Blogging A to Z: Concepts

Today for the letter “C” I’m going to be sharing the importance of the concept of books. This could have gone two different ways – concept books (books that teach basic concepts like colors, alphabet, shapes, counting) or literally the importance of understanding the concept of a book.

Children learn how books work when you read aloud to them. That books must face a certain way. The next time you grab a book to read to your toddler, start the book upside down or from the right instead of the left and see what your little one does. We practice this in storytime and the kids love to point out an adult’s mistake!

Books (in English) are read top-to-bottom, left-to-right. Pages are turned from the right side of the book to the left side. In fact, kids LOVE to turn the pages. And they know how to do it because they watch you do it every time you read a story together.

Print Awareness

This idea of the concept of books is often called print awareness. It is the understanding that there is print all around us (we’ll get to that later!), how to handle a book, and how print is read. Do you remember the first time you tried to use a self-checkout machine at the grocery store? How difficult it was to understand how to use it properly? Imagine going to school and not knowing how the tools work. It’s the same concept!

Early literacy is the preparation for school so that kids begin school ready to learn. They know how books work, so rather than having to start there, they can jump ahead to learning what’s inside the book!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Today’s list includes crowd favorites, diverse authors and illustrators, and some hopefully new-to-you titles to share with your family. Remember, visiting your local library is a great way to explore lots of books for free! “Testing” books from the library allows you to find your child’s favorites and offer new titles weekly!

Book List #3 – Concepts

1. Birds of a Color by Élo
   Learn colors with this fun and engaging lift-the-flap board book!
2. The Book With No Pictures by B. J. Novak
   I’ve never had kids chant to “read it again!” before this book. I read this one to two groups of day campers and they loved it so much, I read it twice back-to-back. This is a must read (and you’ve got to go all out!).
3. Cat on the Bus by Aram Kim
   A cat looking for a forever home tries a few different people and places until a kind bus driver and rider help it out!
4. A Little Chicken by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Dan Taylor
   This little chicken (in size) is also a little chicken (as in afraid of everything). But they gather up their courage to save their sibling in an adventure of a lifetime.
5. Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions
   Babies love photographs of other babies and this introduction to emotions is the perfect way to help your little one begin to identify how they are feeling!
6. Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett
   A story that toddlers and preschoolers will be reading in no time with just 4 words!
7. Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo
   Perfect for preschoolers who are looking for a longer read, this chapter book has a classic feel perfect for a read aloud that spans a couple of readings!
8. Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
   A STEM-themed story before the concept existed, this beautiful book full of colors is also full of gardening and plants!
9. Snakes on a Train by Kathryn Dennis
   Filled with wordplay, adults are going to enjoy this one as much as the kids.
10. The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonker, illustrated by Mark Pett
    A story that shows that friendship and bravery can come in the smallest of kids.
11. When We are Kind by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
    Simple acts of everyday kindness are shared in this beautiful story by Indigenous creators.
12. Z Is For Moose by Kelly Bingham, illustrated b Paul O. Zelinksy
    Preschoolers will love just how excited Moose is about the alphabet in this story.

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the titles on this list, please use my affiliate link for Bookshop.org. When you purchase from this link, I will earn a commission as an affiliate.

Tomorrow is a break from the Blogging A to Z Challenge, but stop by the blog for some book reviews of some excellent new kid lit!

For the month of April, I’ll be sharing early literacy tips and book lists as part of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Learn about the importance of early literacy and ways to incorporate tips and tricks into your family’s daily routine. Developing language skills before kids head to school helps them to be ready to learn when they reach school-age. In addition to great content, you’ll also get a new book list for each letter, resulting in over 300 board book and picture book suggestions for your family to enjoy!