best preschool books for the letter Aa

We love books in our house.  I have piles and baskets and shelves and more baskets full of children’s and baby board books.  And I just want to keep getting more!!  I can often be caught scouring garage sales and library sales to buy good, quality used books.  I don’t buy anything that is not high quality because, unfortunately, there are some bad books out there.  Now, reading anything can be considered a good thing, but I like to veer towards books that edify a child’s mind, with strong vocabulary and beautiful illustrations.

Reading benefits a child’s mind, a child’s speech, a child’s life.  You can read more about why reading is one of the most important things you can do with your baby or child at 10 reasons to read to your child.

As we begin our next round of the alphabet, for our preschool, I thought I’d put together some of the highest quality books for each letter of the alphabet.  And here is our list of best books for the letter A.

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Ten Apples Up on Top! by Dr. Seuss is a beautiful rhyming and counting classic.  I have found that my son loves any book by Dr. Seuss.  These are the books that my son memorizes.  A lion, tiger, and dog all walk around with apples on their heads and get into many adventures and trouble!

Alligators All Around: An Alphabet by the always amazing Maurice Sendak is just about one of my favorite Alphabet Books.  This hilarious alligator family is trying to discipline and love on their sweet alligator son while teaching A through Z.

There’s an Alligator Under my Bed by Mercer Mayer is an adorable story about a little boy who swears there is an alligator living under his bed.  Even though his parents don’t believe him, he ensures that the alligator finds his rightful place… in the garage!

Apples by Gail Gibbons is an informational, non-fiction, text teaching a reader about apples, from their growth to harvest.  A perfect book for the fall season or teaching the letter A — the vibrant pictures engage littles ones to learn more about different varieties of apples.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst is for a slightly older audience.  It teaches the importance of sharing our feelings.  Children can feel self-assured as they read this book about Alexander and his day of mishaps and know that sometimes, things don’t go our way, but we are still loved.

Two Bad Ants by three-time Caldecott Award winner Chris Van Allsburg is a hidden classic.  More appropriate for ages 3 and up, this story takes us inside the secret world of ants.  Two mischievous ants have some mishaps in a kitchen, as they search for sugar crystals!  Beautifully illustrated and written.

A delightful collection of six stories with lively retellings and colorful artwork by Columbian illustrator, John Joven, Usborne Aesop’s Fables for Little Children is the perfect first introduction to Aesop for young children of some of his favorite stories. Stories include: The Hare and the Tortoise, The Lion and the Mouse, The Fox and the Crow, The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Fox and the Stork, and The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.

All Better! by Henning Lohlein Dog hurt his foot, Sheep scratched her tummy and Bear sat on a splinter! What will make everything all better? Clean it, kiss it and put a bandage on it! Young readers will delight in the five animal friends’ misadventures and be eager to help make things “all better” with the five reusable and repositionable stickers.

Amelia Who Could Fly by Mara Dal Corso This lovely little picture book tells the story of Amelia Earhart as a young girl, growing up and dreaming her unconventional dream. With grace and joy, Amelia’s early adventures show young readers that with hard work and imagination their dreams might just be obtainable. She really was !

I Love You Animally by Lynn Parrish Sutton Whether you love them “hugely like a whale,” or “shyly like a quail,” this adverb adventure through the animal kingdom is perfect to share with all the birdily, bugily, animally loved people in your life.

This version of the classic story Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery is retold for younger readers. The Cuthberts planned to adopt a boy to help out on the farm, so when red-headed ‘Anne-with-an-e’ arrives at Green Gables, she is not quite what they expected, but Anne sets out to win them over, determined to make a life – and a family – for herself.

The Ant and the Grasshopper is a classic Aesop’s Fable that teaches the lesson of planning ahead in a charmingly simple way. Ant is busy collecting grain for winter, but Grasshopper is too busy having a good time to help. Will he be sorry when winter comes?

Giggles abound with this silly journey through the zoo, one letter at a time. A rollicking romp through the alphabet with the animals at the zoo, and a different letter and animal on each beautifully illustrated page. With animals from furious foxes to wild wombats, The Usborne Illustrated Alphabet will help children remember letter shapes and sounds.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our choices of books for the letter A!!

Make sure to check out:

Our growing collection of free printables

10 reasons to read to your child

Best board books for baby