Alpha Tales Learning Library is a set of 26 books — one for each letter of the alphabet — designed to familiarize young children with letters and their sounds. Playful verse relates cute stories about spunky animals like Abby Alligator and Detective Dog, accompanied by large illustrations that are an absolute treat.
The highly alliterative stories succeed at both teaching children letter sounds and making them laugh. For example, after tipping the table in When Tilly Turtle Came to Tea, Tilly sets everything right by turning herself into a table. "When Tilly Turtle came to tea/ She saved the party cheerfully/ She turned into a table — see?/ When Tilly Turtle came to tea." Then there's Zack the Zebra who spends his days at the zoo "zz-zz-zz"-ing. Neither a snack of zucchini and ziti nor a zebra with zing will rouse the dozing zebra!
In the last pages of each book, a 2-page spread featuring a busy object-filled scene serves as a search-and-find activity. Children try to find as many objects as they can that begin with the featured letter. Finally, the book ends with a "cheer" — a poem that incorporates all of these objects and a celebratory phrase for the letter. D, for example, is "the most dazzling, delightful letter of all". You can't get more upbeat than that!
The inside back cover provides suggestions for using each book and extending learning beyond it. Purchased as a set, parents will also receive a 128-page teaching guide with reproducible alphabet worksheets and a case to store their books. Books can be purchased individually as well. Though appropriate for a Kindergarten classroom, this collection of books is useful for at-home learning and fun.
