About the Preschool Book

David Pelletier, the author and illustrator of The Graphic Alphabet (Caldecott Honor Book), states in the book jacket that "this book grew out of a longstanding interest in letter forms and in the relationship between image and meaning." In The Graphic Alphabet, he sought to create each letter in a graphic form that "retained the natural shape of the letter as well as represent the meaning of the word."

The Graphic Alphabet is the recipient of a Caldecott Honor. Pelletier has masterfully recreated the alphabet in graphic form. Preschoolers will enjoy this twist on the typical alphabet book. The engaging photos each demonstrate how the letter form relates to the meaning of the word.

From the Reviewer

Preschoolers will ask for The Graphic Alphabet over and over again. With only one word on each page, this book is simple to read but it's highly visual pages help preschoolers to learn to recognize each letter in the alphabet. The innovative illustrations will provide for wonderful discussions between preschoolers and their parents or teachers.

The Graphic Alphabet is a wonderful addition to any preschool library. It helps provide preschoolers with a strong pre-reading foundation and strengthen their knowledge of the alphabet.

Preschool Book Details

Reading Level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Scholastic (September 1, 1996)

Language: English

ISBN-10:0531360016

ISBN-13:978-0531360019****

Hi! I'm Rachel Lister, the Preschool Education writer at PreschoolRock.com. I live in Utah with my husband and two beautiful boys. When my oldest son was born, I quit my teaching job and opened a home daycare and preschool. I love to help preschoolers learn about the world around them. They make life interesting and I can't imagine doing anything different. If you have any ideas, suggestions or comments, feel free to contact me.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Read aloud daily for at least 15 minutes. This single habit is the strongest predictor of kindergarten reading readiness and long-term academic success.

• Use mathematical language all day: "more than," "less than," "half," "equal," "twice as much." Incidental math vocabulary builds the conceptual foundation formal math builds on.

• Expose children to multiple languages early if possible. The preschool window is the most efficient period for language acquisition the brain will ever have.

• Mistakes are how children learn. A classroom and home that treat mistakes as information rather than failure produces more confident, persistent learners.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I support a gifted preschooler who seems to need more than peers?

Gifted preschoolers benefit from depth rather than acceleration — instead of teaching next-year's content, provide deeper engagement with current concepts. A preschooler fascinated by numbers doesn't need grade-school arithmetic; they benefit from mathematical puzzles, spatial reasoning challenges, and mathematical exploration at their own depth. Social-emotional support is equally important: gifted preschoolers often have asynchronous development (advanced intellectually but emotionally typical for their age) and need appropriate peer interaction alongside intellectual challenge.

When should formal education begin for preschoolers?

Play-based learning is the developmentally appropriate educational mode for children from birth through age 6–7. Formal academic instruction (sitting at desks, worksheets, direct phonics drills) before age 6 consistently produces short-term knowledge gains but long-term motivation losses. The children with the richest preschool play experiences often outperform academically drilled peers by age 8, when the developmental advantage of play-based executive function development becomes apparent in school performance.

Related reading: See also our vocabulary building guide and our counting activities for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 📚 Pre-Reading Skills — Activities that involve letters, sounds, rhymes, and print directly build the phonological awareness and letter knowledge that are the two strongest predictors of successful reading development.
• 🎯 Self-Directed Learning — Learning that begins with the child's own question or interest produces the deepest understanding — and children who experience self-directed learning develop the intrinsic motivation that sustains learning throughout life.
• 🌐 World Knowledge — Background knowledge about the world dramatically accelerates reading comprehension — children who know more understand more of what they read — making every content-area learning experience a literacy investment.
• 😊 Love of Learning — Positive early learning experiences build a child's identity as a learner — and children who see themselves as curious, capable learners approach school with the engagement and resilience that matter more than any specific skill.

From the Preschool Book

"Suddenly the alphabet is no longer elementary. An A crumbles as an avalanche gathers force. B bounces with electric energy. C spins in surprising circles. D glow with the infernal light of the devil. And so on through Z. It goes as each letter is reinterpreted - almost entirely reconceived - with dramatic colors, wry wit, and deliciously distinctive perspectives. This elegant alphabet is for all those who long ago mastered their ABC's but never outgrew their passion for discovering beauty in unexpected places." - from the book jacket.