About this Book

A total of 26 amusing rhymes to playfully and easily facilitate letter recognition (name, sound, and shape of each lower case letter) — noted to be the best predictor of a child’s future reading success!  Plus, your child will gain the additional benefits that rhyming inherently provides.

 

The visual and auditory pictures created by the rhymes provide instruction on not only letter shape and sound but also the correct handwriting strokes required to form each letter, including forward, backward, downward, right, and left direction. A few examples are set forth below.

 

• Letter a “acts like an acrobat aiming to ace her back somersault, with beauty and grace.  a – acrobat” A child can thus visualize the backward circular handwriting stroke and downward stroke that are required to form letter a, as if she were doing her back somersault.

 

 a acts like an acrobat aiming to ace

her back somersault with beauty and grace. 

a – acrobat

 

• Letter r “likes to pretend he’s a rabbit or hare.  He jumps down, then hops right, but stops in mid air.  r – rabbit”  A child can thus recall the required downward, upward, and forward handwriting strokes to properly form letter r.

 

r likes to pretend he’s a rabbit or hare. 

He jumps down, then hops right, but stops in mid air. 

r – rabbit

 

You’ll also notice that the capital letters are hidden in the illustration portions of each lower case letter page, providing a little “I Spy” fun.  As you re-read the book, help your child recall the capital letters and note the similarities or differences between the two.

 

For lower case letters that look similar to or the same as their corresponding capital letters, the lower case letter rhymes relate back to the capital letter rhyme in order to make that connection. For example:

 

• “b bites big burgers just like his dad, but he’s 1 belly fat ‘cause he eats just a tad. b – belly” (Capital letter B is similar.)

 

 b bites big burgers just like his dad,

But he’s one belly fat ’cause he eats just a tad.

b – burgers

 

• “s stands like a snake, the same as her mother. Right now she’s in trouble for biting her brother. s – stands” (Capital letter S is the same.)

 

 s stands like a snake, the same as her mother.

Right now she’s in trouble for biting her brother.

s – stands

 

Lastly, you’ll notice that the rhymes for the vowels (a, e, i, o, u) contain words with both the short and long vowel sounds.  This presents an opportunity to discuss this fact, when your child is ready, along with the vowels’ special importance in that at least one vowel is required to make a word.

 

Recite the rhymes early on in play and while engaged in games and other fun activities. Children learn best through playful experiences, all of which serve as a springboard for literacy.