D is for Duck by David Melling and Other Great Alphabet Books

D is for Duck by David Melling

An inventive and magical new alphabet story from the author of Hugless Douglas and The Kiss That Missed. Each letter begins a word that tells the next part of the story as Duck performs a series of slightly skewiff magic tricks, beginning with Abracadabra and ending, naturally, with Zap!

Take Away the A by Michaël Escoffier & Kris Di Giacomo

One of our favourite books to show to teachers looking for something a bit different. Without the A and the beast is the best, Without the M the farm is too far, without the R the crab hails a cab... This simple but clever trick helps show how important each letter can be, and how to really have fun with language and wordplay. We can't applaud that enough.

Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers

This an original and nicely odd alphabet book, as you would expect from Oliver Jeffers. Every letter is accompanied by a very short story. A is an astronaut with a fear of heights; B is a bridge, on either side of which live quarreling neighbours Bernard and Bob; D is the tale of Delilah the Daredevil... If you enjoyed Jeffers' Crayon books this is worth a look.

Jane Foster's ABC

For a straightforward ABC, this is a great place to start. Jane Foster's board books cover ABC, 123, colours, etc. All are beautifully designed with bright colours and clear, high contrast images. Her black and white book for babies is rather nice too.