These letter A books for preschool are the perfect addition to your weekly (or monthly) alphabet letter activities for kids. Children will love exploring the letter A through books and matching activities to further deepen their learning.

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Reading with my four-year-old is one of our absolute favorite ways to spend time together. I love how new vocabulary and ideas from the stories we read make their way into our conversations, her pretend play, and her art— it’s like magic.

When my daughter was learning the alphabet, letter-themed books were a fun way for us to explore a variety of topics while developing literacy skills one letter at a time. Reading books aloud with your child is a key part to learning the alphabet in a meaningful way; seeing letters in the context of a word and hearing the way different letters sound help children see how the alphabet functions.

Starting with the letter A, I am sharing a collection of our favorite letter A books for preschoolers and kindergarteners along with simple tips for using letter-themed books to introduce your little one to phonics (relating written letters to sounds) and phonemic awareness (hearing letter sounds in a spoken word).

Learning Basic Letter A Sounds with Letter A Books

The two most common letter A sounds are the short A sound and long A sound, which are both covered in our book list.

The short A sound: the way the letter A sounds in apple or ant
The long A sound: the way the letter A sounds in acorn or make

Begin each book with a few simple questions to help reinforce letter recognition and letter sounds. Look at the cover together and focus on just the words in the title.

Ask your child to identify the letter A, both uppercase and lowercase: Where do you see the letter A? Is this a big A (uppercase) or little a (lowercase)?
Practice making both the long and short A sounds and identify which sound the A makes in the title: What sounds does the letter A make? What sound does the A make in this word?
Read the title of the book emphasizing the letter A sound in an exaggerated way to highlight how the letter A is used in that word. It may feel a little unnatural but don’t worry, this is just for the title— read the rest of the book as you normally would.

This little exercise only takes a few minutes but I’ve found that repeating these questions with a few different books focused on the same letter really goes a long way!

Pair this activity with the Letter A Preschool Printable Pack, Printable Letter A Worksheet, Alphabet Letter A Playdough Mat

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Our Favorite Letter A Books for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

We love reading various books, so this list includes fiction and non-fiction books, classics, and newer titles— all covering subjects beginning with the letter A.

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World (Dragonfly Books)

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman. This one was my daughter’s favorite among our apple-themed books! The story appeals to every child’s sense of adventure and includes an apple pie recipe at the end.

Ten Apples Up On Top!

Ten Apples Up On Top! by Dr. Seuss

This Dr. Seuss classic about three animal friends trying to keep apples balanced on their heads is a fun introduction to counting.

Hello, World! How Do Apples Grow?

Hello, World! How Do Apples Grow? by Jill McDonald

This book is a great introduction to apples for toddlers and preschoolers, with bright illustrations and easy-to-follow explanations that cover all of the basics about how apples are grown, harvested, and made into apple sauce.

Alligator Shoes (Reading Rainbow)

Alligator Shoes by Arthur Dorros

This is an older book that sadly seems to be out of print, but still worth including (you can find it used at the library) because it’s such a cute, clever story about an alligator in a shoe store that’s perfect for beginning readers.

Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator!

Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! by Mo Willems

This clever book includes a series of several short stories that paint a sweet picture of friendship between Amanda and her alligator, who is always full of surprises. Note: the letter A sounds can be particularly tricky. The a’s in “Amanda” aren’t pronounced as a long A or short A so if this causes confusion, just focus on the a’s in the word “alligator”.

Hey, Little Ant

Hey, Little Ant by Hannah Hoose and Phillip Hoose

It is a humorous, lyrical book by a father-daughter duo about the conversation between a boy and an ant that encourages empathy, kindness, and respect for all creatures, big and small.

Are You an Ant? (Backyard Books)

Are you an Ant? by Judy Allen

I love that this book is both informative and imaginative. Learn all about the characteristics and lifecycle of an ant in a fun narrative way that puts you in an ant’s shoes.

Nature Stories: Little Acorn: Padded Board Book

The Little Airplane by Lois Lenski

A simple story with charming illustrations about Pilot Small and his aerial adventures in his little red airplane.

Amazing Airplanes (Amazing Machines)

Amazing Airplanes by Tony Mitto

A perfect introduction to airplanes and airports for little ones! Follow the animal crew and learn all about air travel in catchy rhyming prose.

Nature Stories: Little Acorn: Padded Board Book

Nature Stories: Little Acorn by Melanie Joyce

A delightful book about how a little acorn becomes a big oak tree. The illustrations in this book are so cute and it’s a great introduction to the life cycle of a tree.

Pairing Letter A Books with Letter A Activities for Preschoolers

Here are a few ideas for pairing these letter A books for preschoolers with a fun hands-on activity:

Read Alligator Shoes or Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! and make an alligator Letter A craft.
Read Hello, World! How Do Apples Grow? and make an apple letter a craft.
Read Ten Apples Up On Top! and practice counting with these apple playdough counting mats.
Read The Little Airplane and create an airplane sensory tub. Use the airplanes to make letter A’s in the shaving cream.
Read Amazing Airplanes and get our free airplane printables pack for fun airplane-themed literacy and math activities!
This free Letter A Preschool Printable Pack is full of Letter A-themed worksheets and activities.
More ideas for hands-on Letter A activities for preschoolers