This is the first of three reviews of book sets published by Little Lions Literacy. Thank you to Karina Richland for sharing a sample in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As an elementary reading specialist, I am always searching for new instructional materials to support children in learning and applying their reading skills. Little Lions Literacy Alphabet Books is a set of 26 alliterative stories featuring each letter of the alphabet. Preceding each story is a note to families and teachers explaining that each book introduces children to a letter and sound; however, the stories can also be used to review and practice letters and sounds once taught.
This school year, I worked with kindergarten students in small groups to reinforce letter recognition and sounds. The Alphabet Books are a great addition to my teaching toolbox. Since the texts are not decodable, the stories must be read aloud to children. Children though will not be passive participants because opportunities to be engaged in learning abound. As I was reading a story to kindergarten students, I actively involved the children by asking them to repeat the words with the target sound. Because most of the words begin with the target sound, it is natural to stretch out the sound for emphasis.
On every page spread, lively kid appealing illustrations match the text. Each book highlights animals that begin with the targeted letter. While familiar animals such as a cat, dog, and bunny are characters in stories, students are building content knowledge of less common animals like an impala, a lynx, a numbat, an umbrellabird, and a vole. After reading, I shared real photos of the animals and briefly discussed their habitat including country of origin. Students in my intervention groups were excited to teach both their teachers and peers about these animals which made my heart happy.
Another incredible feature is how the stories also support vocabulary building including juicy words to increase children’s oral language. For example, in the Letter Aa book, words such as adventure, admires, chants, and active provide a teaching opportunity to discuss the meanings with basic synonyms. With my kindergarten students, I shared that admire is another word for like and active means busy. I appreciate that children can be easily exposed to more precise words during the read aloud.
At the end of the story, children are invited to make the sound to support retrieval. Practice in letter formation follows with simple directions for tracing the uppercase and lowercase letter. Story activities include a couple of questions focused on the target sound and suggestions for extending learning with both the letter and sound. Free printables providing more practice opportunities are also available on the website.
Little Lions Literacy Alphabet Books deliver more than letter and sound recognition. The stories support knowledge building and vocabulary development which are key to reading comprehension.
Beagles & Books 