Book of the Week: Alligator Alphabet

Hi there! Katje here.

Today I’m going to talk a little about the book Alligator Alphabet by Stella Blackstone and illustrated by Stephanie Bauer as part of my Book of the Week series.

A photo posted by Katje (@katgoesbarefoot) on

A bit about the book: Alligator Alphabet is a book full of rhyming sentences that teach the letters of the alphabet using animals. Animals covered include alligators, emus, llamas, owls, wolves, rabbits, and more. The illustrations are bright and colorful. Many of the pages include tidbits about the animals — owls hunt and hoot; yaks have long shaggy hair, etc.

What kids will get out of this book and why it’s special: We’re all familiar with the ABCs song, but it’s not the only way to learn the alphabet and sometimes might not even be the best way! For kids who are more visually oriented learners or who struggle with auditory learning, a book like this will work better for familiarizing them with the letters of the alphabet, as well as teaching them about different animals. The colorful illustrations are attention grabbing, and the rhymes and association of animals with letters help with memory retention.

This is one of the few Barefoot Books that doesn’t really have a story attached, except the lines that give the animals quite a bit of depth. There’s no beginning, middle, and end, but there are memorable characters — like the camels who dare you to chase them, or the zebra who gallop here and there!

Alligator Alphabet is a board book, too, so it’s appropriate for very young children. (As are the two related books, Counting Cockatoos and Octopus Opposites.)

See you next week with another Book of the Week!

-Katje

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