2012, Alphabet books
WISE Score
An ABC book that finally admits the letter 'A' makes more than one sound, using dragons and butcher-filled pudding to make the phonics stick.
Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased. Screenwise is a Bookshop.org affiliate and an Amazon Associate, so if you buy a book through one of our links, we may earn a commission. Bookshop.org purchases also support independent bookstores.
Most alphabet books are a bit of a scam because they only teach the 'short' sound of a letter, leaving kids confused when they actually start reading. Doodling Dragons is the antidote.
It's funny, it's weird, and it actually prepares a kid's brain for the reality of English spelling. If you want to move past 'A is for Apple' and get into how language actually works, this is the book to grab.
Ideal for toddlers through first graders (ages 2–7). It's a perfect fit for the 'sponge' phase of language development.
It is a gentle, imaginative picture book that uses fantasy creatures to teach literacy without any snark or overstimulation.
Moving beyond 'A is for Apple,' it uses dragons, elves, and hedgehogs in silly, memorable scenarios to illustrate phonics.
A physical book with zero safety concerns, ads, or inappropriate content.
Highly aligned with the science of reading; it teaches all sounds a letter makes rather than oversimplifying the alphabet.
In the world of early literacy, there’s a massive gap between the 'A is for Apple' books we all grew up with and how kids actually learn to read. Reading science, specifically the Reading Rope framework, tells us that literacy is built on two main strands: language comprehension and word recognition. While most picture books handle the comprehension side, Doodling Dragons is a rare tool that tackles the word recognition (phonics) side without being a total bore.
Published by Pedia Learning—the team behind the Logic of English curriculum—this book is designed to teach kids that letters are codes for sounds. When a kid learns that 'O' makes the sounds in 'on,' 'go,' and 'do' all at once, they aren't surprised later when they encounter those words in the wild.
The book uses 'phonograms,' which are just the letters or combinations of letters that represent a sound. By using silly examples like 'put the butcher in the pudding,' it creates a mental hook for the /ü/ sound. It’s a mnemonic strategy that works because it’s absurd.
If your kid is in the 2-to-5-year-old window, this is a high-leverage addition to the bookshelf. You aren't just reading a story; you're building the neural pathways for decoding. It’s the kind of intentional media choice that pays dividends once they hit kindergarten and start the heavy lifting of independent reading.
Get a personalized guide on any topic
