Picture Books and Early Literacy Skills
Every picture book you share with a child will help them develop every early literacy skill. Some books, however, are especially supportive of one or two skills in particular. Use these resources to help you select books, whether you are looking for a book to add to storytime, or to place on display, or to share with parents and caregivers to help explain an early literacy concept.
Skill: Vocabulary
Try these types of books:
Word books
Picture dictionaries
I Spy
Search and find
Alphabet books
Longer picture books
Any story with rich language
Non-fiction
Skill: Print Motivation
Try these types of books:
Touch-and-feel
Lift-the-flap
Pop culture books like Barbie or Batman (to follow children’s interests)
Non-fiction (follow their interests)
Skill: Print Awareness
Try these types of books:
Books about books and reading
Books with repeated phrases
Books with word bubbles
Books with large print
Books with print as part of the illustrations
Skill: Narrative Skills
Try these types of books:
Repetitive and predictable books
Cumulative stories
Wordless books
Sequential plots
Familiar folk & nursery tales
Skill: Phonological Awareness
Try these types of books:
Rhyming books
Songs (782.42s)
Animal sounds
Mother Goose
Poetry
Onomotopeia
Skill: Letter Knowledge
Try these types of books:
ABC books
Concept books (shape, color, opposites, etc.)
I Spy
Here are more resouces about selecting books for early literacy storytimes and services:
Beyond the Book
Kerry Aiken and Melanie Kozlowski from Estes Park Public Library gave a presentation at the Colorado Association of Libraries Annual Conference in 2007 and provided this handout, which lists books that support each of the 6 skills.
The 6 Early Literacy Skills in Books for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
Melissa Depper from Arapahoe Library District gave a presentation at the Colorado Association of Libraries Annual Conference in 2009, and provided this handout, which lists types and sample titles of books that support literacy skills, for three different age groups.
ELSIE: Early Literacy Storytime Ideas Exchange
The librarians at the Minneapolis Public Library have created a storytime database. You can search by each of the six skills for books that reinforce those skills. Annotations provide further context.
Any Book, Any Skill
These bookmarks were developed by Saroj Ghoting to emphasize the idea that any picture book will support any of the six early literacy skills. Each bookmark makes suggestions for a few types of books for each skill, as well as ways to read and share any book that will support a particular skill.
Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
BreitLinks Early Literacy Web
Books that support each literacy skill listed for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.