Check out our Letter C book list!
We’ve included 10 great books, including fiction and nonfiction, to reinforce your child’s love of the Letter C!
Fiction
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This is a classic book that your children will adore! Eric Carle uses simple text and beautiful collage illustrations to tell the story of the life cycle of a caterpillar. My children especially love all the food the caterpillar eats, complete with tiny "eaten" holes in the pages. Not only is this a great book to read when learning the letter C, it can also reinforce concepts such as the days of the week, numbers 1-5, fruits, colors, and so much more! In addition, you can find it in both board book style for smaller readers and traditional paper or hardback covers for older readers. Overall, this is a wonderful book and an awesome addition to your library collection.
They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
This is another fabulous book with simple and repetitive text. It describes a cat through the eyes of various animals, including a fox, fish, mouse, flea, snake, skunk, worm, and more. The cat’s appearance changes on each page to mirror the creatures’ descriptions—shifting from very skinny to very large, colorful, dotted, black and white, and the list goes on. Kids love the surprise of each new page. Use it to reinforce the letter C, learn about different animals, or to discuss what it means to see from a new perspective!
Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Get ready to laugh with this text! The story begins with a farmer who has a problem—his cows can type! Using a typewriter they found in the barn, those cows begin sending the farmer typed notes full of humorous demands. With multiple sound words and phrases like “click, clack, moo,” throughout, this text is a delight to read aloud, and everyone will be sure to laugh at the ending!
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
If this is the first you’ve heard of Laura Numeroff, hit up your local library for a bunch of her books! She is a fabulous author who creates fun and engaging text—perfect for kids. In her book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, a small mouse is given a cookie. This leads him to make many more requests—resulting in naps, cleaning, and a giant art project! In addition, the illustrations are rich with color and detail. And if your children enjoy this one, she has several more in this series to enjoy. Don’t miss out!
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
Creepy Carrots tells the story of Jasper Rabbit, a carrot-loving bunny. When Jasper’s carrot-obsession tempts him to take carrots from a nearby field, his imagination takes off running, and he’s convinced the carrots have come alive to haunt him! The story is suspenseful and great for children who are up for a little scare. Peter Brown’s illustrations add to the overall mood and feel of the book, completed in grayscale except for the the bright orange of the carrots. All in all, this is a fun story to read for both children and their parents.
Cars Galore by Peter Stein
If your child loves cars or anything transportation related, this book will likely be a favorite. It’s chock-full of descriptive words, colorful and interesting pictures, and engaging text. From more traditional police cars and tow trucks to a hundred-feet car, rock-n-roll car, solar car, and even a man-sleeping-in-his-bed car, there is no shortage of variety and interesting detail in this fun book.
The Cookie Fiasco by Mo Willems and Dan Santat
This story tackles a very real problem: four animal friends with only three cookies between them. The characters are hilarious and engaging, and the book is punctuated with exciting dialogue and speech bubbles throughout. An added bonus are the opportunities to practice counting and early division, not to mention the chance to discuss equality for all. Overall, this Willems and Santat team-up is a terrific book for your shelves.
Nonfiction
Cat by Matthew Van Fleet
Whether or not your child is a cat lover, this book is sure to be a hit. It is an interactive text, complete with things for your child to pull, open, and slide, various textures to touch, moving parts to watch, and even a squeaker! Its many surprises will delight your little one. The text is also simple enough for young children to enjoy without losing interest. If that weren’t enough, the book is also packed with actual photographs of cats, showcasing the great diversity within the feline world. Though it’s not heavy on cat facts, it’s still a really fun and interactive read.
National Geographic Readers: Caterpillar to Butterfly by Laura Marsh
The National Geographic Readers are a fantastic way to research new topics with your little ones. Caterpillar to Butterfly both explains and shows the caterpillar to butterfly transformation, combining fabulous photos with kid-friendly text. Consider adding this book to your collection—as a Level One reader, it could soon be a book your child will be reading on their own!
Candy Experiments by Loralee Leavitt
Rather than simply seeing candy as, well, candy, this book encourages kids to take a look at their favorite treats as “scientific detectives” would—scientific ingredients! Stuffed with experiments using M&Ms, candy corn, marshmallows, taffy, and even soda, this text allows you to have tons of fun with your children and use up all that leftover candy that's driving you bonkers. It’s organized into various types of experiments, with groupings such as Secret Ingredients, Color, Blow It Up, Squash It, and Dissolve This. And for those of you non-sciencey parents, never fear. The experiments are fun and engaging, yet simple enough for even the biggest science-a-phobe to complete. That and each experiment also ends with an brief explanation of “What’s Happening,” which exposes kids to even more science vocabulary. With so many experiments to pick from, you and your child will be sure to find something that works for you!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our top 10 books for the Letter C! For more letter-themed ideas, including letter-themed crafts, snacks, and activities, check out our letter blog posts, like the Letter C post. And don’t forget to subscribe, so you can be the first to see our future letter book lists!!