Walk into any bookstore and you’ll find dozens of alphabet books. Maybe hundreds ABC book. They come in every theme imaginable animals, trucks, princesses, dinosaurs, space, food.
So how do you choose a good ABC book?
Most parents (and grandparents, and gift-givers) pick based on what looks cute or what matches the kid’s interests. And that makes sense. If your kid loves trucks, a truck alphabet book feels like a safe bet.
But here’s what Kevin and I think about when we evaluate alphabet books and what we considered when creating our own: what is ABC book actually teaching?
Because an ABC book isn’t just about recognizing letters. It’s about the concepts you’re introducing alongside those letters.
The Obvious Job: Teaching Letter Recognition
Let’s start with the basics. Yes, alphabet books teach kids to recognize letters. A looks like this. B looks like that. That’s important.
Most alphabet books do this part reasonably well. The letter is big, it’s clear, and there’s a visual connection to a word that starts with that letter.
So if letter recognition is the baseline, what separates a good alphabet book from a great one?
The Pictures Matter (But Not for the Reason You Think)
Of course illustrations matter. Kids are visual learners. They need to see the concepts, not just hear them.
But here’s the thing: the best illustrations don’t just look pretty. They reinforce the concept behind the word.
When we were working on Big Ideas for Little Achievers ABC Book, we knew we needed illustrations that would help kids understand abstract ideas. How do you draw “ask”? How do you illustrate “navigate” or “opportunity”?
The images had to be concrete enough for young kids to grasp, but open enough to spark imagination and conversation.
A picture of an apple is straightforward. A picture that represents asking questions or rising after you fall? That takes more thought.
Good ABC books make those connections clear and engaging.
The Words You Choose Define the Book’s Purpose
This is where things get interesting.
Some alphabet books are designed purely for entertainment. A is for Alligator. B is for Butterfly. The goal is just exposure to letters and some basic vocabulary.
That’s fine. There’s value in that.
But other alphabet books have a purpose beyond letter recognition. They’re trying to teach something specific—whether it’s animals, feelings, colors, shapes, or in our case, character, curiosity, and purpose.
The words you choose determine what you’re really teaching.
If you choose:
- Apple, Ball, Cat → You’re teaching basic nouns
- Angry, Brave, Calm → You’re teaching emotional vocabulary
- Ask, Create, Dream → You’re teaching mindsets and skills
There’s no right or wrong answer. But there is intentionality. And the best alphabet books are intentional about what they’re planting in kids’ minds. Just like the Big Ideas for Little Achievers Alphabet Book.
Repetition Is Your Friend
Here’s something parents don’t always think about: kids will ask you to read the same book approximately 47,000 times.
That’s not an exaggeration. That’s parenting.
So the question becomes: what do you want your kid hearing 47,000 times?
“A is for Apple, B is for Ball” is fine. Harmless. Neutral.
But what if, instead, your kid heard 47,000 times that:
- A is for Ask (questions are good)
- B is for Business (you can create things to help people)
- C is for Create (you have the power to make things)
Those messages start to sink in. Not because you sat your kid down and lectured them about entrepreneurship or character development, but because they heard it over and over in a context that felt fun and natural.
The best alphabet books take advantage of that repetition. They choose words worth repeating.
Age Appropriateness Matters
Some alphabet books are designed for babies—high contrast images, very simple words.
Others are aimed at preschoolers who are starting to recognize letters and connect sounds to words.
Still others work for early readers who can sound out the words themselves.
A good alphabet book knows its audience and writes for that developmental stage.
For Big Ideas for Little Achievers, we aimed for ages 3-7. Old enough to start grasping concepts beyond concrete nouns, but young enough that they’re still building foundational vocabulary.
That meant we needed definitions that were simple but not dumbed down. Concepts that were age-appropriate but would grow with them.
“Money is what we use to buy the things we need and want” works for a four-year-old. It also works for a six-year-old. And honestly, it’s a pretty solid definition for adults too.
It Should Work for Parents Too
Here’s something people don’t talk about enough: parents (or grandparents, or caregivers) are the ones actually reading these books out loud.
And if the book is boring or overly simplistic or feels like it’s not teaching anything meaningful? Parents stop reaching for it.
The best alphabet books engage adults as much as kids. They include enough depth that the adult reading it doesn’t feel like they’re just reciting a list. There’s something to discuss. Something to expand on.
When we created our book, we wrote definitions that parents could read directly to kids, but we also knew parents would add their own context. “Yes, A is for Ask. What questions do you have today?”
That dialogue between the book and the reader, between the parent and the child is where real learning happens.
The “So What?” Test
Here’s the test we applied to every word in our book: So what?
So what if a kid learns this word? How does it help them? What does it unlock?
“A is for Apple” → So what? They know apples exist. Fine.
“A is for Ask” → So what? They learn that questions are valuable. That not knowing something is okay. That curiosity is a strength. That’s meaningful.
“M is for Mouse” → So what? They know what a mouse is.
“M is for Money” → So what? They start understanding a tool they’ll use their entire life. They begin building financial literacy. That matters.
Good alphabet books pass the “so what?” test. They teach things that actually stick with kids beyond letter recognition.
Does It Spark Conversation?
The best alphabet books don’t end when you close the cover. They create opportunities for conversation.
“R is for Rise. When was a time you fell down and got back up?”
“V is for Voice. What’s something you’ve been wanting to say?”
“T is for Team. Who’s on your team?”
If a book gives parents and kids something to talk about something to connect over—it’s doing more than teaching letters. It’s building relationships and developing critical thinking.
What Makes Our Book Different
Obviously, we’re biased. But here’s what we tried to do with Big Ideas for Little Achievers:
- Intentional word choice – Every word builds character, curiosity, or purpose
- Simple but meaningful definitions – Age-appropriate but not condescending
- Concepts that grow – Words they’ll use at 5, 15, and 25
- Visual clarity – Illustrations that make abstract concepts concrete
- Worth repeating – Messages we want kids to hear thousands of times
We didn’t just want to teach letters. We wanted to plant seeds that would grow into confidence, resilience, creativity, and agency.
That’s what makes an alphabet book good—at least in our opinion.
The Book You Choose Matters
You’re going to read that ABC book a lot. Your kid is going to absorb those words, those concepts, those messages.
So choose intentionally.
Pick a book that teaches what you want your child to learn. Pick words that will serve them beyond letter recognition. Pick messages you want repeated until they become part of how your child thinks.
Because it’s not just an ABC book. It’s a foundation.
Looking for an ABC book with purpose? Get your copy of Big Ideas for Little Achievers here.
