Como, this book is a charming way to meander through the alphabet with your child. Each of the letters offers a different way to tell your sweet one how crazy you are for him or her ("D You're a darling, and E You're exciting"...), and the whole book gives you a short, lilting little way to say something loving through the alphabet. The illustrations are a bit subtler than some of the more eye-popping, primary fare you might be used to seeing, but they are delightfully old-fashioned and we've noticed that children find their tiny details endlessly engaging. And who knows, maybe your little one has a grandma or grandpa around who might even remember the original tune. Wouldn't that make a pair of little eyes light up?
ABC NYC
For ages 1+ years
When we teach the alphabet, we often announce that C is for cow or D is for duck. As if every one of our little 21st-century kids had a barnyard out back for easy reference. Sure, they can make the noises early on, and they delight as we did as kids in stories about life on a farm. But perhaps it might make more sense to give them an entry into the alphabet by starting with things they actually know and see in their daily lives. Well, if your little one is lucky enough to have New York City as his or her very own barnyard - or even if your much more suburban kid has even a passing awareness of, say, traffic, Chinese food or bagels - this is the perfect book for you. Written by a mom who wished to show her son some alphabet references a bit closer to home, and who by chance was amazingly talented as a photographer, this book is a treasure. It just rings true that B is for bagel and M is for manhole cover. And isn't the idea of a whole generation of budding architecture critics learning that F is for Flatiron Building is just beyond charming?
Max's ABCs
For ages 2 to 4 years
If you are starting to glaze over with alphabet book ideas, this book definitely deserves a second look. Max's ABC follows a storyline (rather than stand-alone pages) to teach letters. The story revolves around Max's ants who have escaped from their ant farm and go forth to create all sorts of havoc - eating the birthday cake, drinking the cranberry juice, all while Ruby oversees their retrieval. The book's oversized pages and colorful cartoon design make it immediately engaging for kids, and the charm of the funny tale makes it easy for grown-ups to read over and over (and over and over....) again. You know that drill....
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