2026 Book of the Year

Invite your toddler to find the book and carry it to a reading spot. Encourage them to open the book and talk about what they see on the cover.

You might say:

“What do you see?” “I see big colorful letters on the front cover! Can you find the tall, green tree?”

Encourage your toddler to repeat letter names and sounds from the book.

You might say:

“This is letter J! Can you say J?”

Pause often to let your toddler point, turn pages, and talk. Invite participation by asking simple questions and commenting on the letters you see.

“I see letters I, J and K climbing? Uh-oh! Where are they going? (pause) Yes, the letters are climbing up the tall green tree!”

Model how to touch and trace letters. Encourage your toddler to repeat after you and touch and trace letters in the book with their finger.

You might say:

“Watch me touch and trace this big, blue K. Can you trace the K also? (pause) You did a great job tracing that letter!”

Explore the rhyming words found in the story as your toddler acts out parts of the story. Place 5–8 letters (foam, magnetic, or homemade paper) on the floor or table and invite your toddler to move the letters while pretending to climb just like letters in the book. As they play, model language and actions, emphasizing rhyming words.

You might say:

“The letter D climbed up the tree! D and tree sound the same! Can you climb the tree like letter D? Oh my, boom boom! Will you have enough room? I hear more words that sound the same. Can you say boom…room?”

Create comfort and connection. Sit close to your child so you can both see the story. Position your child safely and comfortably. If you need help positioning your child for reading, ask your child’s care team for guidance.

Encourage a back-and-forth style as you read. Your child may want to turn pages, point to pictures, or talk about what they see. Support their exploration by noticing and commenting on their actions.

You might say:

“Wow, you are pointing to the letter B!” “You turned the page all by yourself!”

Model and guide. Show your child how to turn pages and point to pictures. Talk about what you notice in the story.

Continue the conversation. Talk about what your child noticed in the story. You might revisit a favorite picture or a moment they seemed excited about.

You might say:

“I remember when you pointed to the B—great job noticing that!”

Encourage your child to look closely at the front of the book and talk about what they notice.

You might say:

“Wow! I see lots of bright colors and letters on the cover. What do you notice? (Pause and wait.) What do you think the letters might be doing in this story? Let’s read the title together and see if that gives us a clue.”

Give your child time to respond. There are no right or wrong answers—listening and talking together helps build language.

As you read, point to the letters on the page and move your finger from left to right to show how we read words in a book. Read with excitement and rhythm, especially when the words repeat.

You might say:

“Look at all those letters climbing the coconut tree! Let’s see what happens next.” or “I notice this letter looks like one from your name. Do you see it too?”

Let your child point, name letters they recognize, or simply enjoy listening and watching the letters move.

Offer your child paper and crayons to explore writing and letter formation. Provide encouragement and praise all attempts to write or draw a picture.

You might say:

“Let’s draw some letters from the story. You can draw any letter you like—even scribbles are okay! Tell me about your picture.”

If your child is interested, you can label their drawing by writing the letter they named or the first letter of their name while they watch.

Create comfort and connection. Sit close to your child or beside them so you can both see the story and share the experience together. Position your child safely and comfortably. If you need help positioning your child for reading, ask your child’s care team for guidance.

Encourage a shared reading experience. Your child may want to hold the book, turn the pages, point to pictures, or read letters and words aloud. Support their engagement by noticing what they are doing and asking questions.

You might say:

“What do you think will happen next?”

Model what readers do. Use your finger to show how you read from left to right, point to letters and words, and turn the pages slowly. Describe the pictures as you go. Pause to notice and describe your child’s reactions.

You might say:

“You laughed when the letters went up the tree!”

Talk about the story together. Revisit a favorite page, picture, or letter. Comment on something your child noticed or enjoyed.

You might say:

“I remember when you pointed to the B—you really know that letter!”

Extend the experience through shared drawing and writing. Your child may want to draw or write about the story. You can also model for your child. They can tell you their ideas while you draw or write. Describe your actions.

You might say:

“I’m drawing the letter B going up the coconut tree.”

Invite your child to take a closer look at the cover and title before reading.

You might say:

“Let’s read the title together—Chicka Chicka ABC. I notice both uppercase and lowercase letters on the cover. Can you find a letter that looks the same in uppercase and lowercase? Can you find one that looks different?”

Encourage your child to explain their thinking and talk about where the story will begin when you open the book.

As you read, pause to focus on the sounds and patterns in the language.
You might say:

“Listen carefully to how the words sound when I read this page. Do you hear how the words repeat?”
or
“When I say boom boom, clap two times with me.”

Invite your child to:

• Clap syllables in letter names (A, B, C…)
• Join in with repeated phrases
• Listen for letters in their own name as you read
  

Talk about the story together, then extend the learning through drawing and writing.

Talk together:

“Why do you think the letters wanted to climb the coconut tree? What happened when too many letters climbed at once?”

Then provide paper and writing tools.

You might say, “Draw the coconut tree and some letters climbing up or falling down! You can label your picture with letters you know. Would you like to write a letter from your name or a word like tree or boom?”

Focus on your child’s ideas and effort rather than correct spelling.

Create comfort and connection. Sit close to your child or beside them so you can both see the story and share the experience together. If you need help positioning your child for reading, ask your child’s care team for guidance.

Encourage a shared reading experience. Your child may want to read to you. Show your excitement and describe how you feel as they read.

You might say:

“Wow, I love the part when…”

Model what readers do. Use your finger to show how you read from left to right, point to letters and words, and turn the pages slowly. Describe the pictures and invite your child to notice what you see. Pause and comment on your child’s reactions.

You might say:

“You smiled when the silly letters started climbing!”

Extend the experience through shared writing and drawing. Your child may want to draw or write about the story. Describe what they write. “Wow, you drew the coconut tree!”

You can model for your child too. They can tell you their ideas while you draw or write. Describe what you are doing.

You might say:

“I’m drawing the letter B going up the coconut tree.” “You told me to make it big—look how tall it is!”

Focus on your child’s ideas and effort rather than correct spelling.