Reading to my kids has always been one of my favorite things. Snuggled up on the bed or couch under a blanket, staring into their excited faces as I read, that’s a pretty great way to spend an afternoon, even if they do sometimes demand that I read the same book ten times.
While you’re reading (and rereading) that favorite book, did you know that you are also teaching your child early literacy skills:
- Tons of new vocabulary! The more you read to them, the more words they will be exposed to.
- Understanding how books work: how to hold a book, turning pages, print going left to right
- Helping to build motivation, curiosity and memory
- Creating a positive association with learning and reading
Here are 24 of my favorite books for exposing your kids to early literacy, broken down into categories.
ALPHABET
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Touch Think Learn: ABC by Xavier Deneux
ABC Mindful Me by Christiane Engel
ABC For Me: ABC Love by Christiane Engel
NUMBER SENSE
Pete the Cat and his 4 Groovy Buttons by James Dean
How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
Little Owl’s 1-2-3 by Divya Srinivasan
Steam Train, Dream Train 1-2-3 by Sherri Duskey Sherri
COLORS
Baby Colors by Rachel Hale
Edible Colors by Jennifer Vogel Bass
Mouse Paint by Ellen Still Walsh
Splatter by Diane Alber
SHAPES
Press here by Herve Tullet
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff: Dr. Seuss’s Surprising Word Book by Dr. Seuss
Walter’s Wonderful Web: A First Book About Shapes by Tim Hopgood
Shape by Shape by Suse MacDonald
BODY KNOWLEDGE
Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Hello World! My Body by Jill McDonald
Inside Your Outside: All About the Human Body by Tish Rabe
ANIMALS AND ANIMAL SOUNDS
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss
My Big Animal Book by Roger Priddy
The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
You are your child’s first and most important teacher. You are the one who will give them their first impressions on the importance of learning and expanding their worlds. The books above are all well-loved by my family, but honestly it doesn’t matter what you read. Just read with enthusiasm, do all the silly voices, and make it as fun for you as it is for them. If you can do that, you won’t just be creating memories, but also enthusiastic readers who never stop learning!
♥ Erin
