The Alphabet Book
P. D. Eastman pairs each letter with comic alliterative combinations, from an elephant on eggs to a zebra with a zither.
- First published
- 1974
- Reading stage
- Picture books & shared reading
Reading this with your child
Hear the repeated initial sound
Each scene puts several words with the same starting letter together. Say the phrase naturally first, then repeat the opening sounds; this keeps the wordplay meaningful instead of reducing the page to isolated letter names.
Use the running alphabet as a map
The side-of-page alphabet shows where the reader is in the sequence. A child can locate the current letter, predict what follows and return to a favorite without having to recite the alphabet from memory.
The combinations are deliberately absurd
The unlikely object pairings make the sound pattern easier to remember and invite new examples. Ask for another animal, action or object with the same initial sound; approximate attempts are more useful than correcting every answer.
Compare before choosing: The Alphabet Book organizes alliteration by letter order; Wocket organizes invented rhymes around rooms and household objects. View the comparison title →
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Just for You
Just Me and My Dad